Analysis and measurement of hardness (penetration)

Indentation hardness testing assesses a material's resistance when a point, cone, or piston is driven into it under a defined load. This measurement is a key indicator of a product's consistency, rigidity, firmness, and stability. It is used in numerous industrial sectors, including food processing, cosmetics, materials and polymers, packaging, nutraceuticals, and animal nutrition.

This analysis plays a key role in quality control, formulation and development of products whose texture, hardness or resistance to deformation must be strictly controlled.

Industrial challenges of penetration hardness measurement

Hardness is a key parameter for predicting a product's behavior during handling, end use, or storage. Hardness that is too high or too low can negatively impact user experience, industrial processing, or product stability.

The analysis allows, in particular, to:
• control the consistency of a production batch
• optimize the formulation (quantity of binders, plasticizers, structuring agents)
• compare different raw materials
• adjust process parameters (temperature, pressing, extrusion)
• ensure compliance with technical or regulatory specifications

This measurement is also used to assess aging, hardness after storage, or the resistance of a material subjected to mechanical stresses.

Analytical methods: penetronomy, Shore test and associated tests

Hardness measurement is generally performed using a penetrometer or durometer, depending on the type of material being analyzed. The most common techniques include:
• penetrability testing (measuring the depth of penetration under load)
• Shore hardness testing (Shore A, D, etc.) suitable for flexible or rigid polymers
• conical penetration testing for waxes, greases, or semi-solid products
• instrumented penetration testing with force/displacement curve acquisition

These methods provide quantitative data representative of a product's hardness, rigidity, or plasticity. They are suitable for solid materials as well as semi-solid or pasty products.

Matrices analyzed and applications

The analysis is applicable to a wide range of materials and products: plastics, rubbers, engineering polymers, waxes, soaps, gels, solid or semi-solid cosmetic products, nutraceutical tablets, animal feed, compacted plant matrices or structured agri-food products.

It allows you to:
• evaluate the mechanical resistance of packaging materials
• characterize the texture of food or cosmetic products
• check the hardness of tablets or lozenges
• verify the conformity of polymer materials to technical standards

YesWeLab Support

YesWeLab works with a network of expert laboratories in rheology, mechanical analysis, and materials characterization, most of which are certified or accredited according to ISO 17025 and COFRAC standards. Our scientific team assists you in choosing the most suitable measurement method, defining test parameters (load, time, indenter shape), and interpreting the results within the context of your process or regulatory requirements.

Thanks to our digital platform, you can easily manage all your analyses, track your samples, and access your reports. Since 2020, numerous manufacturers have trusted us to ensure the reliability of their hardness measurements and optimize their formulations.

Other analyses from the YesWeLab catalogue

• Measurement of viscosity and viscoelasticity
• Mechanical testing of polymer materials
• Material characterization by SEM or FTIR