By measuring the depth of penetration of an indenter put onto a material test piece, the Brinell scale describes the indentation hardness of materials. In the field of materials science, there are various ways to define hardness. The standard test applies a force of 3,000 kgf (29.42 kN; 6,614 lbf) to a steel ball with a diameter of 10 mm (0.39 in) as the indenter. A smaller force is applied to softer materials, while a tungsten carbide ball is utilized in place of the steel ball for harder materials.

The conditions of the test that was used to determine the Brinell hardness number (BHN, or more often, HB) must be stated when quoting the number. The example “HBW 10/3000” illustrates how tests should be specified using the standard format.

The designation “HBW” denotes the use of a tungsten carbide ball indenter as opposed to “HBS,” which denotes the use of a hardened steel ball. In millimetres, the “10” represents the ball’s diameter. The number “3000” represents the force in kilograms.

The following Brinell Scales are used in Universal Hardness Tester for Vickers / Knoop, Rockwell and Brinell: HBW1/5, HBW2.5/6.25, HBW1/10, HBW2.5/15.625, HBW1/30, HBW2.5/31.25, HBW2.5/62.5, HBW10/100, HBW5/125, HBW2.5/187.5.

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