Rubber Hardness Testing Equipment – Bench Top, Portable & Automated Solutions

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Rubber Hardness Testing Equipment - Bench Top, Portable & Automated Solutions
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Hardness is the first number most rubber specifications ask for, and on soft, curved or small parts the result depends as much on the indenter, the dwell time and the operator as on the compound. NextGen supplies Shore and IRHD systems for cured rubber, elastomers, O-rings, tubes, hoses and shaped parts, working to ASTM D2240, DIN ISO 48 and ASTM D1415.

The range runs from portable durometers on manual or automatic stands to automatic systems with interchangeable Shore, IRHD and VLRH heads, a temperature-controlled chamber for testing parts hot or cold, and an automated hardness and density station. Systems are installed and calibrated on site, your operators are trained on them, and support continues for the life of the instrument.

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What Rubber Hardness Tests Measure

Hardness is the resistance of the surface to a standard indenter under a set force. Shore durometers press a spring-loaded indenter into the material, and IRHD systems press a ball in under a small initial force and then a larger final force, converting the difference in depth to International Rubber Hardness Degrees. Both are quick, comparative checks used for incoming inspection, process control and release, and neither gives a direct measure of stiffness or strength.

The scale follows the material. Shore A is used for soft rubber and elastomers, Shore D for hard rubber and rigid plastics, and the 00 and 000 scales for sponge, foam rubber and silicone. IRHD suits thin-walled O-rings and molded parts as well as plates.

Standards for Rubber Hardness Testing

ASTM D2240 covers durometer hardness with twelve durometer types and is not applicable to coated fabrics. DIN ISO 7619-1 is the Shore durometer method for vulcanized and thermoplastic rubber, with Shore A, Shore D, AO and AM scales, while DIN EN ISO 868 covers plastics and ebonite. For IRHD, ASTM D1415 and DIN ISO 48 cover vulcanized and thermoplastic rubber, and the two are technically similar. Each method sets its own minimum specimen thickness, for example 4 mm for Shore A under DIN EN ISO 868 and 6 mm under most other standards.

What Affects Hardness Results

Specimen thickness, surface condition, temperature, contact time and the way the durometer is applied all move the reading. A hand-held tester depends on the operator holding it square and applying the right force, which is why test stands, automatic measuring heads and centering devices for O-rings and hoses are used. Reference blocks and control rings keep the instrument traceable between calibration certificates. Rubber also hardens in extreme cold, so parts that work across a temperature range can be measured at temperature.

Rubber Hardness Testing Equipment from NextGen

The analog Shore durometer and the portable HPE III durometer mount on manual or automatic test stands, and the HPE III also displays specimen temperature and humidity. The automatic Shore, IRHD and VLRH system uses interchangeable measuring units, reads flat, concave and convex surfaces, and accepts positioning devices for O-rings, hoses and oil seals. The digiChamber measures Shore A or optional IRHD N inside a chamber from -70 °C to 180 °C, and the HDA 120 takes three hardness readings and a density value on up to 20 samples in one sequence.

For Laboratories

One partner to equip your complete rubber laboratory

Hardness testing is one station of an elastomer laboratory. NextGen equips the rest of it too, from tensile frames to cure testing, hardness, abrasion and specimen preparation, and stays responsible for it after delivery.

  • Equipment, fixtures and software
  • Installation, training, calibration
  • Lifetime technical support

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Products

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Most requested Automatic Shore, IRHD and VLRH Hardness Testing System Hardness testing Automatic Shore, IRHD and VLRH Hardness Testing System Digi Test II is an automatic Shore, IRHD, and VLRH hardness testing system for rubber, plastics, foams, elastomers,… View product Get quote Most requested Portable Shore Durometer System with Test Stand Hardness testing Portable Shore Durometer System with Test Stand HPE III is an advanced portable Shore durometer system for hardness testing of rubber, plastics, and related… View product Get quote Most requested Analogue Shore Durometer with Test Stand Hardness testing Analogue Shore Durometer with Test Stand The Classic Analogue Shore Durometer is a German-manufactured hardness tester for rubber and plastic materials,… View product Get quote digiChamber – Temperature-Controlled Hardness Tester 200 L Hardness testing digiChamber – Temperature-Controlled Hardness Tester digiChamber is a temperature-controlled rubber hardness testing system designed by Bareiss for Shore A and IRHD N… View product Get quote HDA 120 – Hardness and Density Automation System Hardness testing HDA 120 – Hardness and Density Automation System HDA 120 is a semi-automatic hardness and density automation system for rubber and plastic sample characterization. View product Get quote

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FAQs

Match the scale to the material. Shore A suits soft rubber, elastomers, natural rubber and neoprene. Shore D suits hard rubber and hard plastics. Shore 00 and 000 suit sponge, foam rubber, cellular rubber and silicone. The scale also sets the load and indenter, and readings from different scales are not interchangeable. Tell us your material and standard through a quote request and we will confirm the scale and stand.

Thickness depends on the scale and the standard. Shore A needs 4 mm under DIN EN ISO 868 and 6 mm under ASTM D2240, DIN ISO 7619 and most other standards. IRHD M covers specimens from 0.6 mm, IRHD N and H need 6 mm and IRHD L needs 10 mm. A Micro Shore A unit takes material as thin as 1 mm, and an M Shore A method to the Bareiss standard takes 0.5 mm.

The automatic hardness system uses automatic surface detection, so it reads concave and convex surfaces, and the indenter length can be customized to reach a point on the part. Centrofix centers hoses and rubber tubes quickly, and a separate Centrofix version makes the different parts of an oil seal measurable. Customized sample holders are available for your part.

A stand removes the operator's hand from the measurement. The BSA test stand for the HPE III is described as helping to eliminate the human error factor and giving consistent results from operator to operator, and a manual stand is also available. The analog durometer reads to 0.5 Shore unit against an allowable tolerance of 1.0 unit and mounts on a manual or automatic stand.

The digiChamber measures Shore A, with IRHD N optional, inside a 200-liter chamber with a range of -70 °C to 180 °C and a recommended maximum of 150 °C. An automatic tray holds up to 25 samples, and a test sequence can combine several measurements per sample with the chosen temperature. Plate-shaped samples are 38 mm or 50 mm in diameter as standard.

Reference test blocks in a stainless steel holder come with single, 3, 5 or 6 plates and a DAkkS/DKD certificate, and Shore control rings check the measuring distance at 20, 40, 60 and 80 Shore. A calibration device checks the spring force in increments of ten. For service, a tester head can be loaned during recalibration, as described on the HPE III page.