- Home
- Selection Guides
- Select a Barcol Hardness Tester
Select a Barcol Hardness Tester
Barcol testing is usually chosen for one reason: a fast, portable hardness check on rigid composites and reinforced plastics that would damage a Shore D foot or sit below the practical range of a benchtop press. The method itself is set by ASTM D2583, so once Barcol is the right call the decision narrows to the instrument and how much reporting you need around it. The readings that cause arguments almost always trace back to the surface — curved, contaminated or under-thickness laminate gives an inconsistent indentation — so treat a clean, adequately thick test area as part of the brief, not an afterthought.
1. How to Choose
With Barcol settled as the method, two things shape the purchase:
- Surface and specimen — confirm the laminate is thick enough and that you have a clean, reasonably flat area to seat the indenter; thin sections and resin-rich gel-coat zones bias the reading.
- Reporting level — decide whether a reading taken and noted at the bench is enough, or whether you need on-instrument logging and data transfer for QA traceability.
2. Product to Consider
One instrument covers Barcol work across the range:
- PosiTector BHI — a Barcol Hardness Impressor for FRP, GRP and rigid thermoset plastics (and soft metals such as aluminium), reading 20–100 Barcol to 0.1 with ±2 Barcol accuracy. The Standard version suits straightforward bench readings; the Advanced version adds expanded on-instrument memory and data output where QA traceability matters — the same core measurement, more reporting.
3. Special Cases
A few habits keep Barcol readings defensible:
- Take a 3-to-5-point average — Barcol is sensitive to local resin pockets and fibre orientation, so a single reading is rarely representative.
- Check against the supplied verification disks routinely; a drifted indenter passes a visual check but fails an audit.
- For curved or thin parts — pultrusions, GRP panels, gel-coat zones — confirm support and a flat enough contact area before trusting the number.
4. Next Step
If you are not yet certain Barcol is the right method for the material, step back to Barcol Hardness to see where it fits alongside the other hardness methods.
5. Related Knowledge
- Barcol Hardness Testing — how the method and the spring-loaded indenter work.
- Barcol Applications and Quality Control — where it is used and how to keep readings reliable.