Metal Hardness

Checkline Europe's Technical Support 10 Jul 2026

Metal hardness testing outside the laboratory comes down to two questions: which portable instrument suits the part and its access, and which scale the result has to be reported in. Below, two guides work through both — the method choice, then the specific portable instrument.

Portable testing is worth it only when the part genuinely cannot go on a benchtop machine — heavy weldments, installed shafts, large castings, in-service components; for everything else a bench Rockwell or Vickers gives a cleaner, less contested result. What decides it is access to the part, not the kind of inspector holding the instrument.

1. Common Measurement Scenarios

You are most likely here if one of these sounds like your situation:

Bench testing is impractical — the part is installed, oversized or in service.
You are unsure whether converted portable values are acceptable for the specification, the material certificate or the final report.
You need to judge whether part mass, thickness and surface condition suit a portable Leeb approach.
You are standardising a fleet of portable testers across sites or inspectors and need consistent reporting.

2. Available Selection Guides

From here, the guide that fits your decision takes it the rest of the way:

Choose a Portable Metal Hardness Tester if the main decision is the field instrument itself.
Select the Right Hardness Scale for Your Metal if the harder problem is scale choice, conversion limits or reporting logic.

3. Supporting Knowledge Resources

If you would rather understand the method before deciding, start here:

Metal Hardness explains the methods and how the scales relate.
Leeb Rebound Hardness covers the portable rebound method in detail.
Metal Hardness Scale Conversions sets out converting HL to HRC, HV and HB and the limits that apply.