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Rubber Hardness (IRHD)
Rubber hardness work splits into two questions: whether IRHD is the method you actually need, and — once it is — which IRHD setup suits the specimen. The two guides here take each question in turn, from confirming the method to the micro-versus-macro platform choice.
IRHD comes into its own when the specimen is small or awkward, when the loading has to be reproducible, or when a specification names the method outright. The common thread is the point at which a handheld durometer reading stops being defensible against a customer's incoming-inspection report — the moment critical rubber and sealing work tends to move to a controlled, dead-weight method.
1. Common Measurement Scenarios
You are most likely here if one of these sounds like your situation:
- A specification names IRHD or ISO 48, or otherwise calls for a laboratory-style rubber hardness method.
- You test O-rings, thin sections or defined rubber specimens where controlled loading and specimen support matter more than speed.
- You need to weigh a fast handheld Shore check against more controlled IRHD testing before deciding which your QA programme is built around.
- You are upgrading from a durometer-only setup because customer audits or returns are exposing the limits of a handheld reading.
2. Available Selection Guides
From here, the guide that fits your decision takes it the rest of the way:
- Choose Between Shore and IRHD Hardness Testing if the method is still open and you are weighing portability against tighter method control.
- Select an IRHD Hardness Tester if IRHD is already required and you now need the right micro or macro setup.
3. Supporting Knowledge Resources
If you would rather understand the method before deciding, start here:
- Rubber Hardness (IRHD) explains how the method works and where it fits.
- IRHD Measurement Principles covers the dead-weight ball-indentation method behind the reading.
- IRHD Sample Preparation and Test Conditions sets out specimen thickness, conditioning and the temperature control the method assumes.