- Home
- Selection Guides
- Select a Durometer Test Stand
Select a Durometer Test Stand
A durometer test stand earns its place the moment a Shore reading has to be repeatable enough to defend. Its job is narrow but important: it holds the durometer square to the specimen and applies it under a controlled, repeatable load, so the number reflects the material rather than the operator. Once you have decided a stand is worthwhile, the choice comes down to the durometer it has to carry, the Shore scale you test on, the size of your specimens and how tightly each descent needs to be repeated. This guide covers that decision; the handheld instrument and the verification kit around it have guides of their own.
1. How to Choose
Three things settle most stand decisions:
- Match the stand to your durometer and scale first. Stands are built around particular durometer bodies and scale families — one set up for Shore A, B and O is not the one you want for the very soft OO and OOO scales. Confirm that pairing before anything else.
- Decide how much you need the descent controlled. A plain dead-weight stand already removes hand pressure and applies the ASTM D2240 load consistently. Where repeatability matters more than speed, a dampened version lowers the durometer at the same rate on every test, which tightens the spread of results further.
- Size the stand to your specimens. Most stands are compact bench units; if you routinely test oversized or thick parts, you need one with the clearance and capacity to take them.
2. Typical Product Fits
The RX-OS family covers most Shore test-stand work:
- RX-OS-2 — the general-purpose dead-weight stand for Shore A, B and O work, with standardised ASTM D2240 load weights and a quick-lock height column. The RX-OS-2H adds an air dampener so the durometer descends at the same rate every time, for work where repeatability is critical.
- RX-OS-1 — the versatile choice for labs running several scales or larger parts: it supports the full A-to-OOO range and accepts specimens from a quarter-inch up to ten inches thick.
- RX-OS-4 — purpose-built for the soft Type OO and OOO scales, where controlled load matters most; the RX-OS-4H variant adds the same air dampener.
3. Special Cases
- For thin elastomer parts and O-rings, where hand pressure is hardest to keep steady, the controlled load of a stand removes the largest source of error — but still confirm the specimen is thick enough and fully supported on the anvil.
- If results have to be defensible for referee or specification work, choose a dampened (H) model so descent speed is taken out of the reading, and verify the stand against the same standard your durometer is calibrated to.
4. Next Step
Once the stand is settled, the setup often still needs reference blocks, fixtures and verification items. See Durometer Essentials for the support kit, or continue to Choose Calibration Equipment for Hardness Testers if formal verification is part of the requirement.
5. Related Knowledge
- Durometer Test Stands — how controlled loading improves repeatability, and what a stand does and does not correct.
- Durometer Operating Principles — the instrument the stand carries.
- Factors Affecting Shore Hardness Readings — the specimen and environmental variables a stand cannot fix.