Shore Hardness
Shore hardness is a measure of the hardness of different materials and measures the resistance of a material to indentation.
If you are using material such as a TPE for your project, knowing a shore hardness will aid in sourcing a material that can be used for the application required.
The Shore Hardness Scale
There are 3 Shore Hardness Scales - Shore 00, Shore A and Shore D.
Shore 00 measures rubbers and gels that are very soft, like a gel insole.
The Shore A Hardness Scale measures the hardness of softer, more flexible materials that range from very soft and flexible to extra hard with almost no flexibility at all. Semi-rigid plastics can also be measured on the higher end of the Shore A Scale at 90-95A.
Shore A is the most commonly used scale.
The Shore D Hardness Scale measures the hardness of hard rubbers, semi-rigid plastics, and hard plastics, such as those used in PVC Pipes.
There are overlaps between the scales, as seen below; a material with a hardness of A95 is also a Shore D50.
How is a material measured?
To measure the hardness of materials such as rubber, elastomers, and polymers, a Shore durometer is used. Depending on the scales that a material is being tested for, a different presser foot might be used. For Shore A, a flatter presser foot is used, and for Shore D, a more pointed presser foot is used. A Shore Durometer has a meter from 0-100 that it uses to record a reading.
A sample is positioned straight and under the durometer. The durometer is pressed against the material until the flat metal plate is level with the sample. A higher result indicates greater resistance to indentation and, therefore, a higher hardness number on the hardness scale.
How can we support your project?
Together, we can determine the best design, material, and production decisions for optimal quality, speed, and value.
Discover more about how we can support your project needs with:
- Plastic injection moulding services
- Tooling & tool transfers
- Product design/engineering services
