24/9/2019 Testing Your Coating's Hardness

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Testing Your Coating's Hardness
"Pencil Hardness" is a simple test that can tell you
the hardness of the coatings you are using. August 20,
2005
Reprinted with
permission from
Custom Woodworking
Business.

"Pencil Hardness" is
a simple test that can
tell you the hardness
of the coatings you
are using.

By Mac Simmons

Although some people

may consider it to be
low tech, using pencils to test hardness is still a method used by
many coatings manufacturers and some finishing shops. The test
uses special pencils with different degrees of hardness to scratch
the coating, which then determines its hardness. If you are not
familiar with this test, then you may be surprised at the comparison
ratings for many of the coatings commonly used for finishing wood.
Looking at the pencil hardness ratings of different coatings is one
criteria to help a woodworker decide which one to select for a
particular job.

The simplicity of the pencil hardness test is its great advantage.

The special pencils used for doing the test are made of various
combinations of graphite and clays, baked in ovens to harden their
compositions. By adjusting the amounts of these two organic
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materials, the pencils are either very soft or quite hard. Sets of the
pencils are available at most art supply stores or office supply
centers.

A complete set will have the following pencil gradings, starting with
the hardest — 9H, 8H, 7H, 6H, 5H, 4H, 3H, 2H, F, HB, B, 2B, 3B,
4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8B and 9B (the latter is the softest pencil; it
contains the most graphite and the least amount of clay). The “H”
stands for “hardness” and the “B” stands for “blackness,” which
comes from the amount of graphite used in the softer pencils.

A set of pencils available in most art and office supply stores can
be used to conduct a simple but accurate test to compare the
hardness of various coatings.

There is another pencil grading system that can be used, which is

equivalent to the B grades: a #1 pencil is equivalent to B, #2 is the
same as HB, #2-1/2 is F, #3 is H, and #4 is a 2H. (The most
commonly used writing pencils are the #2 or the HB grade, which
are softer and leave darker markings when used for writing or
drawing.)

To prepare a sample for testing, the wood should be well sanded,

clean and free of all dirt and dust particles. The coating's thickness
should be between 1.0 and 1.5 mils (a mil is 0.001 inch). After the
sample has been coated, it should be allowed to dry for seven
days before the pencil hardness test is done. In some cases, it
may be useful to note the times when the testing was done along
with the results.

The ambient temperature where the tests are done may have an
effect on the hardness of the coatings, as this can be a factor in
the drying times. Some coatings may get harder after a week's
time and, if retested, would show a higher pencil hardness rating
after more time elapses. If you really want to find out a coating's
hardness, you can repeat the test at any time later on the original
samples. It is a good idea to date and write in the pencil hardness,
then save the samples for future reference.

Although the test itself is simple and easy to do, it gives uniform
results and is dependable because the pencils are uniform in their
grading. For a minor expenditure in time, you can measure your
coating's hardness accurately.

To perform the test, just select a pencil and make a line about one
inch long on the wood sample. If the pencil leaves a scratch, then
take the next softer pencil and do the same thing. The number of
the first pencil that you use after you have made a scratch in the
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coating that doesn't leave a mark is considered the "pencil

hardness" of the coating. (There are some coatings that are so
hard that even the 9H pencils will not scratch them. All of those
coatings get a 9H pencil hardness rating to designate their
hardness.)

Shown below is a listing of the pencil hardness of some different

common coatings. The information was taken from various
manufacturers and some tests I did myself. It can be used as a
general comparison.

Knowing the pencil hardness of the coating you select can be

helpful information to pass along to customers — if they want a
coating with a low pencil hardness, then they should be advised to
take extra care of their furniture, because these lower-rated
coatings will dent, scuff and scratch faster than a coating with a
higher PH rating. (But even if the coating used has a higher rating,
care should still be taken on all coatings, as no coating is
impervious to damage.)

Using the pencil hardness test can also be useful in comparing

products from different manufacturers. For example, a
polyurethane from one company may have a pencil hardness of
3H, while polyurethane from another supplier may be different. I
suggest you do your own testing to know the true hardness of the
coatings brand you use.

Of course, the hardness of any coating is only one of its features.

There are times when using a softer coating may be more
beneficial to the overall performance of the finish. For example, the
ability of a softer coating to flex with normal climactic contractions
and expansions of wood, which are caused by weather and
changes in temperature conditions, may be more desirable in
some applications.

Besides the hardness of a coating, there are other factors that can
be tested and are equally important. These include: abrasion
resistance, reverse-impact resistance, direct-impact resistance,
cross-hatch adhesion, oxidation, gloss retention, yellowing,
blistering, cold checking, dry times, chemical and solvent
resistance (using both the rubbing and spot time tests), salt-spray
resistance, VOCs and HAPs contents, humidity resistance, and
acid and caustic resistance.

Most coatings are formulated for specific types of finishes, various

conditions or different substrates. So use the pencil hardness test
as one criteria for selection. But do not judge any coating by pencil
hardness alone, as there are many other significant characteristics
to consider.

Pencil Hardness for Common Coatings

TYPE OF COATING: PENCIL HARDNESS
Catalyzed polyester: 9H
Catalyzed polyurethane: 9H
Catalyzed modified acrylic polyurethane: 4H
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Catalyzed acrylic polyurethane: 2H

Water-based polyurethane: 3H
Water-based urethane/isocyanate catalyst: 2H
Conversion varnish: 4H
Low-VOC lacquer: 3H
Low-VOC catalyzed lacquer: 2H (24 hours)
Urethane/nitrocellulose lacquer: F (24 hours)
Water reducible lacquer: 2H
Tung oil/polyurethane wipe-on finish: 2H
Water-based polyurethane wipe-on finish: HB-F
Precatalyzed aerosol: 3B
Waterclear acrylic aerosol: 3B
Clear shellac aerosol: 3B
Polyurethane/nitrocellulose aerosol: HB
Nitrocellulose aerosol: 3B
Amber (orange) shellac 1 lb. cut (waxed): 3B

Reprinted with permission from Custom Woodworking Business.

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