Hardness Comparisons

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This page describes the material hardnesses of various metals and materials used in the hammers and replaceable faces.

Brinell is the scale used to compare the different hardnesses of the metals described here:

Nickel Aluminum Bronze (Alloy #958)-
This alloy is 79% Copper, 10% Aluminum, 4% Iron, 2% Manganese and 5% Nickel. This alloy is more durable than 100% copper, Red and Yellow Brass. Hardness is approximately 150-190.

Yellow Brass (Copper Alloy #865)-
Yellow Brass, also considered a "Bronze", is 60% Copper, 33% Zinc, 2% Iron, 1.5% Aluminum, 1-5% Manganese, 1% Tin, .5% Nickel. Brinell Hardness of 100.

Soft Steel-
Hardness of under 30 on Rockwell C scale, around 279 Brinell.

Malleable Iron-
Brinell hardness of around 134

Aluminum-
Brinell hardness of around 70

Copper-
Brinell hardness of around 40-50

Lead-
Brinell hardness usually in the 30's

Hardened Tool Steel-
Brinell hardness of around 600 - 700+

Nupla SPS/SPi Tip Hardness Ratings:

Grey Super Soft Tip- Shore A 45-58 (instantaneous)
Brown Soft Tip- Shore A 45-58
Red Medium Tip- Shore A 59-72
Green Tough Tip- Shore A 73-85
Black Hard Tip- Shore D 49-65
Yellow Extra Hard Tip- Shore D 66-95

Thor DB/NT Tip Hardness Ratings:

Gray Soft Tip- Shore A 63-73 (similar to an eraser)
Red Medium Tip- Shore D 45-55 (similar to solid tires)
Brown Tough Tip- Shore D 58-62 (similar to golf balls)
White Hard Tip- Shore D 61-65 (Similar to a bowling ball)
Yellow Extra Hard- Rockwell R103 (similar to a hard hat)

Garland Synthetic Face Hardness comparisons:

Gar-Dur Plastic - Hard: Harder than Nylon and Urethane
White Nylon - Softer than Plastic, harder than urethane
Urethane - Softer than Plastic or Nylon.
BASA - Softer than Nylon and Plastic, harder than Urethane. A specialty face used mainly for high-temperature applications (Refractory Brick Installations). Hardness: 90 Shore A (50 Shore D).

Halder Synthetic Face Hardness comparisons:

White Nylon - Shore D 73