A standardized hardness test that presses a square-based diamond pyramid into a polished metal surface under a specific load. The hardness value is calculated from the microscopic surface area of the resulting indentation. Because it uses the same indenter geometry for all loads, it provides a continuous scale from very soft metals to extremely hard carbides and surface treatments.
Heard on the job
The case hardening looks good, we're getting a Vickers hardness of 750 right at the surface.
Insider tip
Unlike Rockwell testing which reads depth directly, Vickers requires optically measuring the diagonals of the dent under a microscope, making it slower but highly accurate for thin foils and microhardness profiles.
Also heard as
- HV
- Vickers pyramid number