---
title: "Define hardness in brief"
subject: "Civil Engineering Materials"
chapter: 1
key: "semester_3/civil_engineering_materials:property-hardness"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_3/civil_engineering_materials/property-hardness
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Define hardness in brief

Civil Engineering Materials · Chapter 1: Introduction to Civil Engineering Material

- Asked in: 2074 Asoj, 1 marks; 2070 Chaitra (old course), 1 marks; 2072 Chaitra, 0.5 marks (asked 3 times)
- Video: [Hardness of materials in Hindi | Definition of Hardness of material in simplest way | Civil at home](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjpddcyn-bM) — Civil At Home
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_3/civil_engineering_materials/property-hardness
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_3/civil_engineering_materials/chapter-1

## Question

Define hardness as a property of materials.

## Short answer

Hardness is the resistance of a material to scratching, abrasion, cutting or indentation. It is measured by Mohs scale for minerals and Brinell, Rockwell, Vickers tests for metals; granite and diamond are hard, lead and gypsum are soft.

## Answer

**Hardness** is the resistance of a material to scratching, abrasion, cutting or indentation (penetration) by another body. It is measured by the Mohs scale (minerals and stone) and by Brinell, Rockwell and Vickers tests (metals). Granite and diamond are hard; lead and gypsum are soft.

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. Hardness is resistance to
   A. tensile fracture
   B. cyclic loading
   C. heat flow
   D. scratching, abrasion or indentation
   Answer: D. Hardness is surface resistance to scratch or indentation. (Key point: Definition)

2. Hardness of metals is measured by
   A. Brinell, Rockwell and Vickers tests
   B. Charpy test
   C. Le Chatelier test
   D. Slump test
   Answer: A. Mohs scale is for minerals and stone; Brinell, Rockwell, Vickers are for metals. (Key point: Tests)

3. The Mohs scale is used for
   A. steel bars
   B. minerals and stone
   C. timber
   D. bitumen
   Answer: B. Mohs scale ranks mineral/stone hardness. (Key point: Scale)

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