ASTM E18-22
Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness of Metallic Materials

Standard No.

ASTM E18-22

Release Date

2022

Published By

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)

Latest

ASTM E18-22

Scope

1.1 These test methods cover the determination of the Rockwell hardness and the Rockwell superficial hardness of metallic materials by the Rockwell indentation hardness principle. This standard provides the requirements for Rockwell hardness machines and the procedures for performing Rockwell hardness tests. 1.2 This test method includes requirements for the use of portable Rockwell hardness testing machines that measure Rockwell hardness by the Rockwell hardness test principle and can meet all the requirements of this test method, including the direct and indirect verifications of the testing machine. Portable Rockwell hardness testing machines that cannot meet the direct verification requirements and can only be verified by indirect verification requirements are covered in Test Method E110. 1.3 This standard includes additional requirements in the following annexes: Verification of Rockwell Hardness Testing Machines Annex A1 Rockwell Hardness Standardizing Machines Annex A2 Standardization of Rockwell Indenters Annex A3 Standardization of Rockwell Hardness Test Blocks Annex A4 Guidelines for Determining the Minimum Thickness of a Test Piece Annex A5 Hardness Value Corrections When Testing on Convex Cylindrical Surfaces Annex A6 1.4 This standard includes nonmandatory information in the following appendixes that relates to the Rockwell hardness test. List of ASTM Standards Giving Hardness Values Corresponding to Tensile Strength Appendix X1 Examples of Procedures for Determining Rockwell Hardness Uncertainty Appendix X2 1.5 Units—At the time the Rockwell hardness test was developed, the force levels were specified in units of kilograms-force (kgf) and the indenter ball diameters were specified in units of inches (in.). This standard specifies the units of force and length in the International System of Units (SI); that is, force in Newtons (N) and length in millimeters (mm). However, because of the historical precedent and continued common usage, force values in kgf units and ball diameters in inch units are provided for information and much of the discussion in this standard refers to these units. 1.6 The test principles, testing procedures, and verification procedures are essentially identical for both the Rockwell and Rockwell superficial hardness tests. The significant differences between the two tests are that the test forces are smaller for the Rockwell superficial test than for the Rockwell test. The same type and size indenters may be used for either test, depending on the scale being employed. Accordingly, throughout this standard, the term Rockwell will imply both Rockwell and Rockwell superficial unless stated otherwise. 1.7 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. 1.8 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

ASTM E18-22 Referenced Document

• ASTM A1038 Standard Test Method for Portable Hardness Testing by the Ultrasonic Contact Impedance Method
• ASTM A370 Standard Test Methods and Definitions for Mechanical Testing of Steel Products
• ASTM A623 Standard Specification for Tin Mill Products, General Requirements
• ASTM A623M Standard Specification for Tin Mill Products, General Requirements [Metric]
• ASTM A883/A883M Standard Test Method for Ferrimagnetic Resonance Linewidth and Gyromagnetic Ratio of Nonmetallic Magnetic Materials (Withdrawn 2006)
• ASTM A956/A956M Standard Test Method for Leeb Hardness Testing of Steel Products*， 2022-09-01 Update
• ASTM B103/B103M Standard Specification for Phosphor Bronze Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar
• ASTM B121/B121M Standard Specification for Leaded Brass Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar
• ASTM B122/B122M Standard Specification for Copper-Nickel-Tin Alloy, Copper-Nickel-Zinc Alloy (Nickel Silver), and Copper-Nickel Alloy Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar
• ASTM B130 Standard Specification for Commercial Bronze Strip for Bullet Jackets
• ASTM B134/B134M Standard Specification for Brass Wire*， 2024-04-21 Update
• ASTM B152/B152M Standard Specification for Copper Sheet, Strip, Plate, and Rolled Bar
• ASTM B19 Standard Specification for Cartridge Brass Sheet, Strip, Plate, Bar, and Disks (Blanks)
• ASTM B36/B36M Standard Specification for Factory-Made Wrought Nickel and Nickel Alloy Fittings
• ASTM B370 Standard Specification for Copper Sheet and Strip for Building Construction
• ASTM B647 Standard Test Method for Indentation Hardness of Aluminum Alloys by Means of a Webster Hardness Gage
• ASTM B96/B96M Standard Specification for Copper-Silicon Alloy Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar for General Purposes and Pressure Vessels
• ASTM E110 Standard Test Method for Indentation Hardness of Metallic Materials by Portable Hardness Testers
• ASTM E140 Standard Hardness Conversion Tables for Metals Relationship Among Brinell Hardness, Vickers Hardness, Rockwell Hardness, Superficial Hardness, Knoop Hardness, and Scleroscope Hardness
• ASTM E29 Standard Practice for Using Significant Digits in Test Data to Determine Conformance with Specifications
• ASTM E384 Standard Test Method for Microindentation Hardness of Materials
• ASTM E691 Standard Practice for Conducting an Interlaboratory Study to Determine the Precision of a Test Method
• ASTM E74 Standard Practices for Calibration and Verification for Force-Measuring Instruments
• ASTM E92 Standard Test Method for Vickers Hardness of Metallic Materials
• ISO 6508-1 Metallic materials — Rockwell hardness test — Part 1: Test method*， 2023-12-13 Update
• ISO/IEC 17011 Conformity assessment — Requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies*， 2024-04-21 Update
• ISO/IEC 17025 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories [Standard in French]
• SAE J417 Hardness Tests and Hardness Number Conversions

ASTM E18-22 history

• 2022 ASTM E18-22 Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2020 ASTM E18-20 Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness and Rockwell Superficial Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2019 ASTM E18-19 Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2018 ASTM E18-18a Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2018 ASTM E18-18 Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2017 ASTM E18-17e1 Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2017 ASTM E18-17 Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2016 ASTM E18-16 Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2015 ASTM E18-15 Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2014 ASTM E18-14a Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2014 ASTM E18-14 Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2012 ASTM E18-12 Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2011 ASTM E18-11 Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2008 ASTM E18-08b Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2008 ASTM E18-08a Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2008 ASTM E18-08 Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2007 ASTM E18-07 Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2005 ASTM E18-05e1 Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness and Rockwell Superficial Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2005 ASTM E18-05 Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness and Rockwell Superficial Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2003 ASTM E18-03e1 Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness and Rockwell Superficial Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2003 ASTM E18-03 Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness and Rockwell Superficial Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2002 ASTM E18-02 Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness and Rockwell Superficial Hardness of Metallic Materials
• 2002 ASTM E18-00 Standard Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness and Rockwell Superficial Hardness of Metallic Materials