The Biggest Misconception in Ceramic Coating: What is 9H/10H Hardness?
There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding the 9H level of Hardness of ceramic coatings. Some less-than-reliable brands say their coating hardness is 9H on a MOHS scale, some other local players (presumably with no knowledge of ceramic coatings) claim absurd levels of hardness like15H or 18H, while some totally bemused brands say H stands for Hydrophobicity, not Hardness (H for Haha).
MOHS V/S 9H Pencil Hardness
The truth is ceramic coating hardness is not concerned with any of the above. 9H refers to the hardness test of the ceramic coating once it fully cures on the surface it is applied. It is based on the “Pencil Hardness Test” which uses actual pencils made of graphite to test the scratch resistance strength of the cured coating.
MOHS: Mohs is a scale used to judge mineral hardness/structural hardness of various minerals like Quartz, Topaz, Diamond, etc. It has nothing to do with coatings. This scale is generally used by geologists to measure how one mineral would damage another.
So, companies claiming “our coating is MOHS”; don’t really understand how ceramic coatings work!
Pencil Hardness: Pencils, made of graphite, are graded for their hardness by pencil manufacturers. The grading ranges from 0 to 9. Recently, companies like Mitsubishi have launched 10H-grade pencils as well.
All ceramic coatings in the world are tested using the Pencil Hardness Test. For grading, a pencil of specific hardness is pressed against the coated surface at a 45-degree angle.
If you use a pencil with 9H hardness and do not notice any permanent scratches, then it is claimed that the coating has 9H hardness. If a 9H pencil gives a scratch, but 8H does not, the coating hardness is 8H.
