In the production of both steel and stainless steel, hardness testing is used for examining the material structure of the steel. For this purpose, for example, a specimen is cut from the very centre of a steel block and tested. Frequently, testing of multiple samples takes place, where the parts and processes to be tested are always the same, so a high degree of automation in the hardness testing process and the possibility of unmanned testing are key criteria in selection of the appropriate hardness testing machine.
Hardness is tested in the low-load, micro and macro ranges, subject to the requirements specified by Quality Assurance and the type of steel or alloy produced.