The Barcol Impressor is portable and therefore suitable for testing the hardness of fabricated parts and individual test specimens for production control purposes.

Before proceeding with this test method, reference shall be made to the specification of the material being tested. Table 1 of Classification System D 4000 lists the ASTM material standards that currently exist. Any test specimen preparation, conditioning, dimensions, or testing parameters or combination thereof covered in the relevant ASTM material specification shall take precedence over those mentioned in this test method. If there are no relevant ASTM material specifications, then the default conditions apply.

FIG. 1 Barcol Impressor

FIG. 2 Diagram of Barcol Impressor

1.1 This test method covers the determination of indentation hardness of both reinforced and nonreinforced rigid plastics using a Barcol Impressor, Model No. 934-1 and Model No. 935.

1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. The values given in brackets are for information only.

1.3 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 and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

Note 1—There is no known ISO equivalent to this test method.