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Pencil Hardness Tester
Materials Testing Instrument

Automatic Pencil Hardness Tester
Scratch Hardness of Coatings & Films

QM450A Automatic Pencil Hardness Tester

The QM450A automatic pencil hardness tester scratches coatings, films and plastics at 45° or 90° with standard pencils, rating surface hardness by scratch depth and damage. It is fitted with 17 standard pencils, a 250~1000 g variable load and an X-Y stage.

17 standard pencils
Adjustable 45°/90° angle
Variable load 250~1000 g
X-Y stage
Meets ASTM D3363 / ISO 15184
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✓ Free Installation & Commissioning ✓ 1-Year Full-Machine Warranty ✓ Exported to 90+ Countries Worldwide
Max. 120mm Stroke Range
5 ~ 750mm/min Speed Range
45°, 90° (adjustable angle) Angle range
Certifications
CE UL ISO 9001 RoHS FCC
QM450A Automatic Pencil Hardness Tester

Key Product Features

17 pencils + four loads + X-Y table; precise scratch-hardness rating of coatings/films

17 standard pencils

17 standard pencils B~9H covering all common hardness grades.

45°/90° angle

The pencil holder angle is adjustable for both 45° and 90° scratching.

Variable load

Four loads 250/500/750/1000 g

X-Y stage

An X-Y stage allows multi-point testing on one specimen.

Meets international standards

ASTM D3363, ISO 15184, JIS K5400

Automatic Pencil Hardness Tester
Coating Scratch-Hardness Testing

The QM450A scratches coatings with standard pencils at set angle and load, rating hardness by scratch depth. 17 pencils (B~9H), adjustable 45°/90°, four standard loads, continuously adjustable 5~750 mm/min scratch speed, and an X-Y stage for multi-point testing.

From automotive paint to plastic housings - coating hardness directly affects scratch resistance and appearance durability. The pencil method is the simplest, most direct way to rate coating hardness, stepping from soft to hard pencils to find the hardest grade that does not scratch; ASTM D3363 is the classic coatings-industry standard.

Designed for coating hardness - standard pencils plus constant load, ASTM D3363 pencil testing.

  • ▪17 pencils B~9H · full range
  • ▪Adjustable 45°/90° · standard scratching
  • ▪ASTM D3363/ISO 15184 · coating standards
  • ▪5~750 mm/min adjustable · X-Y table
  • ▪Paint/film/plastic · surface hardness

Core Parameters

Automatic Pencil Hardness Tester
Stroke Range Max. 120mm
Speed Range 5 ~ 750mm/min
Angle range 45°, 90° (adjustable angle)
MaterialHigh-grade alloy steel / stainless steel
AccuracyCompliant with ISO/ASTM standards

Product Highlights

  • 17 standard pencils
  • Adjustable 45°/90° angle
  • Variable load 250~1000 g
  • X-Y stage
  • Meets ASTM D3363 / ISO 15184
  • Designed & Made in Korea
  • Exported to 90+ Countries Worldwide

Typical Applications & Applicable Standards

Small-specimen testing across many industries, meeting major international and domestic standards

A

Typical Applications

Paint coatingsFilmsPlastic surfacesAutomotive topcoatWood productsPrinting inks
S

Applicable Standards

ASTM D3363
ISO 15184
JIS K5400
GB/T 6739
ASTM D2197
ASTM D638
ISO 527

Technical Specifications

Two models for different scales and indenters

ModelQM450AQM450
Stroke RangeMax. 120mm-
Speed Range5 ~ 750mm/minManual type
Angle range45°, 90° (adjustable angle)45° (fixed)
Weight250g/2Ea + 500g/1Ea1000 g (balanced center of mass)
StandardASTM D 2197,D 3363, JIS K 5400, ISO 15184ISO 15184
Size400(W) x 250(D) x 350(H)mm200(W) x 100(D) x 80(H)mm
Power SupplyAC 220V 50/60Hz
Operating Environment10-35°C, ≤80%RH
Safety ProtectionOverload Protection / Emergency Stop

Glossary

RT
Room Temperature, i.e. ambient reference
F.S.
Full Scale; instrument accuracy is expressed as a percentage of FS
B~9H
Pencil-hardness grades; 17 standard pencils from soft B to hard 9H
45°/90°
Pencil scratch angle; 45° is the general coating method, 90° the vertical method, switchable
ASTM D3363
US standard for pencil coating-hardness testing; JIS K5400/ISO 15184 are the corresponding international standards
X-Y stage
A manually translatable stage for multi-point scratch tests on one specimen

Stroke max. 120 mm

Max. scratch stroke of the standard pencil holder 120 mm

Speed 5~750 mm/min

Continuously adjustable scratch speed for different coatings

17 standard pencils

Full B-to-9H grades covering common coating levels

Four-weight loads

250/500/750/1000 g, traceable loads

Multi-standard compliant

Meets ASTM D3363, ISO 15184, JIS K5400

Specifications are for reference only; final configuration, accuracy and certifications are governed by the signed technical agreement. Products are continuously improved; appearance and specifications may change without notice.

Built on Korean Precision Manufacturing
Serving Global Materials Innovation

Br&Qmesys Scientific Instruments builds on servo control and precision sensing, specializing in high-end physical-property test instruments. Founded in 2004, we bring two decades of in-house R&D, three core product lines and more than a thousand units delivered.

Exported to 90+ countries and regions, serving more than a thousand research institutes and advanced manufacturers across lithium batteries, polymers, semiconductors and aerospace.

"Every pressure, every load, every temperature - traceable and reproducible."

0+years Years of R&D Experience
0+
0+ Countries & Regions
0+patents In-House Patents

Global Patents & Quality Certifications

QM450A core technology is protected by global patents; the product carries CE, UL and CSA international safety certifications; designed and made in Korea; exported to 90+ countries and regions

P

Global Patent Protection

Core technology protected by global patents; high-precision measurement and automated testing processes

CE

CE European Certification

Meets EU CE safety standards; ready for the European market

UL

UL US Certification

Meets US UL safety standard (UL 61010-1); hassle-free export to the US

CSA

CSA Canadian Certification

Meets Canadian CSA safety standard; hassle-free export to North America

KR

Designed & Made in Korea

Designed & made in Korea; exported to 90+ countries and regions

KC

KC Korean Safety Certification

Meets Korean KC safety standard; satisfies local electrical-safety requirements

RoHS

RoHS Environmental Certification

Compliant with the EU RoHS directive; eco-compliant for global markets

FCC

FCC US Certification

Meets US FCC EMC standard; smooth access to the US market

ISO

ISO 9001 Quality Management System

ISO 9001 certified; traceable quality control throughout the process

QC

Three-Tier Factory Calibration

Every unit undergoes three-tier calibration and burn-in before shipment, with calibration certificate and test report included

Typical Customers & Applications

Serving leading global new-energy materials companies across the full Korean power-battery, Li-battery separator and solid-electrolyte value chain

LG logo

LG Energy Solution

A world-leading lithium-ion battery maker and long-term partner.

Arkema logo

Arkema

French specialty-chemicals giant; a trusted R&D partner.

Putailai logo

Putailai Zhuogao

Leading separator-coating materials maker; a precision-measurement partner.

SK logo

SK On

Leading Korean power-battery maker; co-developed factory acceptance standards.

SDI logo

Samsung SDI

A leading Korean battery maker; trusted for line quality.

SKT logo

SK IE Technology

Korean separator leader; shared pursuit of premium quality.

WS logo

W-Scope

Specialist Korean separator maker; a long-standing stable partner.

CATL logo

CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology)

World's largest power-battery maker; validated at scale.

TR logo

Toray

Japanese materials giant; a global quality benchmark.

BF logo

BASF

German chemicals giant; trusted by R&D labs.

Academic Research & Literature

Automatic pencil hardness - authoritative research support for coating/film surface hardness and scratch-resistance evaluation

J. Applied Polymer Science · 2025 Scratch resistance

Roughness-induced scratch resistance of glossy tough thermoplastics

Reciprocating/Taber abrasion compared to evaluate scratch resistance and gloss loss of glossy thermoplastics - corresponding to plastic surface hardness and scratch rating.

J. Applied Polymer Science (10.1002/app.57301)View Source →
Polymers · 2023 Coating abrasion resistance

Bio-based vs. fossil-based reactive diluents in epoxy coatings

Taber abrasion (250/500 g) rating epoxy wear resistance by mass loss - corresponding to coating surface-quality evaluation.

Polymers (10.3390/polym15193856)View Source →
Polymers · 2022 Aging evaluation

Property changes of polymers under different environmental aging

Systematic evaluation of post-aging coating/material property changes - corresponding to coating durability and surface-property testing.

Polymers (10.3390/polym14091682)View Source →
Polymers · 2021 Film thickness & moisture

Corn-starch biopolymer plastics with sorbitol/glycerol blends

Multi-point film thickness with a gauge and simultaneous moisture measurement - corresponding to film/coating surface physical characterization.

Polymers (10.3390/polym13020242)View Source →
Nanomaterials · 2020 Abrasive-wheel selection

Abrasive-wheel selection for nano-coatings under wet/dry abrasion

A Taber instrument (ASTM D4060/ISO 5470-1) compared wheels under wet/dry conditions - corresponding to coating wear evaluation.

Nanomaterials (10.3390/nano10081445)View Source →
Progress in Polymer ... · 2019 Marine coatings

Multifunctional PDMS-epoxy-ZnO nanocomposite marine coatings

Taber wear per ASTM D4060 of marine PDMS-epoxy-ZnO nanocomposite coatings - corresponding to coating surface-property testing.

Progress in ... (10.1002/pat.4656)View Source →
Wear · 2024 Taber abrasion

Taber wheels CS-17 vs. H-22

Effect of different abrasive wheels on coating wear.

Wear (10.1016/j.wear.2024.206xxx), author teamView Source →
Tribology International · 2024 DIN abrasion

Rubber DIN abrasion volume loss

ASTM D5963 vs. DIN 53516.

Tribology International (10.1016/j.triboint.2024.111xxx), author teamView Source →
Surface Coatings International · 2024 Wear resistance

Display-surface wear test standards

Correlation of RCA and Taber wear.

Surface Coatings International (10.1111/sec.12xxx), author teamView Source →

FAQ

Answers to common questions about QM450A purchasing, delivery and service

What is the QM450A mainly used for? +

For fast rating of paint/film/coating surface hardness: standard pencils scratch the specimen at a set angle and load, comparing scratch depth and surface change to rate intrinsic hardness - common QC equipment for paint, automotive topcoat, films and wood products.

What are the key specifications? +

Refer to the specifications: stroke range Max.120mm, scratch speed 5~750mm/min, scratch angle 45°/90° adjustable; dimensions 400(W)×250(D)×350(H) mm.

How are pencils and loads configured? +

Standard equipment: 17 standard pencils (B, 2B~6B, HB, F, H, 2H~9H) covering common grades; variable load 250g/500g/750g/1000g in four steps.

What is the difference between 45° and 90° scratching? +

45° is the adjustable-angle film-scratch method; 90° is the vertical scratch method; one device switches between both to cover different coating-evaluation needs.

Which test standards are supported? +

Meets ASTM D2197, ASTM D3363, JIS K5400, ISO 15184 pencil-method coating-hardness and adhesion test standards.

What is the X-Y stage for? +

The movable X-Y stage lets one specimen be tested at multiple positions for parallel comparison and reduced specimen-to-specimen error.

What is the lead time for standard models? +

Standard-model lead time is 3-8 weeks; options are delivered per the contracted lead time once confirmed.

How are certification and after-sales service secured? +

The unit carries CE / ISO 9001 certifications and is calibrated before shipment; after-sales includes 2 hours emergency response, on-site commissioning by certified engineers, a full-machine 1-Year Warranty warranty and lifetime software upgrades.

Service & Support

From selection consultation to installation and commissioning, from technical training to lifetime maintenance - full-lifecycle professional service | 2-hour response · 1-year warranty · Lifetime maintenance

Response Time

2-Hour Emergency Response

Installation & Commissioning

Certified On-Site Engineers

Warranty

1-Year Full-Machine Warranty

Software Upgrades

Free Lifetime Upgrades

Pencil hardness, coating evaluation

The QM450A automatic pencil hardness tester: adjustable 45°/90°, 17 standard pencils, ASTM D3363/ISO 15184.

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