Mohs Hardness Reference Calculator
Given a Mohs hardness from 1 to 10, return the canonical reference mineral and a scratch note describing what the mineral can scratch on the scale.
How to Use the Mohs Hardness Reference Calculator
- Enter a Mohs hardness value from 1 to 10.
- Click Calculate to see the reference mineral and a scratch note.
حالات الاستخدام
- •Teaching mineralogy.
- •Identifying samples in the field.
- •Quick scratch-test lookup.
الصيغة
Mohs 1–10: talc, gypsum, calcite, fluorite, apatite, orthoclase, quartz, topaz, corundum, diamond. Each step scratches the one below.
الأسئلة الشائعة
Is Mohs hardness linear?
No — it is ordinal. Diamond (10) is about four times harder than corundum (9) on the Vickers scale, even though they are one Mohs step apart.
How do I test hardness in the field?
Use known references: a fingernail is ~2.5, a copper penny ~3.5, a steel knife ~5.5, a glass plate ~6 and a quartz crystal 7.
Are there intermediate values?
Yes — field guides commonly use half steps like 5.5 (knife edge) or 6.5 (pyrite). Round to the nearest integer for this calculator.