Minimum Specimen Thickness for Brinell Test

The thickness of the specimen tested shall be such that no bulge or other marking showing the effect of the test force appears on the side of the piece opposite the indentation.

The thickness of the material under test should be at least ten times the depth of the indentation, below table can also be used as a guideline for the minimum depth of a layer of a material, such as a coating.

NOTE 1—Brinell hardness testing can use high test forces. Under certain conditions of testing a relatively thin material or coating on a material with high hardness, there is a potential for the test material to break or shatter under load resulting in serious personal injury or damage to equipment.

Users are strongly cautioned to exercise extreme care when testing a material that could potentially fail under load. If there is a concern or doubt, do not test the material.