ASTM E10
Standard Test Method for Brinell Hardness of Metallic Materials
Test method for Brinell hardness of metallic materials — 10, 5, 2.5 and 1 mm tungsten-carbide ball indenters, test forces from 1 to 3000 kgf, procedure, minimum thickness and verification.
What ASTM E10 specifies
ASTM E10 defines the Brinell test used on castings, forgings, large bar and heavy plate: a tungsten-carbide ball (10 mm standard) is pressed with a force chosen so that force divided by the square of the ball diameter is 30, 15, 10, 5, 2.5, 1.25 or 1 — HBW 10/3000 (29.42 kN) for steel and cast iron, HBW 10/1500 or 10/1000 for copper alloys, HBW 10/500 for aluminum and soft alloys — held 10–15 s, and the indentation diameter is measured and converted to HBW. Results are limited to indentation diameters between 0.24 and 0.6 of the ball diameter and to 650 HBW; specimen thickness must be at least ten times the indentation depth, indentations three diameters apart and two and a half from an edge, and the machine is verified daily with test blocks. Heat-treatment specifications use Brinell for annealed stock (17-4PH Condition A 363 HB maximum), aluminum castings and large quenched-and-tempered sections.
ASTM E10 types and classes
Every designation the document defines, with the thickness it requires and the tests it imposes.
| Designation | Meaning | Requirement / test |
|---|---|---|
HBW 10/3000 | 10 mm carbide ball, 3000 kgf (29.42 kN), force/diameter² = 30; steel, cast iron, titanium and nickel alloys, roughly 95–650 HBW. | Daily verification with HBW 10/3000 test blocks |
HBW 10/1500 | 10 mm ball, 1500 kgf (14.71 kN), ratio 15; copper alloys and other medium-hardness non-ferrous metals. | Daily verification with matching test blocks |
HBW 10/1000 | 10 mm ball, 1000 kgf (9.807 kN), ratio 10; copper alloys and higher-strength aluminum alloys. | Daily verification with matching test blocks |
HBW 10/500 | 10 mm ball, 500 kgf (4.903 kN), ratio 5; aluminum and magnesium alloys, bearing metals — the standard scale for aluminum castings. | Daily verification with HBW 10/500 test blocks |
HBW 5/750 | 5 mm ball, 750 kgf (7.355 kN), ratio 30; steel where a 10 mm impression is too large (small forgings, thin sections). | Daily verification with matching test blocks |
HBW 2.5/187.5 | 2.5 mm ball, 187.5 kgf (1.839 kN), ratio 30; small steel parts and portable testers. | Daily verification with matching test blocks |
Tests and the drawing call-out
Tests the document imposes
- Indirect verification with certified test blocks for each force / ball combination used, daily
- Direct verification of test force, ball geometry and measuring microscope at fixed intervals
- Indentation diameter measured in two perpendicular directions and averaged (difference limited)
- Specimen preparation: flat, ground surface; thickness at least ten times indentation depth; spacing checks
- Test block standardisation traceable to national standards
How to cite it
Drawing call-out
HARDNESS 285–331 HBW 10/3000 PER ASTM E10 AT LOCATION SHOWNAngle brackets mark the choices the drawing must make; every finish page shows a completed example.
Heat treatments specified to ASTM E10
| Treatment | Role | Cost |
|---|---|---|
Aluminum O-temper annealing removes strain hardening and produces the softest standard wrought condition. | Test method | $$ |
Austempering forms bainite by quenching austenitized steel or ductile iron into a hot bath and holding isothermally. | Test method | $$$ |
Full annealing heats steel through its critical transformation range and then furnace-cools it slowly. | Test method | $$ |
Normalizing heats steel above its critical range and cools it in air. | Test method | $ |
Process annealing is a subcritical softening cycle inserted between cold-working operations. | Test method | $ |
Quench and temper transforms hardenable steel to martensite and then tempers it to the required balance of strength and toughness. | Test method | $$ |
Solution annealing dissolves detrimental precipitates and restores a single-phase matrix in austenitic stainless and many nickel alloys. | Test method | $$$ |
Spheroidize annealing converts lamellar cementite into rounded carbide particles in a ferrite matrix. | Test method | $$ |
Stress relief reduces residual stress from welding, machining, forming, casting, or additive manufacture without intentionally changing the bulk microstructure. | Test method | $ |
ASTM E10 — frequently asked
When is Brinell better than Rockwell?
On coarse-grained castings, forgings and bar over about 25 mm, where a 2–6 mm impression averages the structure; on aluminum castings, where HBW 10/500 is the standard scale; and when the drawing property is tensile strength, since for steel tensile in MPa is roughly 3.4 times HBW. The 3000 kgf test cannot be used on thin or small parts or above 650 HBW.
Why does the drawing say HBW 10/3000 and not just HB?
Because the number depends on ball size and force unless the force/diameter² ratio is the same: 10/3000 (ratio 30) is standard for steel, 10/500 (ratio 5) for aluminum, and a 10/500 result on steel would read differently. E10 requires the full designation; HBS (steel ball) values in old documents are slightly lower at high hardness and are no longer produced.
How is 363 HB maximum for 17-4PH Condition A checked?
With a 10 mm / 3000 kgf impression on a ground flat: 363 HBW corresponds to an indentation diameter of 3.20 mm, so any impression smaller than that means the bar is harder than Condition A allows. The same bar aged to H900 (388 HB minimum) must show an impression of 3.10 mm or less.
Can Brinell be converted to Rockwell C?
Approximately, through ASTM E140 for non-austenitic steel — 331 HBW is about 35–36 HRC, 277 HBW about 28–29 HRC, 388 HBW about 41–42 HRC — which is why ASTM A564 lists both values for each 17-4PH condition. Conversions are for information unless the specification lists both.
ASTM E10 is copyrighted by ASTM International. This page explains the document so a drawing can be read; it does not reproduce the standard. Purchase the current edition from the publisher. Official source ↗