Rade Raonić

The Mohs Hardness Scale

2019. 
 
 The Mohs Hardness Scale
 
 
            The Mohs scale of mineral hardness is a qualitative ordinal scale characterizing scratch
resistance of various minerals through the ability of harder material to scratch softer material.
Created in 1812 by German geologist and mineralogist Friedrich Mohs, it is one of several
definitions of hardness in materials science, some of which are more quantitative. The method of
comparing hardness by observing which minerals can scratch others is of great antiquity, having
been mentioned by Theophrastus in his treatise On Stones, c. 300 BC, followed by Pliny the Elder
in his Naturalis Historia, c. 77 AD. While greatly facilitating the identification of minerals in the
field, the Mohs scale does not show how well hard materials perform in an industrial setting.

Mohs Chemical Absolute

Mineral Image
hardness formula hardness

1 Talc Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 1

2 Gypsum CaSO4·2H2O 2

3 Calcite CaCO3 14

4 Fluorite CaF2 21
 Mohs Chemical Absolute
Mineral Image
hardness formula hardness

5 Apatite Ca5(PO4)3(OH−,Cl−,F−) 48

6 Orthoclase feldspar KAlSi3O8 72

7 Quartz SiO2 100

8 Topaz Al2SiO4(OH−,F−)2 200

9 Corundum Al2O3 400

10 Diamond C 1500
 Select Gems Ordered By Mohs Hardness
 
 
Number Name Hardness
1. Diamond 10
2. Synthetic Moissanit 9½
3. Ruby 9
4. Sapphire 9
5. Alexandrite 8½
6. Chrysoberyll 8½
7. Holtite 8½
8. Yttrium aluminium garnet 8½
9. Zirconia 8½
10. Rhodizite 8 – 8½
11. Taafeite 8 – 8½
12. Spinel 8
13. Topaz 8
14. Aquamarine 7½ – 8
15. Red Beryl 7½ – 8
16. Precious Beryl 7½ – 8
17. Gahnite 7½ – 8
18. Galaxite 7½ – 8
19. Painite 7½ – 8
20. Phenakite 7½ – 8
21. Emerald 7½ – 8
22. Andalusite 7½
23. Euclase 7½
24. Hambergite 7½
25. Sapphirine 7½
26. Dumortierite 7 – 8½
27. Almandine 7 – 7½
28. Boracite 7 – 7½
29. Cordierite 7 – 7½
30. Danburite 7 – 7½
31. Grandidierite 7 – 7½
32. Pyrope 7 – 7½
33. Schorlomite 7 – 7½
34. Sekaninaite 7 – 7½
35. Simpsonite 7 – 7½
36. Spessartine 7 – 7½
37. Staurolite 7 – 7½
38. Turmaline 7 – 7½
39. Uvarovite 7 – 7½
40. Amethyst 7
41. Aventurine 7
42. Rock Crystal 7
43. Chambersite 7
44. Chromdravite 7
45. Citrine 7
46. Forsterite 7
47. Povondraite 7
48. Quartz 7
49. Smoky Quartz 7
50. Zunyite 7
51. Garnet 6½ – 7½
52. Jeremejevite 6½ – 7½
53. Sillimanite 6½ – 7½
54. Zircon 6½ – 7½
55. Axinite 6½ – 7
56. Chalcedony 6½ – 7
57. Chrysoprase 6½ – 7
58. Diaspore 6½ – 7
59. Ferro-Axinite 6½ – 7
60. Gadolinite 6½ – 7
61. Grossular 6½ – 7
62. Hiddenite 6½ – 7
63. Jadeite 6½ – 7
64. Jasper 6½ – 7
65. Kornerupine 6½ – 7
66. Kunzite 6½ – 7
67. Mangan-Axinite 6½ – 7
68. Peridot 6½ – 7
69. Pollucite 6½ – 7
70. Serendibite 6½ – 7
71. Sinhalite 6½ – 7
72. Spodumene 6½ – 7
73. Tanzanite 6½ – 7
74. Thorianite 6½ – 7
75. Tinzenite 6½ – 7
76. GGG 6½
77. Magnesio-Axinite 6½
78. Nambulite 6½
79. Vesuvianite 6½
80. Cassiterite 6–7
81. Clinozoisite 6–7
82. Epidote 6–7
83. Hancockite 6–7
84. Pyrolusite 6–7
85. Sogdianite 6–7
86. Amazonite 6 – 6½
87. Andesine 6 – 6½
88. Anorthoclase 6 – 6½
89. Benitoite 6 – 6½
90. Bixbyite 6 – 6½
91. Bytownite 6 – 6½
92. Chondroite 6 – 6½
93. Helvite 6 – 6½
94. Hyalophane 6 – 6½
95. Labradorite 6 – 6½
96. Marcasite 6 – 6½
97. Microcline 6 – 6½
98. Nephrite 6 – 6½
99. Norbergite 6 – 6½
100. Oligoclase 6 – 6½
101. Petalite 6 – 6½
102. Prehnite 6 – 6½
103. Pyrite 6 – 6½
104. Rutile 6 – 6½
105. Sanidine 6 – 6½
106. Smaragdite 6 – 6½
107. Sugilite 6 – 6½
108. Tantalite 6 – 6½
109. Xonotlite 6 – 6½
110. Zoisite 6 – 6½
111. Aegirine 6
112. Amblygonite 6
113. Clinohumite 6
114. Humite 6
115. Hurlbutite 6
116. Lawsonite 6
117. Pumpellyite 6
118. Tephroite 6
119. Vlasovite 6
120. Zektzerite 6
121. Hematite 5½ – 6½
122. Hedenbergite 5½ – 6½
123. Magnetite 5½ – 6½
124. Manganotantalite 5½ – 6½
125. Opal 5½ – 6½
126. Rhodonite 5½ – 6½
127. Actinolite 5½ – 6
128. Allanite 5½ – 6
129. Anatase 5½ – 6
130. Beryllonite 5½ – 6
131. Brookite 5½ – 6
132. Bustamite 5½ – 6
133. Canasite 5½ – 6
134. Cobaltite 5½ – 6
135. Euxenite 5½ – 6
136. Fabulite 5½ – 6
137. Fergusonite 5½ – 6
138. Haüyne 5½ – 6
139. Leucite 5½ – 6
140. Marialite 5½ – 6
141. Meionite 5½ – 6
142. Milarite 5½ – 6
143. Montebrasite 5½ – 6
144. Natromontebrasite 5½ – 6
145. Periclase 5½ – 6
146. Pyroxmangite 5½ – 6
147. Sarcolite 5½ – 6
148. Scorzalite 5½ – 6
149. Scapolite 5½ – 6
150. Sodalite 5½ – 6
151. Tugtupite 5½ – 6
152. Brazilianite 5½
153. Breithauptite 5½
154. Chromite 5½
155. Enstatite 5½
156. Linobate 5½
157. Magnesiochromite 5½
158. Moldavite 5½
159. Willemite 5½
160. Aeschynite 5–6
161. Bronzite 5–6
162. Cancrinite 5–6
163. Catapleiite 5–6
164. Ceruléite 5–6
165. Clinoenstatite 5–6
166. Davidite 5–6
167. Diopside 5–6
168. Ferrosilite 5–6
169. Hornblende 5–6
170. Hypersthene 5–6
171. Ilmenite 5–6
172. Lapis Lazuli 5–6
173. Lazulite 5–6
174. Nepheline 5–6
175. Neptunite 5–6
176. Pargasite 5–6
177. Richterite 5–6
178. Samarskite 5–6
179. Stibiotantalite 5–6
180. Tremolite 5–6
181. Turquoise 5–6
182. Analcime 5 – 5½
183. Datolite 5 – 5½
184. Durangite 5 – 5½
185. Eudialyte 5 – 5½
186. Goethite 5 – 5½
187. Herderite 5 – 5½
188. Hydroxylherderite 5 – 5½
189. Meliphanite 5 – 5½
190. Mesolite 5 – 5½
191. Microlite 5 – 5½
192. Monazite 5 – 5½
193. Natrolite 5 – 5½
194. Nickeline 5 – 5½
195. Papagoite 5 – 5½
196. Psilomelane 5 – 5½
197. Scolecite 5 – 5½
198. Sellaite 5 – 5½
199. Thomsonite 5 – 5½
200. Titanite 5 – 5½
201. Wolframite 5 – 5½
202. Yttrotantalite 5 – 5½
203. Apatite 5
204. Bismutotantalite 5
205. Childrenite 5
206. Chlorapatite 5
207. Dioptase 5
208. Eosphorite 5
209. Flourapatite 5
210. Hemimorphite 5
211. Hydroxylapatite 5
212. Mangan-Apatite 5
213. Odontolite 5
214. Rinkite 5
215. Schlossmacherite 5
216. Smithsonite 5
217. Spurrite 5
218. Strass 5
219. Vayrynenite 5
220. Ekanite 4½ – 6½
221. Apophyllite 4½ – 5
222. Augelite 4½ – 5
223. Charoite 4½ – 5
224. Gaspéite 4½ – 5
225. Hodgkinsonite 4½ – 5
226. Legrandite 4½ – 5
227. Pectolite 4½ – 5
228. Scheelite 4½ – 5
229. Wardite 4½ – 5
230. Wollastonite 4½ – 5
231. Bayldonite 4½
232. Colemanite 4½
233. Parisite 4½
234. Prosopite 4½
235. Yugawaralite 4½
236. Kyanite 4–7
237. Sérandite 4 – 5½
238. Chabazite 4–5
239. Friedelite 4–5
240. Lithiophilite 4–5
241. Mordenite 4–5
242. Triphylite 4–5
243. Variscite 4–5
244. Zincite 4–5
245. Carletonite 4 – 4½
246. Hübnerite 4 – 4½
247. Purpurite 4 – 4½
248. Algodonite 4
249. Ammonite 4
250. Barytocalcite 4
251. Flourite 4
252. Leucophanite 4
253. Libethenite 4
254. Rhodochrosite 4
255. Magnesite 3½ – 4½
256. Siderite 3½ – 4½
257. Ankerite 3½ – 4
258. Aragonite 3½ – 4
259. Azurite 3½ – 4
260. Chalcopyrite 3½ – 4
261. Creedite 3½ – 4
262. Cuprite 3½ – 4
263. Dickinsonite 3½ – 4
264. Dolomite 3½ – 4
265. Euchroite 3½ – 4
266. Langbeinite 3½ – 4
267. Malachite 3½ – 4
268. Mimetite 3½ – 4
269. Pentlandite 3½ – 4
270. Powellite 3½ – 4
271. Scorodite 3½ – 4
272. Shungite 3½ – 4
273. Shattuckite 3½ – 4
274. Sphalerite 3½ – 4
275. Wavellite 3½ – 4
276. Wurtzite 3½ – 4
277. Adamite 3½
278. Anhydrite 3½
279. Chiolite 3½
280. Huréaulite 3½
281. Strontianite 3½
282. Thaumasite 3½
283. Weloganite 3½
284. Cacoxenite 3–4
285. Coral 3–4
286. Ludlamite 3–4
287. Anglesite 3 – 3½
288. Baryte 3 – 3½
289. Boleite 3 – 3½
290. Cerussite 3 – 3½
291. Celestine 3 – 3½
292. Descloizite 3 – 3½
293. Greenockite 3 – 3½
294. Howlite 3 – 3½
295. Millerite 3 – 3½
296. Phosphophyllite 3 – 3½
297. Witherite 3 – 3½
298. Bornite 3
299. Calcite 3
300. Kurnakovite 3
301. Shortite 3
302. Wulfenite 3
303. Serpentine 2½ – 5½
304. Pearl 2½ – 4½
305. Jet 2½ – 4
306. Chalcocite 2½ – 3
307. Crocoite 2½ – 3
308. Gaylussite 2½ – 3
309. Gold 2½ – 3
310. Inderite 2½ – 3
311. Lepidolite 2½ – 3
312. Pyrargyrite 2½ – 3
313. Silver 2½ – 3
 314. Stolzite 2½ – 3
315. Vanadinite 2½ – 3
316. Whewellite 2½ – 3
317. Brucite 2½
318. Cryolite 2½
319. Linarite 2½
320. Lizardite 2½
321. Proustite 2½
322. Sturmanite 2½
323. Chrysocolla 2–4
324. Clinochrysotile 2 -3
325. Fuchsite 2 -3
326. Muscovite 2 -3
327. Phosgenite 2 -3
328. Shomiokite 2 -3
329. Amber 2 – 2½
330. Cinnabar 2 – 2½
331. Ettringite 2 – 2½
332. Kämmererite 2 – 2½
333. Mellite 2 – 2½
334. Senarmontite 2 – 2½
335. Ulexite 2 – 2½
336. Villiaumite 2 – 2½
337. Gypsum 2
338. Stichtite 1½ – 2½
339. Sulphur 1½ – 2½
340. Covellite 1½ – 2
341. Melonite 1½ – 2
342. Realgar 1½ – 2
343. Vivianite 1½ – 2
344. Palygorskite 1–2
345. Pyrophyllite 1–2
346. Talc 1
347. Lithium 1/2 – 3/5
348. Sodium 1/2 – 3/5
349. Caesium 1/5 – 3/10
350. Rubidium 1/5 – 3/10