Floor Tile Hardness Scale

To give the consumer a relative measurement of scratch resistance of tile and stone manufacturers and suppliers use the moh s hardness scale.

Floor tile hardness scale.

The rating is for all enamel coated tiles including ceramic and porcelain products. This is related to a product s density and overall hardness. Mohs hardness scale is applied to flooring tiles to show how hard their surface is. Understanding how the janka hardness scale works is simple.

The pei categorization primarily defines the hardness and durability of the various ceramic products that are tested. Known as the pei scale it is the standard consumers can rely on and refer to in order to determine which tiles to buy according to purpose and location. Ceramic and porcelain tiles are rated though most people seem to be more concerned about the. This hardness scale as with many hardness scales is a relative measure and doesn t give the entire picture of how durable the material being measured is.

It should be noted that the pei rating involves testing of only the surface wear layer of a tile s enamel glazing. The mohs scale of mineral hardness is a qualitative scale that characterizes the scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of a harder material to scratch a softer material. The moh s scale uses ten fairly common minerals of known hardness and gives each of them a relative value of 1 10. It has created a pei rating for all types of tile materials including flooring tiles wall tiles and more.

The wood hardness scale gives part of the picture of how scratch resistant wood is like the mohs scale of hardness addresses the scratch resistance of. Ceramic tile will be scratched by glass but not by a copper coin. A janka rating provides a great barometer for determining how well a particular floor may withstand denting and wear. The pei scale was established by the porcelain enamel institute to help create standards consumers could rely on to help determine which tiles to buy for which purpose.

The pei rating indicates the tile hardness and these ratings are valuable to help in tile choices for different projects. It does not measure the fracture strength of the entire tile nor does it offer any rating of the slip resistance of the tile. This is a rating that describes the material s coefficient of friction or cof. In short a higher number rating on the janka scale equates to a harder wood species.