Shore hardness is often used in quality control of adhesives to ensure products meet requirements. It can also be helpful in material selection and the development of new products to determine hardness and therefore suitability for specific applications.

It is named after its inventor Albert Ferdinand Shore and is determined by the penetration of a special test tip into the material. Shore hardness is one of the most common methods of determining hardness using the Shore Durometer because it is quick and easy to perform.

The durometer measures the depth of a depression in the material created by a given force on a standardized indenter. This depth depends on the hardness of the material, its viscoelastic properties, the shape of the indenter and the duration of the test.

Shore hardness is measured on a scale from 0 to 100. A value of 0 corresponds to a material that has no resistance to probe penetration, while a value of 100 corresponds to a very hard material.

There are several durometer scales used for materials with different properties. The two most common scales, which use slightly different measurement systems, are called Type A and Type D.

• Type A is used to test soft materials and materials such as silicones with a truncated cone.
  
  
• Type D is used for hard materials and materials such as: E.g. epoxy, PU and a cone-shaped test tip.

The depth of penetration of the test tip is measured and converted into a Shore hardness value. The measurement is usually carried out on the surface of the material, as it is most affected by influences such as temperature and humidity.