BRITISH STANDARD BS EN

10003-3:1995

Metallic materials —
Brinell hardness test —
Part 3: Calibration of standardized
blocks to be used for Brinell hardness
testing machines

The European Standard EN 10003-3:1994 has the status of a

British Standard

ICS 77.040.10
BS EN 10003-3:1995

Committees responsible for this

British Standard
The preparation of this British Standard was entrusted to Technical
Committee ISE/NFE/4, Mechanical testing of metals, upon which the following
bodies were represented:
AEA Technology
Aluminium Federation
British Non-Ferrous Metals Federation
British Railways Board
British Steel Industry
Copper Development Association
Department of Trade and Industry (National Physical Laboratory)
Department of Trade and Industry (National Measurement Accreditation
Service)
ERA Technology Ltd.
Electricity Association
GAMBICA (BEAMA Ltd.)
Institute of Materials
Light Metal Founders’ Association
Ministry of Defence
Society of British Aerospace Companies Limited
University College London
Welding Institute
The following bodies were also represented in the drafting of the standard,
through subcommittees and panels:
Department of Trade and Industry (National Engineering Laboratory)
Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Limited

This British Standard, having

been prepared under the
direction of the Engineering
Sector Board, was published
under the authority of the
Standards Board and comes
into effect on
Amendments issued since publication
15 December 1995
Amd. No. Date Comments
© BSI 12-1998

The following BSI references

relate to the work on this
standard:
Committee reference ISE/NFE/4
Draft for comment 91/47712 DC

ISBN 0 580 24237 4

 BS EN 10003-3:1995

Contents
Page
Committees responsible Inside front cover
National foreword ii
Foreword 2
Text of EN 10003-3 3
National annex NA (informative) Non-conflicting national additions 6
List of references Inside back cover

© BSI 12-1998 i
BS EN 10003-3:1995

National foreword
This British Standard has been prepared by Technical Committee ISE/NFE/4. It
is identical with EN 10003-3 Metallic materials — Brinell hardness test —
Part 3: Calibration of standardized blocks to be used for Brinell hardness testing
machines, drawn up by ECISS (European Committee for Iron and Steel
Standardization) and published by the European Committee for Standardization
(CEN).
It supersedes BS 240:1986, which is withdrawn.

Cross-references
Publication referred to Corresponding British Standard
EN 10002-3 BS EN 10002 Tensile testing of metallic materials
Part 3: Calibration of force proving instruments used for
the verification of universal testing machines
BS EN 10003 Metallic materials — Brinell hardness test
EN 10003-1 Part 1: Test method
EN 10003-2 Part 2: Verification of Brinell hardness testing machines
A British Standard does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a
contract. Users of British Standards are responsible for their correct application.
Compliance with a British Standard does not of itself confer immunity
from legal obligations.

Summary of pages
This document comprises a front cover, an inside front cover, pages i and ii,
the EN title page, pages 2 to 6, an inside back cover and a back cover.
This standard has been updated (see copyright date) and may have had
amendments incorporated. This will be indicated in the amendment table on
the inside front cover.
ii © BSI 12-1998
EUROPEAN STANDARD EN 10003-3
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM October 1994

ICS: 77.040.10

Descriptors: Metallurgical products, mechanical tests, hardness tests, Brinell hardness, hardness testers, calibration, standard
measures

English version
Metallic materials — Brinell hardness test —
Part 3: Calibration of standardized blocks to be used for
Brinell hardness testing machines

Matériaux métalliques — Essai de dureté Metallische Werkstoffe — Härteprüfung nach

Brinell — Brinell —
Partie 3: Etalonnage des blocs de référence Teil 3: Kalibrierung von Härtevergleichsplatten
de dureté à utiliser avec les machines d’essai für die Prüfung von Härteprüfmaschinen
de dureté Brinell nach Brinell

This European Standard was approved by CEN on 1994-10-19. CEN members

are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which
stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a
national standard without any alteration.
Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national
standards may be obtained on application to the Central Secretariat or to any
CEN member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French,
German). A version in any other language made by translation under the
responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the
Central Secretariat has the same status as the official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium,
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy,
Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and
United Kingdom.

CEN
European Committee for Standardization
Comité Européen de Normalisation
Europäisches Komitee für Normung
Central Secretariat: rue de Stassart 36, B-1050 Brussels
© 1994 Copyright reserved to CEN members
Ref. No. EN 10003-3:1994 E
EN 10003-3:1994

Foreword Contents
This European Standard has been prepared by the Page
Technical Committee ECISS/TC 1A, Mechanical Foreword 2
and physical tests, the secretariat of which is held 0 Introduction 3
by AFNOR.
This European Standard shall be given the status of 1 Scope 3
a national standard, either by publication of an 2 Normative references 3
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by 3 Manufacture of blocks 3
April 1995, and conflicting national standards shall 4 Standardizing machine 3
be withdrawn at the latest by April 1995.
5 Standardizing procedure 4
According to the CEN/CENELEC Internal
Regulations, the following countries are bound to 6 Number of indentations 4
implement this European Standard: Austria, 7 Uniformity of hardness 4
Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, 8 Marking 4
Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, 9 Validity 5
Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, United Kingdom. Table 1 3
Table 2 4
Table 3 4
Table 4 4

2 © BSI 12-1998
 EN 10003-3:1994

Introduction ISO 468, Surface roughness — Parameters, their

The Standard EN 10003 applies to metallic values and general rules for specifying surfaces.
materials and comprises the following parts:
— Part 1: Metallic materials — Brinell hardness 33.1Manufacture of blocks
test — Part 1: Test method; The block shall be specially prepared and the
— Part 2: Metallic materials — Brinell hardness to use a manufacturing process which will give the
attention of the manufacturer is drawn to the need
test — Part 2: Verification of Brinell hardness necessary
testing machines; homogeneity, stability of structure and
uniformity of surface hardness.
— Part 3: Metallic materials — Brinell hardness 3.2 Each metal block to be standardized shall be of
test — Part 3: Calibration of standardized blocks a thickness not less than:
to be used for Brinell hardness testing machines. — 16 mm for 10 mm balls;
1 Scope — 12 mm for 5 mm balls;
This European Standard specifies a method for the — 6 mm for smaller balls.
calibration of standardized blocks to be used in 3.3 The standardized blocks shall be free of
Brinell hardness testing machines, for the indirect magnetism. It is recommended that the
verification of these machines, as described in manufacturer shall ensure that the blocks, if of
accordance with EN 10003-2. steel, have been demagnetized at the end of the
manufacturing process.
2 Normative references 3.4 The flatness of the two surfaces and the
This European Standard incorporates by dated or parallelism of the standardized block shall be in
undated reference, provisions from other accordance with Table 1.
publications. These normative references are cited 3.5 The test surface shall be free from scratches
at the appropriate places in the text and the which interfere with the measurement of the
publications are listed hereafter. For dated indentations (see Table 1).
references, subsequent amendments to or revisions 3.6 To permit checking that no material is
of any of these publications apply to this European subsequently removed from the standardized block,
Standard only when incorporated in it by its thickness at the time of standardization shall be
amendment or revision. For undated references the marked on it to the nearest 0,1 mm, or an
latest edition of the publication referred to applies. identifying mark shall be made on the test surface
EN 10002-3, Metallic materials — Tensile test — (see clause 8 ).
Part 3: Calibration of force proving instruments
used for the verification of uniaxial testing 4 Standardizing machine
machines. 4.1 In addition to fulfilling the general requirements
EN 10003-1, Metallic materials — Brinell hardness specified in EN 10003-2, clause 3 , the standardizing
test — Part 1: Test method. machine shall also meet the requirements
EN 10003-2, Metallic materials — Brinell hardness in 4.2.1 to 4.2.3 of this European Standard.
test — Part 2: Verification of Brinell hardness
testing machines.
Table 1
Diameter of ball Maximum deviation in Maximum error in Surface roughness, maximum
flatness of the surfaces parallelism R aa
µm
mm mm mm/50 mm Test surface Bottom surface
10 0,040 0,050 0,3 0,8
5 0,020 0,040 0,2 0,8
<5 0,005 0,010 0,1 0,8
a sampling length: 1 = 0,80 mm (see ISO 468)

© BSI 12-1998 3
EN 10003-3:1994

4.2 The machine shall be verified directly. Direct The time from the initial application of force until
verification involves: the full test force is reached shall not be less than 6 s
— verification of the test force; nor greater than 8 s. The duration of the test force
— verification of the indenter; shall be 10s to 15 s.
— verification of the measuring device. The mechanism which controls the application of
the force shall ensure that the speed of approach of
The instruments used for verification shall have a the ball immediately before it touches the block is
certified traceability using the international system not more than 1 mm/s.
of units (SI).
4.2.1 Each test force shall be correct to 6 Number of indentations
within ± 0,1 % of the nominal test force as defined in On each standardized block five indentations shall
EN 10003-1. be made uniformly distributed over the entire test
The force has to be measured with force proving surface.
instrument of class 0,5 according to EN 10002-3.
4.2.2 The indenters shall be verified, and shall meet 7 Uniformity of hardness
the requirements given in 4.2 of EN 10003-2, except 7.1 Let d1 , d2 ... d5 be the values of the mean
that the tolerances on the diameter of the balls shall measured diameters, arranged in increasing order
meet the requirements given in Table 2. of magnitude.
Table 2 The non-uniformity of the block under the
Dimensions in millimetres particular conditions of standardization is
Ball diameter Tolerance characterized by:
10 ± 0,003 d5 – d1
5 ± 0,002 and expressed in percent of d ,
2,5 ± 0,001 where
d + d + … d5
2 ± 0,001 d = 1 2
5
1 ± 0,001
7.2 The block is sufficiently uniform in hardness for
4.2.3 The scale of the measuring microscope shall be standardization purposes if the uniformity satisfies
graduated to read to 0,002 mm for indentations the conditions given in Table 4.
made with 10 mm and 5 mm balls and 0,001 mm for Table 4
indentations made with balls of less than 5 mm Maximum permissible
diameter. d
non-uniformity of d
The scale of the measuring microscope shall be
verified by measurements made on a stage mm %
micrometer at a minimum of five intervals over each < 0,5 2,0
working range. The accuracy of the measuring from 0,5 to 1 1,5
device in relation to the diameters of indentation
shall be as given in Table 3. >1 1,0
Table 3
Dimensions in millimetres
8 Marking
Diameter of indentation Accuracy 8.1 Each standardized block shall be marked with
the following:
<1 ± 0,0005
a) arithmetic mean of the hardness values found
from 1 to 2,499 ± 0,0010 in the standardizing test, for
≥ 2,5 ± 0,0020 example: 348 HBS (HBW) 5/750;
b) name or mark of the supplier;
5 Standardizing procedure c) serial number;
The standardized blocks shall be calibrated in a d) name or mark of the standardizing authority;
standardizing machine as described in clause 4 , at a e) thickness of the block or an identifying mark on
temperature of (23 ± 5) °C, using the general the test surface;
procedure described in EN 10003-1. f) year of calibration.

4 © BSI 12-1998
 EN 10003-3:1994

8.2 Any mark put on the side of the block shall be 9 Validity
upright when the test surface is the upper face.
The hardness block is only valid for the scale for
8.3 Each delivered standardized block shall be which it was calibrated and provided that the block
accompanied with a document giving at least the fulfils the requirements of clause 3 .
following information: NOTE It is recommended that the duration of the calibration
a) the reference to this standard; validity should be limited to 5 years.
b) the identity of the block;
c) the year of manufacture;
d) the arithmetic mean of the hardness values or
the value characterizing the non-uniformity of
the block.
NOTE One of the five indentations may be selected as a
reference indentation for the indirect verification of the
measuring apparatus as defined in annex A of EN 10003-2.
Therefore it shall be identified with a permanent mark in line
with one of the measured diameters.

© BSI 12-1998 5
BS EN 10003-3:1995

National annex NA (informative) f) When the HB 10/3000 and HB 5/750 scales are
Non-conflicting national additions monitored, the test block should be calibrated at
least twice (initially and at mid-life) by the
NOTE This Part of this European Standard applies only for the standardizing machines that define the national
United Kingdom version of this standard.
standard scale. The monitoring values should be
NA.1 Monitoring the performance of reproducible within ± 1.5 % HB of the mean
standardizing machines standard hardness value for the block.
Considerable importance is attached by the UK NA.2 Proposed UK national non-conflicting
committee to routine monitoring of standardizing addition for the measurement of indentations
machines used to calibrate hardness test blocks, and in hardness test blocks
such a procedure has been the custom and practice
in the UK for many years. The UK view is that this The measurement of the diameter of circular
is the only effective way of ensuring the accuracy indentations by aligning a reference line
and consistency of hardness scales, particularly tangentially with the edge of the indentation has
when more than one standardizing machine is used always been considered in the UK to be a method
to calibrate hardness test blocks. subject to the individual characteristics of the
reader.
The accuracy and stability of the Brinell hardness
scales defined by standardizing machines should be For this reason in the British Standard the
monitored in accordance with the following. measurement of an indentation has always been
done by at least two independent observers. The
a) A minimum of two scales should be monitored following clause is therefore added for hardness
except when the use of the machine is restricted blocks which are used in the UK.
to the calibration of hardness test blocks in a
single Brinell scale. Measurement of indentation
b) A set of at least three blocks covering the range Each indentation should be measured
of the first scale and two test blocks covering the independently by at least two observers and the
range of the second scale which comply with the hardness value assigned to the block should be the
uniformity of hardness requirement given in mean of the hardness values so obtained.
clause 7 of EN 10003-3 should be provided.
c) Such monitoring blocks should be calibrated to
the requirements of this standard on a
standardizing machine deemed to define the
national scales of hardness. Where there is no
such national machine, but it is known that more
than one standardizing machine is used within
the nation, then the monitoring blocks should be
calibrated on at least two standardizing
machines and the results inter-compared to set
an average hardness scale of suitable levels of
uncertainty of measurement. Such calibrations or
inter-comparisons of hardness test blocks used
for monitoring the performance of standardizing
machines should be made at regular intervals
where the period should not exceed two years.
d) Periodic monitoring values should be obtained
from the mean of three indentations on each
block and the periodic monitoring tests should be
made at regular intervals of not more
than 3 months.
e) An assessment of the performance of the
machine should be made from the recorded
monitoring values over a period of time and
should show that a monitoring value is
reproducible within ± 1 % HB of the average of
the monitoring values obtained for the block.

6 © BSI 12-1998
 BS EN 10003-3:1995

List of references
See national foreword.

© BSI 12-1998
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