Asked by big gieger

hardness for zinc

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Do you mean the hardness of pure zinc metal, a zinc alloy (e.g. Zamak die‑cast), or a zinc coating (galvanized steel)? Also which hardness scale do you need (Mohs, Vickers HV, Brinell HB, Rockwell)?

Quick answer (if you just want a single number): pure metallic zinc is soft — Mohs ≈ 2.5.

Typical values and caveats:
- Pure zinc (commercially pure, annealed): Mohs ≈ 2.5. Instrumented/test scales: roughly HB ≈ 20–40 and HV ≈ 30–60 (values vary with purity and temper).
- Cold‑worked zinc: hardness increases above the annealed values.
- Zinc die‑cast alloys (Zamak series): much harder than pure zinc — typical HB ≈ 60–100 (HV ≈ 70–140), depending on alloy and heat treatment.
- Hot‑dip galvanized coatings: the coating contains Fe–Zn intermetallic layers that are appreciably harder than pure zinc; microhardness varies by layer and process and is higher than the pure‑zinc values.

If you tell me which form of zinc and which hardness scale you need, I can give a more precise value or conversions and cite typical standards.