Hardenability

It is a common misconception to confuse hardness with hardenability. While hardness is resistance to indentation, hardenability is a measure of the depth to which a specific steel alloy can be hardened when quenched from high temperatures. It is primarily determined by the alloy’s chemical composition (elements like Chromium, Manganese, and Molybdenum). We measure this using the Jominy End-Quench Test, which tells us if a tube or part will be hardened through its entire cross-section or just on the surface.