The Mohs Hardness Scale and Chart for Select Gems

by International Gem Society

Mohs hardness scale - tools — A gemstone’s Mohs hardness score measures its resistance to scratching. This quality is an important factor for determining a gem’s wearability or toughness as a jewelry stone. “Tools to measure hardness of minerals, using minerals of Mohs scale of hardness,” by Hannes Grobe is licensed under CC By 3.0.

The Mohs Hardness Scale


10	Diamond
9	Corundum
8	Topaz
7	Quartz
6	Feldspar
5	Apatite
4	Fluorite
3	Calcite
2	Gypsum
1	Talc

Select Gems Ordered By Mohs Hardness

Name	Hardness	Name	Hardness
Diamond	10	Hypersthene	5 – 6
Synth. Moissanit	9½	Ilmenite	5 – 6
Ruby	9	Lapis Lazuli	5 – 6
Sapphire	9	Lazulite	5 – 6
Alexandrite	8½	Nepheline	5 – 6
Chrysoberyll	8½	Neptunite	5 – 6
Holtite	8½	Pargasite	5 – 6
YAG	8½	Richterite	5 – 6
Zirconia	8½	Samarskite	5 – 6
Rhodizite	8 – 8½	Stibiotantalite	5 – 6
Taafeite	8 – 8½	Tremolite	5 – 6
Spinel	8	Turquoise	5 – 6
Topaz	8	Analcime	5 – 5½
Aquamarine	7½ – 8	Datolite	5 – 5½
Red Beryl	7½ – 8	Durangite	5 – 5½
Precious Beryl	7½ – 8	Eudialyte	5 – 5½
Gahnite	7½ – 8	Goethite	5 – 5½
Galaxite	7½ – 8	Herderite	5 – 5½
Painite	7½ – 8	Hydroxylherderite	5 – 5½
Phenakite	7½ – 8	Meliphanite	5 – 5½
Emerald	7½ – 8	Mesolite	5 – 5½
Andalusite	7½	Microlite	5 – 5½
Euclase	7½	Monazite	5 – 5½
Hambergite	7½	Natrolite	5 – 5½
Sapphirine	7½	Nickeline	5 – 5½
Dumortierite	7 – 8½	Papagoite	5 – 5½
Almandine	7 – 7½	Psilomelane	5 – 5½
Boracite	7 – 7½	Scolecite	5 – 5½
Cordierite	7 – 7½	Sellaite	5 – 5½
Danburite	7 – 7½	Thomsonite	5 – 5½
Grandidierite	7 – 7½	Titanite	5 – 5½
Pyrope	7 – 7½	Wolframite	5 – 5½
Schorlomite	7 – 7½	Yttrotantalite	5 – 5½
Sekaninaite	7 – 7½	Apatite	5
Simpsonite	7 – 7½	Bismutotantalite	5
Spessartine	7 – 7½	Childrenite	5
Staurolite	7 – 7½	Chlorapatite	5
Turmaline	7 – 7½	Dioptase	5
Uvarovite	7 – 7½	Eosphorite	5
Amethyst	7	Flourapatite	5
Aventurine	7	Hemimorphite	5
Rock Crystal	7	Hydroxylapatite	5
Chambersite	7	Mangan-Apatite	5
Chromdravite	7	Odontolite	5
Citrine	7	Rinkite	5
Forsterite	7	Schlossmacherite	5
Povondraite	7	Smithsonite	5
Quartz	7	Spurrite	5
Smoky Quartz	7	Strass	5
Zunyite	7	Vayrynenite	5
Garnet	6½ – 7½	Ekanite	4½ – 6½
Jeremejevite	6½ – 7½	Apophyllite	4½ – 5
Sillimanite	6½ – 7½	Augelite	4½ – 5
Zircon	6½ – 7½	Charoite	4½ – 5
Axinite	6½ – 7	Gaspéite	4½ – 5
Chalcedony	6½ – 7	Hodgkinsonite	4½ – 5
Chrysoprase	6½ – 7	Legrandite	4½ – 5
Diaspore	6½ – 7	Pectolite	4½ – 5
Ferro-Axinite	6½ – 7	Scheelite	4½ – 5
Gadolinite	6½ – 7	Wardite	4½ – 5
Grossular	6½ – 7	Wollastonite	4½ – 5
Hiddenite	6½ – 7	Bayldonite	4½
Jadeite	6½ – 7	Colemanite	4½
Jasper	6½ – 7	Parisite	4½
Kornerupine	6½ – 7	Prosopite	4½
Kunzite	6½ – 7	Yugawaralite	4½
Mangan-Axinite	6½ – 7	Kyanite	4 – 7
Peridot	6½ – 7	Sérandite	4 – 5½
Pollucite	6½ – 7	Chabazite	4 – 5
Serendibite	6½ – 7	Friedelite	4 – 5
Sinhalite	6½ – 7	Lithiophilite	4 – 5
Spodumene	6½ – 7	Mordenite	4 – 5
Tanzanite	6½ – 7	Triphylite	4 – 5
Thorianite	6½ – 7	Variscite	4 – 5
Tinzenite	6½ – 7	Zincite	4 – 5
GGG	6½	Carletonite	4 – 4½
Magnesio-Axinite	6½	Hübnerite	4 – 4½
Nambulite	6½	Purpurite	4 – 4½
Vesuvianite	6½	Algodonite	4
Cassiterite	6 – 7	Ammonite	4
Clinozoisite	6 – 7	Barytocalcite	4
Epidote	6 – 7	Flourite	4
Hancockite	6 – 7	Leucophanite	4
Pyrolusite	6 – 7	Libethenite	4
Sogdianite	6 – 7	Rhodochrosite	4
Amazonite	6 – 6½	Magnesite	3½ – 4½
Andesine	6 – 6½	Siderite	3½ – 4½
Anorthoclase	6 – 6½	Ankerite	3½ – 4
Benitoite	6 – 6½	Aragonite	3½ – 4
Bixbyite	6 – 6½	Azurite	3½ – 4
Bytownite	6 – 6½	Chalcopyrite	3½ – 4
Chondroite	6 – 6½	Creedite	3½ – 4
Helvite	6 – 6½	Cuprite	3½ – 4
Hyalophane	6 – 6½	Dickinsonite	3½ – 4
Labradorite	6 – 6½	Dolomite	3½ – 4
Marcasite	6 – 6½	Euchroite	3½ – 4
Microcline	6 – 6½	Langbeinite	3½ – 4
Nephrite	6 – 6½	Malachite	3½ – 4
Norbergite	6 – 6½	Mimetite	3½ – 4
Oligoclase	6 – 6½	Pentlandite	3½ – 4
Petalite	6 – 6½	Powellite	3½ – 4
Prehnite	6 – 6½	Scorodite	3½ – 4
Pyrite	6 – 6½	Shungite	3½ – 4
Rutile	6 – 6½	Shattuckite	3½ – 4
Sanidine	6 – 6½	Sphalerite	3½ – 4
Smaragdite	6 – 6½	Wavellite	3½ – 4
Sugilite	6 – 6½	Wurtzite	3½ – 4
Tantalite	6 – 6½	Adamite	3½
Xonotlite	6 – 6½	Anhydrite	3½
Zoisite	6 – 6½	Chiolite	3½
Aegirine	6	Huréaulite	3½
Amblygonite	6	Strontianite	3½
Clinohumite	6	Thaumasite	3½
Humite	6	Weloganite	3½
Hurlbutite	6	Cacoxenite	3 -4
Lawsonite	6	Coral	3 -4
Pumpellyite	6	Ludlamite	3 -4
Tephroite	6	Anglesite	3 – 3½
Vlasovite	6	Baryte	3 – 3½
Zektzerite	6	Boleite	3 – 3½
Hematite	5½ – 6½	Cerussite	3 – 3½
Hedenbergite	5½ – 6½	Celestine	3 – 3½
Magnetite	5½ – 6½	Descloizite	3 – 3½
Manganotantalite	5½ – 6½	Greenockite	3 – 3½
Opal	5½ – 6½	Howlite	3 – 3½
Rhodonite	5½ – 6½	Millerite	3 – 3½
Actinolite	5½ – 6	Phosphophyllite	3 – 3½
Allanite	5½ – 6	Witherite	3 – 3½
Anatase	5½ – 6	Bornite	3
Beryllonite	5½ – 6	Calcite	3
Brookite	5½ – 6	Kurnakovite	3
Bustamite	5½ – 6	Shortite	3
Canasite	5½ – 6	Wulfenite	3
Cobaltite	5½ – 6	Serpentine	2½ – 5½
Euxenite	5½ – 6	Pearl	2½ – 4½
Fabulite	5½ – 6	Jet	2½ – 4
Fergusonite	5½ – 6	Chalcocite	2½ – 3
Haüyne	5½ – 6	Crocoite	2½ – 3
Leucite	5½ – 6	Gaylussite	2½ – 3
Marialite	5½ – 6	Gold	2½ – 3
Meionite	5½ – 6	Inderite	2½ – 3
Milarite	5½ – 6	Lepidolite	2½ – 3
Montebrasite	5½ – 6	Pyrargyrite	2½ – 3
Natromontebrasite	5½ – 6	Silver	2½ – 3
Periclase	5½ – 6	Stolzite	2½ – 3
Pyroxmangite	5½ – 6	Vanadinite	2½ – 3
Sarcolite	5½ – 6	Whewellite	2½ – 3
Scorzalite	5½ – 6	Brucite	2½
Scapolite	5½ – 6	Cryolite	2½
Sodalite	5½ – 6	Linarite	2½
Tugtupite	5½ – 6	Lizardite	2½
Brazilianite	5½	Proustite	2½
Breithauptite	5½	Sturmanite	2½
Chromite	5½	Chrysocolla	2 – 4
Enstatite	5½	Clinochrysotile	2 -3
Linobate	5½	Fuchsite	2 -3
Magnesiochromite	5½	Muscovite	2 -3
Moldavite	5½	Phosgenite	2 -3
Willemite	5½	Shomiokite	2 -3
Aeschynite	5 – 6	Amber	2 – 2½
Bronzite	5 – 6	Cinnabar	2 – 2½
Cancrinite	5 – 6	Ettringite	2 – 2½
Catapleiite	5 – 6	Kämmererite	2 – 2½
Ceruléite	5 – 6	Mellite	2 – 2½
Clinoenstatite	5 – 6	Senarmontite	2 – 2½
Davidite	5 – 6	Ulexite	2 – 2½
Diopside	5 – 6	Villiaumite	2 – 2½
Ferrosilite	5 – 6	Gypsum	2
Hornblende	5 – 6	Stichtite	1½ – 2½
		Sulphur	1½ – 2½
		Covellite	1½ – 2
		Melonite	1½ – 2
		Realgar	1½ – 2
		Vivianite	1½ – 2
		Palygorskite	1 – 2
		Pyrophyllite	1 – 2
		Talc	1