The Mohs Hardness Scale and Chart for Select Gems
The Mohs hardness scale measures a mineral's resistance to scratching. Find the traditional scale here and a chart of select gems ordered by hardness.
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Why?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 |
Source: Gemstones of the World, 3rd Edition, Walter Schumann.
International Gem Society
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