EN ISO 4498:2010

• Abstract:

  ISO 4498:2010 specifies methods of hardness testing of sintered metal materials, excluding hardmetals.; Procedure 1 determines the apparent hardness of the whole material.; Procedure 1; applies to sintered metal materials which have either not been subjected to any heat treatment, or which have been heat treated in such a way that the hardness is essentially uniform to a depth of at least 5 mm below the surface,; applies to the surfaces of sintered metal materials which have been treated in such a way that the hardness is not uniform in the section to a depth of 5 mm below the surface, ; therefore applies to materials in which the hardness is obtained essentially by surface enrichment by carbon, or by carbon and nitrogen (for example, by carburizing, carbonitriding, nitrocarburizing or sulphidizing), and; applies to materials which have been induction hardened.; Procedure 2 determines the microhardness of the metal phase.; Procedure 2; applies to all types of sintered metal materials,; is used, in particular, to determine the hardness profile of case‑hardened or carbonitrided materials in accordance with the method described in ISO 4507, and; also applies to any sintered metallic materials which have been subjected to surface treatments such as electrodeposited plating, chemical coating, chemical vapour deposition (CVD), physical vapour deposition (PVD), laser, ion bombardment, etc. To determine the microhardness of treated surfaces, Procedure 2 applies.

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 14-Jun-2010
• Withdrawal Date: 30-Dec-2010
• ICS: 77.040.10 - Mechanical testing of metals
• ICS: 77.160 - Powder metallurgy
• Technical Committee: CEN/SS M11 - Powder metallurgy
• Drafting Committee: CEN/SS M11 - Powder metallurgy
• Current Stage: 6060 - Definitive text made available (DAV) - Publishing
• Start Date: 15-Jun-2010
• Completion Date: 15-Jun-2010
• Ref Project: SIST EN ISO 4498:2010 - Sintered metal materials, excluding hardmetals - Determination of apparent hardness and microhardness (ISO 4498:2010)

• Replaces: EN ISO 4498:2007 - Sintered metal materials, excluding hardmetals - Determination of apparent hardness and microhardness (ISO 4498:2005)
• Effective Date: 17-Oct-2009
• Refers: ISO 6507-1:2005 - Metallic materials — Vickers hardness test — Part 1: Test method
• Effective Date: 25-Aug-2026
• Refers: ISO 4516:2002 - Metallic and other inorganic coatings — Vickers and Knoop microhardness tests
• Effective Date: 25-Aug-2026
• Refers: ISO 6508-1:2005 - Metallic materials — Rockwell hardness test — Part 1: Test method (scales A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, K, N, T)
• Effective Date: 25-Aug-2026
• Refers: ISO 4507:2000 - Sintered ferrous materials, carburized or carbonitrided — Determination and verification of case-hardening depth by a micro-hardness test
• Effective Date: 25-Aug-2026
• Refers: ISO 6506-1:2005 - Metallic materials — Brinell hardness test — Part 1: Test method
• Effective Date: 25-Aug-2026
• Refers: EN 474-5:2006+A1:2009+A2:2012 - Earth-moving machinery - Safety - Part 5: Requirements for hydraulic excavators
• Effective Date: 28-Jan-2026
• Refers: EN 14668:2005 - Surface active agents - Determination of quaternary ammonium surface active agents in raw materials and formulated products - Potentiometric two-phase titration method
• Effective Date: 28-Jan-2026
• Refers: EN ISO 899-2:2003/A1:2015 - Plastics - Determination of creep behaviour - Part 2: Flexural creep by three-point loading - Amendment 1 (ISO 899-2:2003/Amd 1:2015)
• Effective Date: 28-Jan-2026
• Refers: EN ISO 14889:2009 - Ophthalmic optics - Spectacle lenses - Fundamental requirements for uncut finished lenses (ISO 14889:2003)
• Effective Date: 28-Jan-2026
• Refers: EN 13523-13:2014 - Coil coated metals - Test methods - Part 13: Resistance to accelerated ageing by the use of heat
• Effective Date: 28-Jan-2026
• Referred By: EN ISO 21789:2022 - Gas turbine applications - Safety (ISO 21789:2022)
• Effective Date: 28-Jan-2026
• Referred By: EN ISO 11148-5:2011 - Hand-held non-electric power tools - Safety requirements - Part 5: Rotary percussive drills (ISO 11148-5:2011)
• Effective Date: 28-Jan-2026
• Referred By: EN 10331:2003 - Magnetic materials - Specification for sintered soft magnetic materials
• Effective Date: 28-Jan-2026
• Referred By: EN ISO 11148-2:2011 - Hand-held non-electric power tools - Safety requirements - Part 2: Cutting-off and crimping power tools (ISO/FDIS 11148-2:2011)
• Effective Date: 28-Jan-2026

Overview

EN ISO 4498:2010 - Sintered metal materials, excluding hardmetals - Determination of apparent hardness and microhardness (ISO 4498:2010) - is a CEN-adopted international standard for hardness testing of sintered (powder metallurgy) metals. It defines two complementary procedures: Procedure 1 for apparent (macro) hardness of the material as a whole, and Procedure 2 for microhardness of the metallic phase. The standard is intended for quality control, material specification and evaluation of surface or bulk heat treatments and coatings.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Two test procedures
  • Procedure 1 (Apparent hardness): Determines macrohardness (Vickers HV, Brinell HBW, Rockwell HR) of sintered parts where hardness is essentially uniform to a depth ≥ 5 mm or for surface‑hardened parts where surface hardness is non‑uniform to 5 mm (e.g., carburizing, carbonitriding, nitrocarburizing, sulfidizing, induction hardening). Usual test forces: 10 N to 2 000 N.
  • Procedure 2 (Microhardness): Measures Vickers or Knoop microhardness of the metal phase only; applies to all sintered materials and to surface‑treated parts (electroplating, chemical coatings, CVD, PVD, laser, ion bombardment). Typical microhardness forces: 0.147 N to 1.960 N (Vickers) and 0.981 N (Knoop).
• Apparatus and methods: Uses hardness machines per referenced ISO tests - ISO 6506-1 (Brinell), ISO 6507-1 (Vickers), ISO 6508-1 (Rockwell), and ISO 4516 (microhardness).
• Sampling & sample preparation: Surface must be clean, flat and smooth; light grinding/polishing or etching may be required. For parts with >8% open porosity, impregnation with resin is recommended. Test-piece thickness should exceed 1.5× impression diagonal. Surface curvature and non‑perpendicularity must be accounted for (corrections per ISO 6507-1 / ISO 4516).
• Reporting & precision: Standard prescribes expression of results, repeatability/reproducibility guidance and test-report requirements.

Applications and who uses it

• Powder metallurgy manufacturers for batch acceptance and process control.
• Metallurgical labs and QA/QC testing services performing hardness and case-depth profiling.
• Design engineers and component suppliers validating mechanical properties and surface treatments.
• Surface‑treatment providers (carburizing, carbonitriding, PVD/CVD, plating) for verifying hardness profiles and coating integrity.
• R&D teams evaluating new PM materials, heat treatments and coatings.

Related standards

• ISO 4507 - case‑hardening depth by micro‑hardness
• ISO 4516 - Vickers and Knoop microhardness tests
• ISO 6506-1 - Brinell hardness test
• ISO 6507-1 - Vickers hardness test
• ISO 6508-1 - Rockwell hardness test

Keywords: EN ISO 4498:2010, sintered metal materials, apparent hardness, microhardness, hardness testing, powder metallurgy, Vickers, Knoop, Brinell, Rockwell, case hardening, surface treatments.

2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.Metallische Sinterwerkstoffe, ausgenommen Hartmetalle - Bestimmung der Sinterhärte und der Mikrohärte (ISO 4498:2010)Matériaux métalliques frittés, à l'exclusion des métaux-durs - Détermination de la dureté apparente et de la microdureté (ISO 4498:2010)Sintered metal materials, excluding hardmetals - Determination of apparent hardness and microhardness (ISO 4498:2010)77.160Metalurgija prahovPowder metallurgy77.040.10Mehansko preskušanje kovinMechanical testing of metalsICS:Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z:EN ISO 4498:2010SIST EN ISO 4498:2010en,fr01-september-2010SIST EN ISO 4498:2010SLOVENSKI
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EUROPEAN STANDARD NORME EUROPÉENNE EUROPÄISCHE NORM
EN ISO 4498
June 2010 ICS 77.160; 77.040.10 Supersedes EN ISO 4498:2007English Version
Sintered metal materials, excluding hardmetals - Determination of apparent hardness and microhardness (ISO 4498:2010)
Matériaux métalliques frittés, à l'exclusion des métaux-durs - Détermination de la dureté apparente et de la microdureté (ISO 4498:2010)
Sintermetalle, ausgenommen Hartmetalle - Bestimmung der Sinterhärte und der Mikrohärte (ISO 4498:2010) This European Standard was approved by CEN on 26 May 2010.
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 CEN Management Centre 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 CEN Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
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Reference numberISO 4498:2010(E)© ISO 2010
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO4498Second edition2010-06-15Sintered metal materials, excluding hardmetals — Determination of apparent hardness and microhardness Matériaux métalliques frittés, à l'exclusion des métaux-durs — Détermination de la dureté apparente et de la microdureté
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ii © ISO 2010 – All rights reserved
ISO 4498:2010(E) © ISO 2010 – All rights reserved iii Contents Page Foreword.iv Introduction.v 1 Scope.1 2 Normative references.2 3 Apparatus.2 4 Sampling and preparation of test pieces.2 5 Test procedures.3 5.1 Procedure 1 — Determination of apparent hardness.3 5.2 Procedure 2 — Determination of microhardness.4 6 Expression of results.6 6.1 Apparent hardness.6 6.2 Microhardness.6 7 Repeatability and reproducibility.6 7.1 Vickers apparent hardness.6 7.2 Rockwell apparent hardness.6 7.3 Vickers microhardness.6 7.4 Precision statement.6 8 Test report.7 Annex A (normative)
Test conditions and test loads as well as symbols and designations for microhardness values.8 Annex B (informative)
Repeatability and reproducibility.10 Bibliography.12
ISO 4498:2010(E) iv © ISO 2010 – All rights reserved Foreword ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization. International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2. The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote. Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. ISO 4498 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 119, Powder metallurgy, Subcommittee SC 3, Sampling and testing methods for sintered metal materials (excluding hardmetals). This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 4498:2005), of which it constitutes a minor revision. SIST EN ISO 4498:2010

ISO 4498:2010(E) © ISO 2010 – All rights reserved v Introduction Sintered metal materials generally have a porous structure. Therefore, they can be understood as composite metal/pore materials. That is why this International Standard describes two procedures to determine their hardness: ⎯ Procedure 1 for the macrohardness (this is the apparent hardness); ⎯ Procedure 2 for the microhardness (this is the hardness of the metallic phase only). Tests in Procedure 1 determine Vickers, Brinell and/or Rockwell macrohardnesses; their acronyms are: HV, HBW and HR. These tests determine the apparent hardness (macrohardness) of the materials because indentations generally include both the solid phase and a number of pores. The usual test forces applied to an indenter are from 10 N to 2 000 N. The apparent hardness value is often used as an expression of the mechanical strength of the material as a whole; it is usually lower than that of a solid material of the same composition and metallurgical condition. However, this does not imply that the functional characteristics (for example wear resistance) are necessarily inferior to those of an equivalent full-density material. The apparent hardness is a macrostructural property. It characterizes the material taken as a whole. Tests in Procedure 2 determine the Vickers and/or Knoop microhardnesses of the material; their acronyms are: HVa and HKa1). The usual test forces applied to an indenter are from 0,147 N to 1,960 N for Vickers, and 0,981 N for Knoop. The microhardness is a microstructural property used to control chemical composition, heat treatment or surface treatment. For these purposes, it is necessary to ensure that hardness test indentations are small enough not to include any visible pores, but only the solid phase.
1) Where a is the test load, in kilograms. SIST EN ISO 4498:2010

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 4498:2010(E) © ISO 2010 – All rights reserved 1 Sintered metal materials, excluding hardmetals — Determination of apparent hardness and microhardness 1 Scope 1.1 This International Standard specifies methods of hardness testing of sintered metal materials, excluding hardmetals. 1.2 Procedure 1 determines the apparent hardness of the whole material. Procedure 1 ⎯ applies to sintered metal materials which have either not been subjected to any heat treatment, or which have been heat treated in such a way that the hardness is essentially uniform to a depth of at least 5 mm below the surface, ⎯ applies to the surfaces of sintered metal materials which have been treated in such a way that the hardness is not uniform in the section to a depth of 5 mm below the surface,
⎯ therefore applies to materials in which the hardness is obtained essentially by surface enrichment by carbon, or by carbon and nitrogen (for example by carburizing, carbonitriding, nitrocarburizing or sulfidizing), and ⎯ applies to materials which have been induction hardened. 1.3 Procedure 2 determines the microhardness of the metal phase. Procedure 2 ⎯ applies to all types of sintered metal materials, ⎯ is used, in particular, to determine the hardness profile of case-hardened or carbonitrided materials in accordance with the method described in ISO 4507, and ⎯ also applies to any sintered metallic materials which have been subjected to surface treatments such as electrodeposited plating, chemical coating, chemical vapour deposition (CVD), physical vapour deposition (PVD), laser, ion bombardment, etc. To determine the microhardness of treated surfaces, Procedure 2 applies. NOTE However, an international agreement has not yet been reached on a number of factors involved in microhardness testing. Nevertheless, the parameters defined in Procedure 2 are important enough to enable a considerable measure of standardization of extensively used practices. SIST EN ISO 4498:2010

ISO 4498:2010(E) 2 © ISO 2010 – All rights reserved 2 Normative references The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies. ISO 4507, Sintered ferrous materials, carburized or carbonitrided — Determination and verification of case-hardening depth by a micro-hardness test ISO 4516, Metallic and other inorganic coatings — Vickers and Knoop microhardness tests ISO 6506-1, Metallic materials — Brinell hardness test — Part 1: Test method ISO 6507-1, Metallic materials — Vickers hardness test — Part 1: Test method ISO 6508-1, Metallic materials — Rockwell hardness test — Part 1: Test method (scales A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, K, N, T) 3 Apparatus Procedure 1: Vickers, Brinell and Rockwell hardness testing machines and test methods meeting the requirements of ISO 6506-1, ISO 6507-1 and ISO 6508-1, respectively. Procedure 2: Vickers and Knoop microhardness testing machines and test methods meeting the requirements of ISO 4516. 4 Sampling and preparation of test pieces 4.1 Since the apparent hardness of a sintered material is affected by density, which can vary throughout a part, the position of the hardness indentations, for the purpose of quality control, shall be agreed between the parties. 4.2 The sintered metal surface shall be clean, smooth and flat to obtain well-defined hardness indentations. Test samples will have anvil-support surfaces filed or ground flat wherever practicable, so as to prevent burrs from affecting results. This is particularly important when determining Vickers and Brinell hardness. Emery paper of 180 to 240 grit is acceptable for grinding. It is generally found sufficient to clean the surface with a suitable solvent. If not, the surface may be lightly polished, provided that laboratory measurements have shown that the influence of such polishing is insignificant. NOTE This polishing can be carried out, for example, by using metallographic paper or a 6 µm diamond paste. 4.3 Microhardness can be measured either on the surface of a part or on a cross-section of the part normal to the surface. For microhardness determinations, it is necessary to ensure that the surface is smooth enough to allow measurement of the indentation diagonal length accurately. The sampl
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