Hardness testing is exactly nondestructive and in many cases used for determining limitations to discriminate and describe materials. Within the production and assembly lines, the hardness of materials or components is mainly tested for two reasons: firstly, to determine the characteristics of new materials, and secondly, for the purpose of quality assurance. Most of all the portable hardness testers according to the UCI, rebound, and TIV method are successfully used in practical operations in the field.

Naturally, Hardness testing methods can be used which reliably cover the critical area of the weld, viz. The wall thickness of tubes, pipelines, or valves is critical for mobile hardness testing, especially for the rebound method.