The Poldi hardness tester is one of the portable hardness testers. The indentation is obtained on the test surface by striking a blow on the ball which also produces indentation on the standard bar. The diameter of the indentation on the test surface and the standard bar are correlated in the manufacturer’s table and the hardness number is measured in BHN.

This test method is not commonly used due to the availability of other accurate portable hardness testers in the industry. Ideally, the Brinell hardness number obtained by this method cannot be related to the direct Brinell hardness values because of the basic difference in the method of indentation. Poldi uses impact method for indentation.