The Vickers hardness test was developed as an alternative to the Brinell method to measure the hardness of materials. The Vickers test is often easier to use than other hardness tests, since the required calculations are independent of the size of the indenter, and the indenter can be used for all materials irrespective of hardness.

The basic measuring principle of the Vickers hardness tester, as with all common measures of hardness, is to observe the questioned material’s ability to resist plastic deformation from a standard source. The Vickers hardness is used for all metals and has one of the widest scales among hardness tests; the unit of hardness given by the test is known as the Vickers Pyramid Number (HV) or Diamond Pyramid Hardness (DPH).

The indenter shape of a Vickers hardness tester should be capable of producing geometrically similar impressions, irrespective of size; the impression should have well-defined points of measurement; and the indenter should have high resistance to self-deformation.