9HO Screen Protector on a cell phone

9HO Screen Protectors: 9H Hardness Defined and Tested

| By Jolynn Paige

Photodon's Touche brand super scratch resistant screen protective film

Photodon's highly scratch-resistant oleophobic 9HO screen protectpr material is a rockstar in Photodon’s lineup. Not only is it one of the most scratch resistant materials available on the market, it is extremely clear. It’s easy to clean, affordable and —  unlike tempered glass — it's shatterproof.

But what exactly does 9H mean in terms of scratch resistance?

9H Explained:

There are many ways testing labs will evaluate the hardness of a given material. One common way is to test a surface with minerals of varying degrees of hardness to determine if it will scratch a surface. Another way is A box of pencils used by artists showing hardness factor levels.to use pencils that are on a hardness scale that ranges from 2H to 9H. The higher the number, the harder the lead.

The most commonly used pencils are 2H on the hardness scale — not very hard. You may notice that if you use much pressure on a #2 pencil tip, the tip will break easily. Many artists will use 9H pencils — the hardest pencil grade available — so their pencils don't break as they draw.

Photodon's 9H Hardness Test:

One way Photodon’s screen protectors were tested was by using pencil hardness methods as set forth by the highly reputable American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International Standards. Photodon’s 9HO material surface was evaluated for its ability to withstand scratches using these graded pencils.

9H Test Results:

When a pencil of 9H hardness, bearing a load of 1.1 pounds, at a 45˚ angle, was used on Photodon’s 9HO material in our testing lab, it was not scratched. These impressive results mean we can offer our customers a solution for protecting their digital equipment from scratches by providing them with our highly-rated 9HO screen protector material.

Photodon's Steel Wool Test: 

A second round of tests were performed on our 9HO material at our labs which were equally impressive. A ball of steel wool with super-fine, sharp-edged iron filaments was rubbed in a circular motion 20 times across the surface of a device protected with Photodon's 9HO. The testers used a load of up to 1.6 pounds in the 9HO experiment, and the material was not scratched!

See for yourself how scratch-resistant this screen protector material is:

A scratched screen is one of the most common problems people experience with their electronic devices. Using this material will greatly reduce the chances of the screen being scratched at all. If scratches do occur, they appear on the screen protector, and not the screen itself. Extending the life of your expensive digital equipment is not only smart, it is an eco-friendly thing to do.

You can contact us at 847-377-1185, M-F 9:00a.m – 5:00pm EST, or email us at [email protected], if you would like more information about 9HO.

Get specs and find out more about 9HO.