materjali kõvadust iseloomustav omadus (nt sissesurumiskõvadus, kriipekõvadus, löökkõvadus, mikrokõvadus, makrokõvadus jt (vt kõvadus), the property of a material to resist pressing-in or scratch by a sharp object; hardness can be assessed by number of techniques including indentation, scratching and rebound hardness measurements (see: hardness)