PCE-5000 is a portable hardness tester or durometer that uses the ASTM A1038 ultrasonic contact impedance (UCI) method to measure the hardness of metals and alloys with a minimum thickness of 2 mm / .08 in. Ultrasonic hardness testing is considered nondestructive, as it creates a microscopic indentation only visible when using a high-powered microscope.

Featuring a quick 2-second measurement time, this UCI hardness tester is the ideal tool for weld inspection, hardness control of metal coatings and hardness measurement of fine-grained metals, small forgings, cast materials, heat-affected zones, ion-nitrided stamping dies and molds, forms, presses, thin-walled structures and parts, bearings, tooth flanks, pipes, tanks, steel sheets and products with intricate or complex shapes.

Additional measuring sensors can be connected to the ultrasonic meter, which vary in their test force, which is applied to measure the hardness. The different sensors measure the hardness of the objects depending on the roughness of their surface. For example, the standard sensor with 20 N measures surfaces with a roughness of less than 5 µm. The 10 N sensor measures a roughness of less than 3.2 µm and the one with 98 N measures a roughness of less than 15 µm.