Mohs Hardness Scale for Gemstones

Colorful Gemstones

A gemstones durability is based on a scale called the Mohs hardness scale. The Mohs scale was developed by Frederich Mohs in 1812. The Mohs scale measures the hardness of various minerals from 1 through 10 - one being the softest and ten the hardest. The chart below measures all the different minerals based on the mohs scale.

 

Mohs Hardness Scale

GEMSTONE | CRYSTAL MOHS HARDNESS SCALE
Diamond 10
Synthetic Moissanit 9.5
Ruby 9
Sapphire 9
Alexandrite 8.5
Chrysoberyll 8.5
Holtite 8.5
YAG 8.5
Zirconia 8.5
Rhodizite 8-8.5
Taafeite
8-8.5
Spinel 8
Topaz 8
Aquamarine 7.5-8
Red Beryl
7.5-8
Precious Beryl
7.5-8
Gahnite
7.5-8
Galaxite
7.5-8
Painite
7.5-8
Phenakite
7.5-8
Emerald
7.5-8
Andalusite 7.5
Euclase
7.5
Hambergite
7.5
Sapphirine
7.5
Dumortierite 7-8.5
Almandine 7-7.5
Boracite
7-7.5
Cordierite
7-7.5
Danburite
7-7.5
Grandidierite
7-7.5
Pyrope
7-7.5
Schorlomite
7-7.5
Sekaninaite
7-7.5
Simpsonite
7-7.5
Spessartine
7-7.5
Staurolite
7-7.5
Turmaline
7-7.5
Uvarovite
7-7.5
Amethyst 7
Aventurine 7
Rock Crystal 7
Chambersite 7
Chromdravite 7
Citrine 7
Forsterite 7
Povondraite 7
Quartz 7
Smokey Quartz 7
Zunyite 7
Garnet
6.5-7.5
Jeremejevite
6.5-7.5
Sillimanite
6.5-7.5
Zircon
6.5-7.5
Axinite
6.5-7
Chalcedony
6.5-7
Chrysoprase
6.5-7
Diaspore
6.5-7
Ferro-Axinite
6.5-7
Gadolinite
6.5-7
Grossular
6.5-7
Hiddenite
6.5-7
Jadeite
6.5-7
Jasper
6.5-7
Kornerupine
6.5-7
Kuzite
6.5-7
Magan-Axinite
6.5-7
Peridot
6.5-7
Pollucite
6.5-7
Serendibite
6.5-7
Sinhalite
6.5-7
Spodumene
6.5-7
Tanzanite
6.5-7
Thorianite
6.5-7
Tinzenite
6.5-7
Gadolinium Gallium Garnet - GGG
6.5
Magnesio-Axinite 6.5
Nambulite
6.5
Vesuvianite
6.5
Cassiterite 6-7
Clinozoisite
6-7
Epidote
6-7
Hancockite
6-7
Pyrolusite
6-7
Sogdianite
6-7
Amazonite 6-6.5
Andesine
6-6.5
Anorthoclase
6-6.5
Benitoite
6-6.5
Bixbyite
6-6.5
Bytownite
6-6.5
Chondroite
6-6.5
Helvite
6-6.5
Hyalophane
6-6.5
Labradorite
6-6.5
Marcasite
6-6.5
Microcline
6-6.5
Nephrite
6-6.5
Norbergite
6-6.5
Oligoclase
6-6.5
Petalite
6-6.5
Prehnite
6-6.5
Pyrite
6-6.5
Rutile
6-6.5
Sanidine
6-6.5
Smaragdite
6-6.5
Sugilite
6-6.5
Tantalite
6-6.5
Xonotlite
6-6.5
Zoisite
6-6.5
Aegirine 6
Amblygonite
6
Clinohumite
6
Humite
6
Hurlbutite
6
Lawsonite
6
Pumpellyite
6
Tephroite
6
Vlasovite
6
Zektzerite
6
Hematite 5.5-6.5
Hedenbergite
5.5-6.5
Magnetite
5.5-6.5
Manganotantalite
5.5-6.5
Opal
5.5-6.5
Rhodonite
5.5-6.5
Actinolite
5.5-6
Allanite
5.5-6
Anatase
5.5-6
Beryllonite
5.5-6
Brookite
5.5-6
Bustamite
5.5-6
Canasite
5.5-6
Cobaltite
5.5-6
Euxenite
5.5-6
Fabulite
5.5-6
Fergusonite
5.5-6
Hauyne
5.5-6
Leucite
5.5-6
Marialite
5.5-6
Meionite
5.5-6
Milartie
5.5-6
Montebrasite
5.5-6
Natromontebrasite
5.5-6
Periclase
5.5-6
Pyroxmangite
5.5-6
Sarcolite
5.5-6
Scorzalite
5.5-6
Scapolite
5.5-6
Sodalite
5.5-6
Tugtupite 5.5-6
Brazilianite 5.5
Breithauptite
5.5
Chromite
5.5
Enstatite
5.5
Linobate
5.5
Magnesiochromite
5.5
Madavite
5.5
Willemite
5.5
Aeschynite 5-6
Bronzite
5-6
Cancrinite
5-6
Catapleiite
5-6
Ceruléite
5-6
Clinoenstatite
5-6
Davidite
5-6
Diopside
5-6
Ferrosilite
5-6
Hornblende
5-6
Hypersthene
5-6
llmenite
5-6
Lapis Lazuli
5-6
Lazulite
5-6
Nepheline
5-6
Neptunite
5-6
Pargasite
5-6
Richterite
5-6
Samarskite
5-6
Stibiotantalite
5-6
Tremolite
5-6
Turquoise
5-6
Analcime 5-5.5
Datolite
5-5.5
Duranngite
5-5.5
Eudialyte
5-5.5
Goethite
5-5.5
Herderite
5-5.5
Hydroxylherderite
5-5.5
Meliphanite
5-5.5
Mesolite
5-5.5
Microlite
5-5.5
Monazite
5-5.5
Natrolite
5-5.5
Nickeline
5-5.5
Papagoite
5-5.5
Psilomelane
5-5.5
Scolecite
5-5.5
Sellaite
5-5.5
Thomsonite
5-5.5
Titanite
5-5.5
Wolframite
5-5.5
Yttrotantalite
5-5.5
Apatite 5
Bismutotantalite 5
Childrenite 5
Chlorapatite 5
Dioptase
5
Eosphorite
5
Fourapatite
5
Hemimorphite
5
Hydroxylapatite
5
Mangan-Apatite
5
Odontolite
5
Rinkite
5
Schlossmacherite
5
Smithsonite
5
Spurrite
5
Strass
5
Vayrynenite
5
Ekanite 4.5-6.5
Apophyllite 4.5-5
Augelite
4.5-5
Charoite
4.5-5
Gaspéite
4.5-5
Hodgkinsonite
4.5-5
Legrandite
4.5-5
Pectolite
4.5-5
Scheelite
4.5-5
Wardite
4.5-5
Wollastonite
4.5-5
Bayldonite 4.5
Colemanite 4.5
Parisite
4.5
Prosopite
4.5
Yugawaralite
4.5
Kyanite 4-7
Serandite 4-5.5
Chabazite 4-5
Friedelite
4-5
Lithiophilite
4-5
Mordenite
4-5
Triphylite
4-5
Variscite
4-5
Zincite
4-5
Carletonite 4-4.5
Hübnerite
4-4.5
Purpurite
4-4.5
Algodonite 4
Ammonite 4
Barytocalcite 4
Flourite 4
Leucophanite 4
Libethenite 4
Rhodochrosite 4
Magnesite 3.5-4.5
Siderite
3.5-4.5
Ankerite 3.5-4
Aragonite
3.5-4
Azurite
3.5-4
Chalcopyrite
3.5-4
Creedite
3.5-4
Cuprite
3.5-4
Dickinsonite
3.5-4
Dolomite
3.5-4
Euchroite
3.5-4
Langbeinite
3.5-4
Malachite
3.5-4
Mimetite
3.5-4
Pentlandite
3.5-4
Powellite
3.5-4
Scorodite
3.5-4
Shungite
3.5-4
Shattuckite
3.5-4
Sphalerite
3.5-4
Wavellite
3.5-4
Wurtzite
3.5-4
Adamite 3.5
Anhydrite
3.5
Chiolite
3.5
Hureaulite
3.5
Strontianite
3.5
Thaumasite 3.5
Weloganite 3.5
Cacoxenite 3.4
Coral 3-4
Ludlamite 3-4
Anglesite 3-3.5
Baryte
3-3.5
Boleite
3-3.5
Cerussite
3-3.5
Celestine
3-3.5
Descloizite
3-3.5
Greenokite
3-3.5
Howlite
3-3.5
Millerite
3-3.5
Phosphophyllite
3-3.5
Witherite
3-3.5
Bornite 3
Calcite 3
Kurnakovite 3
Shortite 3
Wulfenite 3
Serpentine 2.5-5.5
Pearl 2.5-4.5
Jet 2.5-4
Chalcocite 2.5-3
Brucite 2.5
Cryolite
2.5
Linarite
2.5
Lizardite
2.5
Proustite
2.5
Sturmanite
2.5
Chrysocolla 2-4
Clinochrysotile 2-3
Fuchsite
2-3
Muscovite
2-3
Phosgenite
2-3
Shomiokite
2-3
Amber
2-2.5
Cinnabar 2-2.5
Ettringite
2-2.5
Kammererite
2-2.5
Mellite
2-2.5
Senarmontite
2-2.5
Ulexite 2-2.5
Villiaumite
2-2.5
Gypsum 2
Stichtite 1.5-2.5
Sulphur
1.5-2.5
Covellite
1.5-2.5
Melonite
1.5-2.5
Realgar
1.5-2.5
Vivianite
1.5-2.5
Palygorskite 1-2
Pyrophyllite 1-2
Talc 1