Superhard material
![A nanoindenter, used to measure the hardness and related properties of materials](/Images/godic/202502/14/Nanoindenter_holder1243.jpg")
![Vickers test scheme](/Images/godic/202502/14/Vickers-path-2.svg1243.png")
![An indentation left in case-hardened steel after a Vickers hardness test.](/Images/godic/202502/14/Case_hardened_steel-vickers_hardness_test1243.png")
![Diamond and graphite materials and structure](/Images/godic/202502/14/Diamond_and_graphite21243.jpg")
A superhard material is a material with a hardness value exceeding 40 gigapascals (GPa) when measured by the Vickers hardness test. They are highly incompressible solids with high electron density and high bond covalency. As a result of their unique properties, these materials are of great interest in many industrial areas including, but not limited to, abrasives, polishing and cutting tools and wear-resistant and protective coatings.