Medicine hardness tester

Pharmaceutical Compressive Hardness: What You Need to Know

Measuring tablet hardness is a very important step in drug testing. It indicates how well a tablet can withstand pressure during production, film coating, packaging, transportation, and storage. Understanding this role and knowing the factors that affect hardness helps pharmaceutical companies maintain stable production, reduce errors, and ensure consistent product quality.

Why Measure Tablet Hardness?

Hardness shows how well a tablet resists compression. This is not only a standard according to the Pharmacopoeia but also reflects the actual mechanical strength of the tablet.

A standard tablet avoids two conditions:

- Too soft: easily broken during film coating, packaging, or transportation.

- Too hard: difficult to disintegrate, affecting dissolution rate and therapeutic efficacy.

In other words, measuring hardness helps balance mechanical strength and drug bioavailability. It also reflects the uniformity of the formulation and the compression process.

Factors Affecting Tablet Hardness

To achieve standard tablets, attention must be paid to four factors from raw materials to formulation:

1. Compression force: High compression force increases hardness. However, excessive force makes tablets difficult to disintegrate, affecting therapeutic efficacy.

2. Binder type and concentration: Binders help powder particles stick together. Different binder types and concentrations create varying hardness and mechanical strength.

3. Moisture content of raw materials: Appropriate moisture enhances particle bonding. Raw materials that are too dry or too wet cause tablets to break easily or resist disintegration.

4. Particle size and distribution: Uniform particles compress more tightly, resulting in more consistent hardness. Irregular particle sizes cause hardness variation between batches.

Types of Tablet Hardness Testers

A tablet hardness tester measures the force required to break a tablet, usually in Newtons (N) or Kiloponds (kp). It is an essential tool for testing tablets, from laboratories to production lines.

There are two common types:

Manual: Operated by hand, low cost, suitable for small labs or quick testing.

Semi-automatic / automatic: Automatically clamps, measures, and displays results. Can test multiple tablets continuously (10–20 tablets per batch), suitable for industrial production. Refer to the EMIN Medicine hardness tester catalog.

Depending on the need, companies can choose a basic or automatic machine. To test tablets according to Pharmacopoeia standards, investing in a high-quality tester is essential.

EMIN Vietnam provides genuine tablet hardness testers that meet GMP/GLP standards, suitable for applications from R&D to production. The machines are carefully tested to ensure tablets achieve consistent and stable quality.