The Bureau of Philippine Standards of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-BPS) has adopted standards developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) on three (3) of the most used testing methods for metal hardness to benefit the metal industry in the country by promoting common understanding among its stakeholders.

The newly adopted standards are as follows: (a) PNS ISO 4545-4:2019 Metallic materials – Knoop hardness test – Part 4: Table of hardness values, which provides a table for the calculation of Knoop hardness values for use in tests carried out in accordance with ISO 4545-1; (b) PNS ISO 16859-1:2019 Metallic materials – Leeb hardness test – Part 1: Test method, which covers the determination of a dynamic hardness of metallic materials using seven different Leeb scales; and (c) PNS ISO 6508-1:2019 Metallic materials – Rockwell hardness test – Part 1: Test Method, which specifies the method for Rockwell regular and Rockwell superficial hardness tests for scales A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, K, 15N, 30N, 45N, 15T, 30T, and 45T for metallic materials and is applicable to stationary and portable hardness testing machines.
The DTI-BPS has also adopted the following ISO standards on metallic materials:

  1. PNS ISO 11971:2019 Steel and iron castings – Visual examination of surface quality –
  2. PNS ISO 19959:2019 Visual examination of the surface condition of investment castings – Steel, nickel alloys and cobalt alloys
  3. PNS ISO 11970:2019 Specification and qualification of welding procedures for production welding of steel castings

The abovementioned standards were approved for adoption upon the recommendation of the DTI-BPS Technical Committee on Metal Castings (BPS/TC 33) which is composed of representatives from the Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC); Society of Metallurgical Engineers of the Philippines (SMEP); University of the Philippines Diliman, Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering; Don Bosco Technical College; Philippine Metal Casting Association (PMA) Inc.; Philippines Society of Plumbing Engineer (PSPE), Inc.; Precision Foundry of the Philippines, Inc. (PFPI); Tiger Machinery and Industrial Corporation; Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA); Manila Water Company, Inc.; and Maynilad Water Services, Inc.

Copies of the standards may be secured for a minimal fee from the DTI-BPS Standards Data Center (BPS-SDC) located at the DTI-BPS Office, 3F Trade and Industry Building, 361 Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City. You may call the BPS-SDC at (02) 791.3127.

The DTI-BPS, as the National Standards Body, is the official member representative of the Philippines to the ISO and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). For more information on standards and standardization, please call the DTI-BPS at 751.4700 or send an email to bps@dti.gov.ph.♦ 

Date of Release: 16 August 2019