Mohs hardness (according to Friedrich Mohs, 1773 – 1839) ascribes a relative hardness value to certain known minerals on a scale ranging from 1 (talc) to 10 (diamond). Accordingly, a mineral is considered harder than another if it can scratch the latter.
Please note that these values merely form an ordinal scale: A higher value means greater hardness, but the distances between the scale values are not always the same.
A Mohs hardness of 10 is assigned to diamond, the hardest material. A diamond therefore can only be cut using another diamond.
Diamonds are closely followed by the corundum group, which includes rubies and sapphires.
Mohs hardness – a scale ranging from 1 to 10
What are the three basic raw materials used in the manufacture of coated abrasives?
Grain – a synthetic or natural abrasive; Bond – an adhesive that permanently bonds the backing to the abrasive; Backing – a backing that the abrasive is bonded to