Tensile Testing

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Tensile Testing Services

At Hurst Metallurgical Research Laboratory, we provide accredited tensile testing services for metals and metallic products in accordance with recognized ASTM and aerospace specifications. Whether you need routine material certification, production quality verification, or mechanical property evaluation as part of a failure investigation, our laboratory delivers accurate, timely, and reliable results.

Our ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory has been serving customers since 1973, supporting industries including aerospace, oil & gas, energy, manufacturing, transportation, construction, and medical.

What is Tensile Testing?

Tensile testing measures how a material behaves when subjected to a controlled pulling force until fracture. The test provides critical mechanical property data used to verify material performance and ensure compliance with customer, industry, and specification requirements.

Typical properties evaluated include:

  • Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS)

  • Yield Strength

  • Elongation

  • Reduction of Area

  • Stress-Strain Behavior

  • Modulus of Elasticity (when required)

Testing Standards

Materials We Test

Each tensile test includes a certified test report documenting applicable results, including:

  • Test standard used

  • Specimen dimensions

  • Ultimate tensile strength

  • Yield strength

  • Percent elongation

  • Reduction of area (when applicable)

  • Test conditions

  • Pass/fail evaluation (when acceptance criteria are provided)

Hurst Metallurgical performs tensile testing in accordance with numerous industry specifications, including:

  • ASTM E8 / E8M – Tension Testing of Metallic Materials

  • ASTM A370 – Mechanical Testing of Steel Products

  • ASTM B557 – Tension Testing of Aluminum and Magnesium Alloys

  • ASTM F606 – Mechanical Testing of Fasteners

  • ASTM A48 – Gray Iron Castings

  • ASTM A517 – Pressure Vessel Plates, Alloy Steel, High-Strength, Quenched and Tempered

  • ASTM A646 – Premium Quality Alloy Steel Blooms and Billets for Aircraft and Aerospace Forgings

  • Customer and proprietary specifications

  • Aerospace and defense specifications

If your specification is not listed, please contact us. We routinely evaluate customer-specific testing requirements.

Our laboratory routinely tests:

  • Carbon Steel

  • Alloy Steel

  • Stainless Steel

  • Aluminum

  • Titanium

  • Nickel Alloys

  • Copper Alloys

  • Brass

  • Cast Materials

  • Weldments

  • Fasteners

  • Machined Test Coupons

  • Additive Manufactured Components

Specimen Preparation

Customers may provide finished test specimens, or Hurst can machine specimens to the required dimensions prior to testing.

Common specimen types include:

  • Round specimens

  • Flat specimens

  • Threaded-end specimens

  • Reduced-section specimens

  • Sub-size specimens (where permitted)

Test Reports

Proof Load Testing & Custom Load Testing

In addition to standard tensile testing, Hurst performs proof load testing on a wide variety of components to verify their ability to withstand specified loads without permanent deformation or failure. For applications that fall outside established standards, our experienced metallurgists can work with your engineering team to develop a customized test plan tailored to your product and performance requirements.

Our proof load testing services include:

  • Proof load testing to customer or industry specifications

  • Custom fixture and test method development

  • Collaboration with your engineering team on test design

  • Witness testing at our laboratory

  • Detailed test reports with documented loading and results

Our in-house machine shop allows us to prepare a wide variety of tensile specimens including round, rectangular, standard and sub-size from most metals.

Request a quote

Contact us to discuss your testing requirements. Our team can review your specifications, confirm the appropriate test method and material needed to perform testing, and provide a prompt quotation.