Did you know that the darker the soapstone is, BEFORE its oiled the harder it is. Its because it has a lower percentage of talc. The harder ones generally come from India and the softer (but still hard) ones come from Brazil.
Our Soapstones on the Moh’s scale
Arabesque is a 5
Black Moon is a 5
Cinza is a 2.5-3
Mirasol Black is a 2.5-3
Symphony is a 5
HARDNESS
Hardness is determined by the ability of one mineral to scratch another. Federick Mohs, a German mineralogist, produced a hardness scale, using a set of ten standard minerals. The scale arranges the minerals in order of increasing hardness. The higher the number, the harder the mineral.
TEST
You can roughly determine the mineral hardness by using the followings, steps/tools:
A fingernail has a hardness ranging from 2 to 2.5
A penny is a little harder than 3
Glass ranges from 5.5 to 6
A Knife blade is generally in the range of 5 to 6.5