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Rocks & Minerals with a Mohs Hardness of 4

On the Mohs scale, hardness 4 is defined by fluorite. The 31 rocks and minerals below fall at or within the 4 to 5 band, so they scratch anything softer on this page and are scratched by anything harder.

Field test: A steel knife blade (Mohs 5.5) scratches it; a copper coin does not.

Hardness is a range for many species, so an entry listed here may also appear at the neighboring level.

Also browse:Mohs 1Mohs 2Mohs 3Mohs 5Mohs 6Mohs 7Mohs 8Mohs 9Mohs 10

All hardness 4 minerals (31)

Malachite specimen: green and dark green mineralMalachiteMohs 4 · Pale green streakFluorite specimen: purple and green mineralFluoriteMohs 4 · White streakIronstone specimen: brown and red brown sedimentary rockIronstoneMohs 4 · Brown to reddish brown streakLaterite specimen: red and orange sedimentary rockLateriteMohs 4 · Red brown to yellow brown streakGreenschist specimen: green and gray green metamorphic rockGreenschistMohs 4.5 · Variable; usually pale greenish gray streakApophyllite specimen: colorless and white mineralApophylliteMohs 4.5–5 · White streakAragonite specimen: colorless and white mineralAragoniteMohs 3.5–4 · White streakCavansite specimen: bright blue and deep blue mineralCavansiteMohs 3–4 · Pale blue streakChabazite specimen: white and colorless mineralChabaziteMohs 4–5 · White streakChalcopyrite specimen: brass yellow and golden yellow mineralChalcopyriteMohs 3.5–4 · Greenish black streakColemanite specimen: colorless and white mineralColemaniteMohs 4–4.5 · White streakConglomerate specimen: variegated and gray sedimentary rockConglomerateMohs 3–7 · Variable; dull matrix to vitreous clastsCoquina specimen: white and tan sedimentary rockCoquinaMohs 3–4 · DullCuprite specimen: red and dark red mineralCupriteMohs 3.5–4 · Brownish red streakDolomite specimen: white and gray sedimentary rockDolomiteMohs 3.5–4 · White streakHemimorphite specimen: white and colorless mineralHemimorphiteMohs 4.5–5 · White streakHeulandite specimen: white and colorless mineralHeulanditeMohs 3.5–4 · White streakIron specimen: silver-gray and dark gray metalIronMohs 4 · Gray to dark gray streakLimonite specimen: yellowish brown and brown mineralLimoniteMohs 4.5 · Yellowish brown streakMagnesite specimen: white and gray mineralMagnesiteMohs 4 · White streakMuscovite specimen: colorless and silvery white mineralMuscoviteMohs 2–4 · White streakNickel specimen: silver and gray metalNickelMohs 4 · Gray streakPhyllite specimen: silvery gray and greenish gray metamorphic rockPhylliteMohs 2.5–4 · Silky to satiny (sericite/chlorite sheen)Platinum specimen: silver and gray mineralPlatinumMohs 4.25 · Steel gray to silver-white streakSchist specimen: silver-gray and golden (mica-rich) metamorphic rockSchistMohs 2.5–7 · Vitreous to silky/glittery (mica-rich)Serpentinite specimen: green and dark green metamorphic rockSerpentiniteMohs 2.5–4 · White streakSiderite specimen: yellowish brown and brown mineralSideriteMohs 4 · White streakSmithsonite specimen: blue green and green mineralSmithsoniteMohs 4.5 · White streakTravertine specimen: white and cream sedimentary rockTravertineMohs 3–4 · White streakTuff specimen: light gray and tan igneous rockTuffMohs 2–5 · Dull to earthy; glassy shards may show vitreous lusterVariscite specimen: green and blue-green mineralVarisciteMohs 4 · White streak

Frequently asked questions

What common minerals have a hardness of 4?

Malachite, Fluorite, Ironstone, Laterite, and Greenschist all sit at Mohs 4.

What scratches a mineral with hardness 4?

Anything harder on the Mohs scale: apatite (hardness 5) and above. A steel knife blade (Mohs 5.5) scratches it; a copper coin does not.

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