# Hardness of ice

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hardness-of-ice/439081>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 25, 2008, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hardness-of-ice/439081 "2008-02-25T14:40:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hardness-of-ice/439081/21 "2014-03-04T00:09:51Z")

</div>

> [@Triskadecamus](#):
>
> Mineral Ice is highly variable in hardness, depending on a number of factors. Mohs value of 1.5 is often give.
> 
> Tris

1.5? That’s a bit soft. You can drill your finger through talc (1) while you can scratch a groove into gypsum (2) with your nail. Ice is no where near as hard as crystalline calcite (3) though.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hardness-of-ice/439081/22 "2014-03-04T15:42:14Z")

</div>

Obligatory hardness isn’t strength isn’t stiffness isn’t brittleness.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![donkeyoatey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@donkeyoatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donkeyoatey)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hardness-of-ice/439081/23 "2014-03-04T19:15:50Z")

</div>

> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#):
>
> … those stereotypical “igloos”, though made of ice blocks, are actually stone masonry! 🙂

Igloos are made of snow.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hardness-of-ice/439081/24 "2014-03-05T02:44:47Z")

</div>

^^  
relative scratchability.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hardness-of-ice/439081/25 "2014-03-05T06:52:57Z")

</div>

> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#):
>
> I never thought of ice as a mineral until I saw it listed in a mineralogical field guide. I was surprised, but it does meet the definition of one.

By the actual common definition, _sensu strictu,_ it shouldn’t be one, as it doesn’t meet the “Stable at room temperature” criterion of the definition. It was grandfathered in (as is elemental Hg) [by the IMA](http://www.mindat.org/min-2001.html)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hardness-of-ice/439081/26 "2014-03-05T07:16:44Z")

</div>

> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#):
>
> I never thought of ice as a mineral until I saw it listed in a mineralogical field guide. I was surprised, but it does meet the definition of one.
> 
> So those stereotypical “igloos”, though made of ice blocks, are actually stone masonry! 🙂

So THAT’S where the Freemasons went!!

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hardness-of-ice/439081.md?page=1)