How to Choose Pad Printing Silicone Hardness: Complete Guide for Different Applications

2026,08,25

Pad Printing Silicone hardness is a key factor affecting print quality. Different hardness levels result in different pad deformation, ink transfer, edge clarity, service life, and applications. This guide covers hardness scales, characteristics of each hardness range, and how to select the right hardness.

Hardness Scales

Measured in Shore A, higher values mean harder. Hongye Silicone covers: extra-soft (15-18A) like 916, general-purpose (20-25A) like 901 and 912, medium-hard (26-30A) like 902 and 918, high-hard (above 30A).

Extra-Soft Pads

Strong deformation capability, conforms to curved and irregular surfaces, uniform ink transfer. But lacks rigidity, blurry fine text, shorter life. Suitable for curved, irregular, soft plastic, large-area products. Representative: Hongye 916.

General-Purpose Pads

Balances deformation and rigidity, wide applicability, moderate wear and life, high cost-effectiveness. Suitable for flat, small-curvature, regular patterns, medium-fineness text. Representatives: Hongye 901 and 912.

Medium-Hard Pads

Good rigidity, minimal deformation, stable contact, precise ink transfer, sharp edges, clear details, ideal for fine text, thin lines, barcodes, QR codes. Better wear and longer life. Limited deformation, not for curved products. Representatives: Hongye 902 and 918 (918 optimized for precision printing).

High-Hard Pads

Very rigid, minimal deformation even under high pressure, best wear and longest life. Poor conformability, only for completely flat products. Suitable for flat hard products, large-area, high-pressure printing.

How to Select Hardness

Surface shape: curved/irregular choose extra-soft; flat/small-curvature choose general or medium-hard; completely flat choose high-hard.

Pattern fineness: fine text/barcodes choose medium-hard (918); regular patterns choose general; large-area choose extra-soft or general.

Product material: soft products choose slightly harder pads; hard products choose based on pattern fineness.

Printing pressure: high pressure choose harder; low pressure choose softer.

Volume and life: high volume continuous choose medium-hard or high-hard; small batch multi-variety choose general.

Common Mistakes

Softer is better: Not true, blurry fine text and short life. Harder is better: Not true, incomplete contact on curved products. One hardness for everything: Keep 2-3 hardness levels. Adjusting with silicone oil: Reduces wear and stability, choose the right model directly.

Hongye Silicone offers a complete range from extra-soft to high-hard with professional selection support.

Author:

Ms. zhou

E-mail:

alice@szrl.net

Phone/WhatsApp:

+86 18938861889