Testing
Water Hardness Tests
Strips, drop-count kits and digital testers for hardness, iron and the other numbers that decide which softener or filter to buy.
Everything on this site starts with a hardness number. Strips give a band in seconds; drop-count kits give a number in grains per gallon; TDS meters measure dissolved solids, not hardness, so they can't size a softener.
Well owners should test iron, manganese and pH too: they decide whether you need an iron filter ahead of the softener.
What is your water doing?
A quick answer before you shop
Test strips give a hardness band in seconds.
A number to size a softener with
Drop-count kits give hardness in grains per gallon one drop at a time.
Readings in seconds, over and over
Digital testers read on demand; check what they measure, since TDS is not hardness.
Check before you order
- Well water. Test iron, manganese and pH too: they decide whether an iron filter goes ahead of the softener.
Every hardness test on one grid
| Image | Product | Type | Tests for | Tests per kit | Range | Price seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Droplytix DW-R20-S10 Digital Water Tester Droplytix | Digital tester | pH, hardness, chlorine, nitrate, nitrite, fluoride, iron, lead, heavy metals, alkalinity and additiona | Not stated | Not stated | Check current price |
 | USWatersystems.com 720-2401 Digital Water Tester USWatersystems.com | Digital tester | Not stated | 50 | 0-10 ppm | Check current price |
 | HYCHEK-21W Hardness Test Kit HYCHEK | Drop test kit | Not stated | 145 | Not stated | Check current price |
 | Hach 145300 Hardness Test Kit Hach | Drop test kit | hardness as CaCO | 100 | Not stated | Check current price |
 | Taylor K-1770 Hardness Test Kit Taylor | Drop test kit | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Check current price |
 | Culligan 1035250 Hardness Test Kit Culligan | Drop test kit | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Check current price |
 | Mineralab HD2 Hardness Test Kit Mineralab | Drop test kit | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Check current price |
 | Bartovation PWQ11V100 Hardness Test Strips Bartovation | Hardness test strips | Not stated | 100 | 0-500 ppm | Check current price |
 | On The Go 481108 Hardness Test Strips On The Go | Hardness test strips | Not stated | 50 | 0-1000ppm | Check current price |
 | LaMotte 2981 Hardness Test Strips LaMotte | Hardness test strips | Not stated | 50 | 0-180ppm | Check current price |
 | Bestprod BSTR-01 Hardness Test Strips Bestprod | Hardness test strips | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Check current price |
 | Hach 2793844 Hardness Test Strips Hach | Hardness test strips | Not stated | 250 | 0-425 mg/L | Check current price |
 | Hach 2793828 Hardness Test Strips Hach | Hardness test strips | Not stated | Not stated | 0-425 mg/L | Check current price |
 | AMTAST HT10 Hardness Test Strips AMTAST | Hardness test strips | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Check current price |
No products match that filter.
Figures are the makers' own, quoted with their conditions on each product page. Prices change; each product page links to the current price.