Tablet Quality Tests Explained: Hardness, Friability and Disintegration

Tablet quality testing ensures that tablets remain stable during production, packaging and transport while performing as intended during use. This article explains the most common tablet quality tests used in food supplement manufacturing and how they support consistent, scalable production.

In tablet manufacturing, quality is not defined by appearance alone. Tablets must withstand mechanical stress during production and logistics while still performing correctly for the consumer. To achieve this balance, manufacturers rely on standard tablet quality tests that evaluate mechanical strength and functional behavior.
For contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) producing food supplements, tablet quality testing supports process stability, repeatability and scalability. This article explains the purpose of the three most common tablet quality tests: hardness, friability and disintegration.

The tablets are lying on the laboratory table, with liquid dripping from a pipette onto them.

Why tablet quality testing matters in manufacturing

Tablet quality tests serve multiple objectives:

Confirm

compression consistency

Detect

formulation or process issues early

Reduce

breakage during packaging and transport

Support

reliable consumer use

From a CMO perspective, these tests are used to monitor production behavior, not to over-engineer specifications. The goal is a tablet that is strong enough to survive handling but not so hard that it fails to disintegrate as expected.

Hardness is influenced by:
- Formulation composition
- Compression force
- Binder type and concentration
- Tablet geometry (round vs oblong)
Why hardness is tested
Hardness testing helps manufacturers ensure that tablets:
- Do not break during packaging
- Maintain integrity during transport
- Resist chipping and surface damage
- For CMOs, hardness testing is particularly important during process optimisation, as small changes in compression force can significantly affect tablet behaviour.
Hardness in practical manufacturing terms
There is no universal “correct” hardness value. Instead, acceptable hardness ranges depend on:
- Tablet format
- Formulation type
- Packaging method
Hardness is therefore evaluated in relation to other tests, not in isolation.

Friability: resistance to abrasion and stress

WHAT IS FRIABILITY?
Friability measures a tablet’s resistance to surface wear and mechanical stress. During the test, tablets are rotated or tumbled to simulate handling, transport and packaging conditions.
The result indicates how much material is lost due to abrasion.

Why friability matters?

Even if tablets appear strong, excessive friability can cause:

Chipped edges
Dust generation
Visual defects
Customer complaints

In contract manufacturing, friability testing helps detect problems that may not be visible immediately after compression.

Typical causes of high friability.

Common contributors include:

Insufficient binder
Poor powder flow
Suboptimal compression force
Unsuitable tablet geometry

Friability testing allows CMOs to adjust parameters before large-scale production.

Disintegration: functional performance of the tablet

Disintegration testing evaluates how quickly a tablet breaks down under defined conditions.

For food supplements, this test confirms that tablets do not remain intact longer than intended during use.
Disintegration is influenced by:

Tablet hardness
Formulation composition
Presence of disintegrants
Tablet coating (if applicable)

Why disintegration testing is essential

A tablet that is too hard may survive transport perfectly but fail to break down properly during use

Disintegration testing ensures a balance between:

Mechanical stability
Functional performance
For effervescent tablets, disintegration behavior is especially critical, as consumer experience depends on rapid and consistent breakdown in water.

Disintegration vs dissolution (important distinction)

Disintegration measures physical breakup, not ingredient release. While dissolution testing is more common in pharmaceuticals, disintegration remains a key quality indicator in food supplement manufacturing.