For more than 75 years, Wallace Instruments has helped shape quality standards across the global rubber and polymer industry.
What began as a specialist manufacturer of precision testing equipment has grown into a trusted partner for laboratories, manufacturers and researchers in over 60 countries. Throughout our history, one principle has remained unchanged: delivering reliable measurement solutions that customers can depend on with confidence.
Our history
Founded by Mr H. W. Wallace
H.W. Wallace founded his business in Croydon, London around 1897 as a cycle and machinery manufacturer. Using his engineering expertise, and working alongside inventor Arthur Rowlatt More, Wallace became a pioneer in rubber testing and the development of BS and IRHD standardised rubber hardness measurement methods.
One of the company’s most significant innovations was the Wallace Hardness Tester, which provided a reliable and repeatable method for measuring rubber hardness in IRHD and became a cornerstone of the rubber industry.
In the mid-1950s, Wallace Instruments introduced the IRHD (International Rubber Hardness Degree) scales — including IRHD-N, IRHD-M, and IRHD-L — enabling more precise testing across different rubber materials. These scales were later adopted into international standards such as ISO 48.
A key innovation for the natural rubber industry was the Wallace Rapid Plastimeter, developed in the 1940s,which together with Wallace P0 (plasticity value) has effectively become an industry recognised term within PRI and rapid plasticity testing.
Mr Wallace’s legacy lives on in the widespread use of his testing methodologies and our continued success and development in the rubber testing industry.
Explore the key milestones that have defined our journey and discover how decades of expertise have helped establish Wallace Instruments as a recognised name in materials testing worldwide.
Another Patent
Patent granted for testing optimum vulcanisation
