BLACK HEMATITE

Product Description

Hematite is one of the most important iron ore minerals and a staple specimen in any rock and mineral teaching collection. This black hematite sample lets students examine a metallic, steel-black to black surface while learning why colour alone is an unreliable way to identify a mineral. When streaked against an unglazed porcelain plate, hematite consistently leaves a reddish-brown mark — a classic demonstration of the difference between a mineral’s surface colour and its true diagnostic streak colour.

As a dense, iron-rich oxide mineral, hematite also supports lessons on economic geology and ore genesis, since it remains one of the world’s primary sources of mined iron. Paired with a streak plate and a simple hardness kit, students can work through a complete mineral-identification exercise: observing lustre, testing streak, and estimating relative hardness against reference minerals.

Specimen Details

Classroom & Lab Applications

• Mineral identification exercises covering lustre, streak and hardness
• Ore and economic geology discussions on iron mining
• Comparative studies against magnetite to teach magnetic vs non-magnetic iron minerals
• Building a reference rock and mineral teaching collection

Care & Handling

Handle the specimen with dry hands or cotton gloves to keep the surface free of oils, and store it away from other samples that could scratch its faces. Because streak testing is abrasive by design, keep a dedicated streak plate for repeated classroom demonstrations rather than testing directly on shared lab surfaces. Wipe the specimen with a soft, dry cloth after use and store it in a labelled tray or specimen box to keep your collection organised.

Why Choose LabEquip

LabEquip supplies this black hematite specimen as part of a wider Educational Rock and Minerals range built for hands-on earth-science teaching. If you’re covering magnetism alongside ore minerals, our Magnetite specimen makes a natural comparison piece. For schools building out a broader science lab, browse our Chemistry Lab Equipment range to pair mineral study with basic property-testing tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is black hematite used for in schools?

It’s used as a hands-on specimen for mineral identification lessons, particularly for demonstrating streak testing, lustre observation and ore-mineral classification in earth-science and geology classes.

2. What colour streak does hematite leave?

Hematite consistently leaves a reddish-brown streak on an unglazed porcelain plate, even though the specimen itself appears black or steel-grey — a useful teaching point on why streak, not surface colour, is the reliable diagnostic test.

3. Is hematite magnetic?

Hematite is generally non-magnetic or only very weakly magnetic, which makes it a useful contrast specimen alongside strongly magnetic iron minerals such as magnetite.

4. How hard is hematite on the Mohs scale?

Hematite typically falls around 5 to 6 on the Mohs hardness scale, making it useful for relative hardness comparison exercises with softer and harder reference minerals.

5. Is hematite a rock or a mineral?

Hematite is a mineral — specifically an iron oxide — rather than a rock. It occurs naturally in a variety of forms and is one of the primary ores mined for iron.

6. How should this specimen be stored between classes?

Store it in a labelled tray, drawer, or specimen box separate from harder minerals that could scratch its surface, and keep it dry to preserve its appearance for repeated classroom use.

Last Updated: September 2026