Is Reading a hard water area?
Yes. Tap water across the RG postcode area is very hard, the top band on the scale water companies use, with a median of 295 mg/L calcium carbonate. It ranges from 235 mg/L in RG41 to 355 mg/L in RG6, from 21 districts with their own water company reading and 9 estimated from the area.
- Soft
- Moderately soft
- Slightly hard
- Very hard
- Soft
- 0 to 60 mg/L
- Moderately soft
- 60 to 120 mg/L
- Slightly hard
- 120 to 180 mg/L
- Hard
- 180 to 200 mg/L
- Very hard
- 200 to 400 mg/L
Hardness by RG district
Hardest first. Hard starts at 180 mg/L, very hard at 250. Districts marked with an asterisk take the area's median rather than a reading of their own.
| District | mg/L | Hardness |
|---|---|---|
| RG6 | 355 | very hard |
| RG8 | 346 | very hard |
| RG2 | 330 | very hard |
| RG26 | 330 | very hard |
| RG4 | 316 | very hard |
| RG30 | 316 | very hard |
| RG19 | 315 | very hard |
| RG5 | 313 | very hard |
| RG45 | 313 | very hard |
| RG10 | 303 | very hard |
| RG7* | 295 | very hard |
| RG24* | 295 | very hard |
| RG21* | 295 | very hard |
| RG22* | 295 | very hard |
| RG23* | 295 | very hard |
| RG25* | 295 | very hard |
| RG27* | 295 | very hard |
| RG28* | 295 | very hard |
| RG29* | 295 | very hard |
| RG40 | 295 | very hard |
| RG31 | 289 | very hard |
| RG1 | 288 | very hard |
| RG42 | 288 | very hard |
| RG9 | 283 | very hard |
| RG14 | 281 | very hard |
| RG18 | 276 | very hard |
| RG20 | 274 | very hard |
| RG17 | 268 | very hard |
| RG12 | 264 | very hard |
| RG41 | 235 | hard |
Softener quotes for Reading
At 295 mg/L most RG homes get their money back on a softener within a few years. Free quotes from installers covering your postcode, no obligation.
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Check your exact postcode
The area figure is a median. Your district can sit anywhere between 235 and 355 mg/L.
Nearby areas
- Is Reading a hard water area?
- Yes. The median hardness across RG postcode districts is 295 mg/L calcium carbonate, which is very hard. 100% of the 30 districts we hold readings for are hard or very hard (180 mg/L and above).
- What is the water hardness in Reading?
- Between 235 and 355 mg/L depending on the district, with a median of 295. The hardest measured district is RG6 at 355 mg/L and the softest is RG41 at 235. Figures come from water company drinking-water tests, with postcode-area estimates for districts that have no reading of their own.
- Do I need a water softener in Reading?
- In most RG homes a softener pays for itself: at 295 mg/L kettles, boilers and showers scale up quickly. Check your own district first, because hardness varies from 235 to 355 within the area.
Hardness as mg/L calcium carbonate from water company drinking-water tests and postcode checkers. See the UK hardness map for every area.