North East England · Water company

Northumbrian Water Hardness

Average 101 ppm across 122 postcodes served.

  • Range 50–150 ppm
  • Region North East England
  • Postcodes 122
Company average
101
ppm CaCO₃
Slightly Hard
Soft
Moderate
Hard
Very hard
0100200300400+
101
Avg ppm
50
Min ppm
150
Max ppm
122
Postcodes

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Northumbrian Water Water Hardness Summary

Northumbrian Water water is slightly hard, averaging 101 ppm as calcium carbonate, ranging from 50 to 150 ppm across 122 postcode districts in North East England.

Average hardness101 ppm (Slightly Hard)
Hardness range50 to 150 ppm
ClassificationSlightly Hard
Districts served122
RegionNorth East England

About Northumbrian Water

Northumbrian Water supplies water to 2.7 million people in the north east of England. The supply comes primarily from Kielder Water and other upland reservoirs, producing moderately soft water.

At 101 ppm on average, Northumbrian Water ranks as slightly hard water. See how it compares across the UK in our 50 softest water areas ranking.

Worth reading: our water softener guide compares the options for Northumbrian Water customers, and our limescale removal guide has quick fixes for kettles, taps, and boilers.

Cross-check this against Northumbrian Water's own data: Northumbrian Water water hardness report. This page explains local hardness and links to a postcode water quality checker so you can find your supply zone's level.

Comparison

Northumbrian Water vs Other UK Water Companies

Average hardness across the 15 largest UK water suppliers, hardest first. Your supplier is highlighted.

RankWater companyAvg ppmClassificationDistricts
1 Anglian Water 321 ppm Very Hard 261
2 Thames Water 302 ppm Very Hard 412
3 South East Water 297 ppm Hard 17
4 Affinity Water 268 ppm Hard 32
5 Southern Water 263 ppm Hard 131
6 Portsmouth Water 261 ppm Hard 34
7 SES Water 239 ppm Hard 7
8 Wessex Water 231 ppm Hard 123
9 Severn Trent Water 222 ppm Hard 345
10 Yorkshire Water 215 ppm Hard 217
11 Northumbrian Water 101 ppm Slightly Hard 122
12 South West Water 80 ppm Slightly Hard 129
13 United Utilities 77 ppm Slightly Hard 242
14 Welsh Water (Dwr Cymru) 68 ppm Slightly Hard 214
15 Scottish Water 54 ppm Soft 3
Distribution

Hardness Breakdown

16
Soft
(13%)
67
Slightly Hard
(55%)
39
Moderate
(32%)
0
Hard
(0%)
0
Very Hard
(0%)
All areas

Areas Served by Northumbrian Water

Every postcode district, sorted by hardness.

Postcode Town Hardness PPM Level
DH7 Durham
150
150 ppm Moderately Hard
NE35 Boldon Colliery
150
150 ppm Moderately Hard
NE67 Chathill
150
150 ppm Moderately Hard
SR7 Seaham
150
150 ppm Moderately Hard
DH6 Durham
149
149 ppm Moderately Hard
NE34 South Shields
149
149 ppm Moderately Hard
NE66 Alnwick
149
149 ppm Moderately Hard
SR6 Sunderland
149
149 ppm Moderately Hard
DH5 Houghton Le Spring
148
148 ppm Moderately Hard
NE33 South Shields
148
148 ppm Moderately Hard
NE65 Morpeth
148
148 ppm Moderately Hard
SR5 Sunderland
148
148 ppm Moderately Hard
DH4 Houghton Le Spring
147
147 ppm Moderately Hard
NE32 Jarrow
147
147 ppm Moderately Hard
NE64 Newbiggin By The Sea
147
147 ppm Moderately Hard
SR4 Sunderland
147
147 ppm Moderately Hard
DH3 Chester Le Street
146
146 ppm Moderately Hard
NE31 Hebburn
146
146 ppm Moderately Hard
NE63 Ashington
146
146 ppm Moderately Hard
SR3 Sunderland
146
146 ppm Moderately Hard
DH2 Chester Le Street
145
145 ppm Moderately Hard
NE30 North Shields
145
145 ppm Moderately Hard
NE62 Choppington
145
145 ppm Moderately Hard
SR2 Sunderland
145
145 ppm Moderately Hard
DH1 Durham
144
144 ppm Moderately Hard
NE61 Morpeth
144
144 ppm Moderately Hard
SR1 Sunderland
144
144 ppm Moderately Hard
NE9 Gateshead
136
136 ppm Moderately Hard
NE8 Gateshead
135
135 ppm Moderately Hard
NE7 Newcastle Upon Tyne
134
134 ppm Moderately Hard
NE6 Newcastle Upon Tyne
133
133 ppm Moderately Hard
NE5 Newcastle Upon Tyne
132
132 ppm Moderately Hard
NE4 Newcastle Upon Tyne
131
131 ppm Moderately Hard
NE3 Newcastle Upon Tyne
130
130 ppm Moderately Hard
NE2 Newcastle Upon Tyne
129
129 ppm Moderately Hard
NE1 Newcastle Upon Tyne
128
128 ppm Moderately Hard
DL17 Ferryhill
122
122 ppm Moderately Hard
DL16 Spennymoor
121
121 ppm Moderately Hard
NE29 North Shields
121
121 ppm Moderately Hard
DL15 Crook
120
120 ppm Slightly Hard
NE28 Wallsend
120
120 ppm Slightly Hard
DL14 Bishop Auckland
119
119 ppm Slightly Hard
NE27 Newcastle Upon Tyne
119
119 ppm Slightly Hard
DL13 Bishop Auckland
118
118 ppm Slightly Hard
NE26 Whitley Bay
118
118 ppm Slightly Hard
DL12 Barnard Castle
117
117 ppm Slightly Hard
NE25 Whitley Bay
117
117 ppm Slightly Hard
DL11 Richmond
116
116 ppm Slightly Hard
NE24 Blyth
116
116 ppm Slightly Hard
DL10 Richmond
115
115 ppm Slightly Hard
NE23 Cramlington
115
115 ppm Slightly Hard
NE22 Bedlington
114
114 ppm Slightly Hard
NE21 Blaydon On Tyne
113
113 ppm Slightly Hard
NE20 Newcastle Upon Tyne
112
112 ppm Slightly Hard
TS29 Trimdon Station
103
103 ppm Slightly Hard
TS28 Wingate
102
102 ppm Slightly Hard
TS27 Hartlepool
101
101 ppm Slightly Hard
TS26 Hartlepool
100
100 ppm Slightly Hard
TS25 Hartlepool
99
99 ppm Slightly Hard
TS24 Hartlepool
98
98 ppm Slightly Hard
TS23 Billingham
97
97 ppm Slightly Hard
TS22 Billingham
96
96 ppm Slightly Hard
TS21 Stockton On Tees
95
95 ppm Slightly Hard
TS20 Stockton On Tees
94
94 ppm Slightly Hard
NE19 Newcastle Upon Tyne
88
88 ppm Slightly Hard
NE18 Newcastle Upon Tyne
87
87 ppm Slightly Hard
NE17 Newcastle Upon Tyne
86
86 ppm Slightly Hard
NE49 Haltwhistle
86
86 ppm Slightly Hard
NE16 Newcastle Upon Tyne
85
85 ppm Slightly Hard
NE48 Hexham
85
85 ppm Slightly Hard
NE15 Newcastle Upon Tyne
84
84 ppm Slightly Hard
NE47 Hexham
84
84 ppm Slightly Hard
NE46 Hexham
83
83 ppm Slightly Hard
DL9 Catterick Garrison
82
82 ppm Slightly Hard
NE13 Newcastle Upon Tyne
82
82 ppm Slightly Hard
NE45 Corbridge
82
82 ppm Slightly Hard
DL8 Bedale
81
81 ppm Slightly Hard
NE12 Newcastle Upon Tyne
81
81 ppm Slightly Hard
NE44 Riding Mill
81
81 ppm Slightly Hard
DL7 Northallerton
80
80 ppm Slightly Hard
NE11 Gateshead
80
80 ppm Slightly Hard
NE43 Stocksfield
80
80 ppm Slightly Hard
DL6 Northallerton
79
79 ppm Slightly Hard
NE10 Gateshead
79
79 ppm Slightly Hard
NE42 Prudhoe
79
79 ppm Slightly Hard
DL5 Newton Aycliffe
78
78 ppm Slightly Hard
NE41 Wylam
78
78 ppm Slightly Hard
DL4 Shildon
77
77 ppm Slightly Hard
NE40 Ryton
77
77 ppm Slightly Hard
DL3 Darlington
76
76 ppm Slightly Hard
NE71 Wooler
76
76 ppm Slightly Hard
DL2 Darlington
75
75 ppm Slightly Hard
NE70 Belford
75
75 ppm Slightly Hard
DL1 Darlington
74
74 ppm Slightly Hard
TS19 Stockton On Tees
70
70 ppm Slightly Hard
TS18 Stockton On Tees
69
69 ppm Slightly Hard
TS17 Stockton On Tees
68
68 ppm Slightly Hard
TS16 Stockton On Tees
67
67 ppm Slightly Hard
TS15 Yarm
66
66 ppm Slightly Hard
TS14 Guisborough
65
65 ppm Slightly Hard
TS13 Saltburn By The Sea
64
64 ppm Slightly Hard
TS12 Saltburn By The Sea
63
63 ppm Slightly Hard
TS11 Redcar
62
62 ppm Slightly Hard
TS9 Middlesbrough
62
62 ppm Slightly Hard
TS10 Redcar
61
61 ppm Slightly Hard
TS8 Middlesbrough
61
61 ppm Slightly Hard
TS7 Middlesbrough
60
60 ppm Soft
TS6 Middlesbrough
59
59 ppm Soft
TS5 Middlesbrough
58
58 ppm Soft
TS4 Middlesbrough
57
57 ppm Soft
TS3 Middlesbrough
56
56 ppm Soft
TS2 Middlesbrough
55
55 ppm Soft
TS1 Middlesbrough
54
54 ppm Soft
NE39 Rowlands Gill
53
53 ppm Soft
NE38 Washington
52
52 ppm Soft
DH9 Stanley
51
51 ppm Soft
NE37 Washington
51
51 ppm Soft
NE69 Bamburgh
51
51 ppm Soft
DH8 Consett
50
50 ppm Soft
NE36 East Boldon
50
50 ppm Soft
NE68 Seahouses
50
50 ppm Soft
SR8 Peterlee
50
50 ppm Soft

Test Your Water on Northumbrian Water

At 101 ppm on average, your water is slightly hard. A home testing kit lets you verify the exact hardness for your postcode and check for other contaminants.

TESPERT 16-in-1 Water Testing Kit

From ~£10

Home water test strips that check hardness, pH, chlorine, lead, and 12 other parameters. Results in around 60 seconds. 125 strips per pack.

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FAQ

Common questions about Northumbrian Water water hardness

How do I check Northumbrian Water hardness by postcode?
Enter your postcode in the checker on the WaterHard.uk homepage, or find your district in the table above. Northumbrian Water serves 122 postcode districts across North East England, ranging from 50 to 150 ppm.
Is there a Northumbrian Water hardness checker or map?
Northumbrian Water publishes water quality data by postcode, but it can be scattered across PDF reports. WaterHard.uk compiles it into the searchable table above so you can find your district's reading in one place.
How hard is Northumbrian Water water in my area?
It depends on your exact postcode. Northumbrian Water supplies range from 50 ppm to 150 ppm, averaging 101 ppm (slightly hard) across 122 postcode districts in North East England. Use the table above to find your specific district.
Is Northumbrian Water water hard or soft?
Northumbrian Water averages 101 ppm, classified as slightly hard. Most households on Northumbrian Water see little to no limescale build-up, though individual postcodes can vary, so check the table above for your district.
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