Solid tablets are probably the most commonly used dosage form of drugs. Tablet hardness can be used not only as a standard to guide product development, but also as a quality control indicator. Tablets should not be too hard or too soft. Extremely hard tablets may indicate that the binding force between the active ingredient and the excipient is too great, which may prevent the proper dissolution of the tablet needed for an accurate dosage. Similarly, softer tablets may be the result of weak binding and may cause premature disintegration when ingested by patients.