A dimensionless parameter δH = εp/εt (where εp and εt are the average values of plastic and total deformation of material on the contact area indenter–specimen) may be used as the plasticity characteristic of materials, which made it possible to characterize the plasticity of materials that are brittle in standard mechanical tests. δH may be calculated from the values of microhardness HM, Young's modulus E and Poisson's ratio ν. In instrumented indentation the plasticity characteristic δA = Ap/At (Ap and At are the work of plastic and total deformation during indentation) may be calculated. δA ≈ δH for materials with δH > 0.5, i.e. for all metals and the majority of ceramic materials. In this case, the theoretical equation δA ≈ δH = 1–10.2 · (1 − ν − 2ν2)(HM/E) is satisfied in experiments with the Berkovich indenter. The influence of the temperature and structural parameters (dislocation density and grain size including nanostructured materials) on δH is discussed.