If this was a question in parliament, I would have proposed the following questions: “May those of a similar opinion that Iron is the hardest metallic element say ‘aye’! And may those of a contrary opinion say ‘neigh!’” In this case, the ‘ayes’ would actually carry the day.
However, contrary to what many people believe, Iron is not the hardest metalling element on earth. According to the Guinness World Records of 2018, the hardest metallic element is Chromium.
Chromium has a value of 8.5 on the Mohs scale, which measures the hardness of minerals by their scratch resistance to other materials.
Lustrous and steely grey, chromium has both a high melting point and corrosion resistance. When added to iron, in sufficient quantities, chromium forms the corrosion-proof alloy known as stainless steel.
The name chromium comes from the Greek word for color, with its traces used in making rubies red.