Abstract: A material testing machine has a movable, load applying block and a fixed, load sensing block. The load sensing block has a body with sufficient volume and mass and a small sensing projection provided on the body. The sensing projection is much smaller than the body and has a side surface on which strain gages are affixed. A test piece is installed to the material sensing projection such that any load applied to the test piece may be transmitted to the sensing projection to cause a corresponding strain of the sensing projection. Any strain of the sensing projection, which may be either static strain or dynamic strain, can be determined from the outputs of the strain gages. The determined strain of the sensing projection is used to derive the load transmitted to the sensing projection and thus the load applied to the test piece.