Very Soft  

Spoonable and mostly fresh cheeses.

Soft

Spreadable cheeses -such as Camembert or Brie.

Semi-Soft

Firmer, often crumbly or springy cheeses, but still moist -Such as blue cheeses.

Semi-Hard

These are the largest family of cheese, including sliceable cheeses such as Cheshire.

Hard

Very firm, dense and sometimes grainy cheeses. These cheeses -such as Emmental -are sliceable when young, but grated when old.