Tool Steel Guide

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A2 Tool Steel

A2 tool steel is an air hardening, cold work, chromium alloy die steel that is preferable to O1 tool steel in applications requiring greater size stability, machinability and safer hardening. The wear resistance properties and cost place A2 between that of O1 and D2 tool steel making it a good all purpose grade for many applications. The increased wear resistance and lower distortion make A2 tool steel particularly useful in longer production runs on either light or heavy gauge stock. Applications include: blanking dies, forming dies, trimming dies, stamping dies, coining dies, drawing dies, extrusion dies, punches, shear and slitter blades, gauges, knurling tools, rolls, mandrels and machine parts. Common trade names include Air-True, Windsor, Airkool, AL4, Select B, Thyrodur , Airque, Sagamore, Cromo-Loy, EZ-DIE, A-H5.

Chemical Composition:

Carbon: 0.90/1.05 Chromium: 4.90/5.30 Molybdenum: 0.90/1.10 Manganese: 0.40/0.60 Vanadium: 0.15/0.20 Silicon: 0.20/0.35 Phosphorus: 0.025 max Sulfur: 0.005 max

Temp. °F

Normalizing

no

Annealing - Hardening - Tempering 350- Rockwell C

57-62

Tempering Data Temper °F Rockwell C 400 60-62 500 59-61 600 58-60 700 57-59 800 56-58 54-56 48-50

D2 Tool Steel

D2 tool steel is an air-hardening, cold work, high carbon, high chrome tool steel with exceptionally high wear resistance properties. D2 tool steel properties combine minimal distortion in heat treatment, high toughness and wear resistance at the expense of grindability and machinability compared to other grades. Its deep hardening ability helps it to resist chipping and cracking. These characteristics along with price make D2 tool steel a high performance choice for applications requiring maximum dimensional stability in heat treatment, toughess, and wear resistance for longer life in long run, high production die applications. These applications include knife blades, thread rolling dies, lamination dies, blanking dies, forming dies, trimming dies, stamping dies, coining dies, drawing dies, extrusion dies, punches, punch plates, shear and slitter blades, gauges, knurling tools, rolls, mandrels and machine parts. Common trade names include Ontario, Aristocrat, Superior No 3, High-Chrome, Olympic FM, Airdi 150, Ohio Die, Ultra Die 3, CCM, AL3, CNS-1, Atmodie, 610, FNS.

Chemical Composition:

Carbon: 1.50/1.60 Chromium: 11.50/12.00 Molybdenum: 0.70/0.80 Manganese: 0.20/0.40 Vanadium: 0.80/1.00 Silicon: 0.20/0.60 Phosphorus: 0.025 max Sulfur: 0.015 max

Temp. °F

Normalizing

no

Annealing - Hardening - Tempering 400- Rockwell C

54-61

Tempering Data Temper °F Rockwell C 400 60-62 500 58-60 600 57-59 700 57-59 800 56-58 54-56 48-50

H13 Tool Steel

H13 tool steel is air-hardening, hot work 5% chrome tool steel. It combines excellent shock and abrasion resistance with good red hardness making it ideal for use in die casting. Most commonly used in plastic molds and die casting, its ability to withstand rapid cooling from high working temperatures also make it a prime choice for use in extrusion dies. While designed to be a versatile hot work grade, H13 tool steel has been useful in cold work applications as well, particularly when extra toughness is desired but wear resistance is not important. Other applications include: trimming dies, extrusion dies, forging dies, die casting, forming punches, hot shear blades and mold dies. Common trade names include Dievac, Viscount, Thyrotherm , Cromo-High V, Firechrome 44, Hotform V, VAD13, Potomac M, Thermold H 13, VDC, Hot Form V, Dica B Vanadium, Nu-Die V, Firedie 13, 883.

Chemical Composition:

Carbon: 0.35/0.45 Chromium: 4.75/5.50 Molybdenum: 1.10/1.75 Manganese: 0.20/0.50 Vanadium: 0.80/1.20 Silicon: 0.80/1.20 Phosphorus: 0.030 max Sulfur: 0.030 max

Temp. °F

Normalizing

no

Annealing - Hardening - Tempering - Rockwell C

38-53

Tempering Data Temper °F Rockwell C 48-50 50-52 47-49 46-48 43-45

O1 Tool Steel

O1 tool steel is an oil hardening, cold work general purpose steel with easy machining properties and low hardening temperatures compared to other grades. O1 provides good wear resistance and toughness sufficient for standard tool and die applications making it a suitable choice for tooling with good tool life and econimcal production. In situations that require greater size stability during hardening, A2 should be considered. Some common applications include: bending dies, trimmer dies, perforators, broaches, blanking dies, forming dies, gages, cutting dies, bushings, forming rolls, knives, drawing dies, and embossing dies. Common trade names include Badger, Ketos, Truform, Keystone, Oilcraft, Presco, Colonial No. 6, Thyrodur , Wando, Kiski, EXL-Die, BTR, Saratoga, Teenax, Keewatin.

Chemical Composition:

Carbon: 0.90/1.00 Chromium: 0.40/0.50 Tungsten: 0.40/0.60 Manganese: 1.00/1.20 Vanadium: 0.15/0.30 Silicon: 0.40/0.50 Phosphorus: 0.030 max Sulfur: 0.030 max

Temp. °F

Normalizing

Annealing - Hardening - Tempering 300- Rockwell C

44-64

Tempering Data Temper °F Rockwell C 300 62-64 400 60-62 500 57-59 600 55-57 700 52-55 800 48-51 44-48

M2 Tool Steel

M2 tool steel is the most commonly used grade of the high speed category. It is a molybdenum tungsten grade with excellent toughness, wear resistance and red hardness, making it preferable in applications where it is exposed to high heat condition from high machining speeds. M2 tool steel is generally suitable for use in applications specified for T1 high speed steel. Some applications include: drill bits, reamers, taps, gear cutters, lathe tools, broaches, boring tools, forming rolls, inserts, punches, milling cutters and end mills. Common trade names include Mustang, Double Six, Vasco M2, REX M2, Micro-Melt M2, Speedstar, Thyrapid , TRM-2, Cheyenne, Sixix, Molite 2, Motung 652, Braemow, 66 HS, DBL-2, Molva-T.

Chemical Composition:

Carbon: 0.85/0.95 Chromium: 4.00 Molybdenum: 5.00 Tungsten: 5.50/6.50 Manganese: 1.30 Vanadium: 2.00 Silicon: 0.20/0.40 Phosphorus: 0.030 max Sulfur: 0.030 max

Temp. °F

Normalizing

no

Annealing - Hardening - Tempering - Rockwell C

60-66

Tempering Data Temper °F Rockwell C 64-66 64-65 62-64 60-62

M43 Tool Steel

M43 tool steel is a molybdenum high speed tool steel with cobalt added for increased hardness and hot hardness that is superior to other high speed grades. This results in a sharper cutting edge that lasts longer, even when being used to machine high-hardness and hard-to-machine alloys in heavy duty and high production applications. M43 tool steel can be heat treated to a hardness greater than any other high speed steel and achieves the highest level of red hardness making it ideal stainless steels or any other hard to machine grades. This material has been hardened to 65-67 Rc. Typical uses include milling cutters, broaches, taps, drill bits, reamers, punches, saws, knives, and thread rolling dies.

Chemical Composition:

Carbon: 1.15/1.25 Chromium: 3.50/4.25 Molybdenum: 7.50/8.50 Tungsten: 2.25/3.00 Manganese: 0.20/0.40 Vanadium: 1.50/1.75 Silicon: 0.15/0.65 Cobalt: 7.75/8.75 Nickel: 0.30 max

Temp. °F

Normalizing

no

Annealing - Hardening - Tempering 950- Rockwell C

65-70

Tempering Data Temper °F Rockwell C 68-70 66-68 63-65 60-62

S7 Tool Steel

S7 tool steel is a shock resisting grade with superior impact properties combined with high toughness, machinability and size stability during heat treating. Air hardening and versatile enough for use in both cold and hot work tooling make S7 suitable for a wide range of applications that require shock resistance, size stability and machinability where temperatures of the tool will not exceed °F. Typical applications include: plastic molding dies, riveting dies, forming dies, chisels, punches, blanking dies, die casting, master hobs, shear blades, engraving dies, moll points, drills, notching dies, bending dies. Common trade names include Bearcat, Supershock 7, Hi-Shock, Super 7 MQ, Simoch, Arapaho, Shock-Die, Cyclops ST.

Chemical Composition:

Carbon: 0.45/0.55 Chromium: 3.10/3.40 Molybdenum: 1.30/1.60 Manganese: 0.50/0.70 Vanadium: 0.20/0.30 Silicon: 0.20/0.40 Phosphorus: 0.025 max Sulfur: 0.030 max

Temp. °F

Normalizing

no

Youngson Product Page

Annealing - Hardening - Tempering 400- Rockwell C

40-58

Tempering Data Temper °F Rockwell C 400 56-58 500 54-56 600 53-55 700 52-54 800 52-54 900 51-53 49-52 46-48 40-42

W1 Tool Steel

W1 tool steel is a water hardening grade and one of the oldest grades of tool steel around. Despite the advances of the air and oil hardening grades, W1 maintains its usefulness in applications that require a softer core, high hardness and machinability, along with a relatively low cost. W1 is shallow hardening, possesses great toughness and is one of the easiest grades to grind and machine. With its high carbon content it can often be used without further heat treatment methods. Common applications include: drills, knives, collets, pipe cutters, forming dies, gauges, embossing dies, draw punches, bushings, forming rolls, wood augers. Common trade names include Watercrat, 11 Special, H-9 Double Header, Lion, Ajax, Colonial No. 14, Washington, XXX, Pompon Special, Blue Label, Crescent Special.

Chemical Composition:

Carbon: 0.95/1.05 Chromium: 0.15 Tungsten: 0.15 max Manganese: 0.30/0.40 Molybdenum: 0.10 max Vanadium: 0.10 max Silicon: 0.10/0.25 Phosphorus: 0.025 max Sulfur: 0.025 max

Temp. °F

Normalizing

no

Annealing - Hardening - Tempering 350-650 Rockwell C

50-65

Tempering Data Temper °F Rockwell C 300 63-64 400 62-64 500 58-59 600 54-56 700 50-51 800 46-47

A6 Tool Steel

A6 tool steel is an air-hardening, cold work grade which combines the advantages of a low hardening temperature range similar to that of oil hardening grades along with deeper hardening properties comparable to air hardening grades. A6 tool steel experiences minimal distortion compared to other air hardening grades or the oil hardening grades. Typical applications include: forming dies, blanking dies, punches, tools, shear blades, spindles, coining dies, gages, mandrels. Common trade names include Jess-Air, Diecrat, LO-AIR, VEGA, Apache, Orbit.

Chemical Composition:

Carbon: 0.65/0.75 Chromium: 0.90/1.20 Molybdenum: 0.90/1.40 Manganese: 1.80/2.50 Silicon: 1.50 Phosphorus: 0.030 max Sulfur: 0.030 max

Temp. °F

Normalizing

no

Annealing - Hardening - Tempering 300-800 Rockwell C

51-60

Tempering Data Temper °F Rockwell C 300 59-60 400 57-59 500 56-57 600 55-56 700 52-54 800 51-53

Values shown are considered typical and for informational purposes only. Actual material values may deviate from those values shown.

On February 24,

 

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Industrial, News

Most Common Tool Steel Grades with Applications

Tool steels are divided into 5 groups. Each of them has specific features regarding aspects like surface hardness, strength or toughness, working temperature, shock resistance and cost.

These five groups of tool steel are:

Water-hardening tool steel
Cold-working tool steel
Shock-resisting tool steel
High-speed tool steel
Hot-working tool steel
The cold-working group consists of three grade types: oil-hardening, air-hardening and D-grades.

Water Hardening tool steel or W-Grades

This group contains low-cost high carbon steels with high hardness. The price factor makes it the most widely used amongst tool steels.However, fragility is a side-effect of the W-grade&#;s hardness. Also, they are not suitable for working at elevated temperatures.The name derives from the fact that all steels in this group are water quenched. Water quenching may result in cracks and warping more often than oil quenching or air hardening. This is also why the sales, although still leading, have been decreasing compared to other grades. Like W1,
The most common applications of W-grade tool steels include:
Cutters and knifes
Cutlery
Embossing
Drills
Razor blades
Lathe tools

Air Hardening tool steel or A-Grades (Cold-Working)

A-grade tool steels have a higher content of chromium which results in a better response to heat treatment. The machinability of A-grade tool steels is quite good. In addition, they have great wear resistance and toughness properties. Like A2, A8, A6, 1., 1., 1., 1.
The most common applications of A-grade tool steels include but are not limited to:
Cams
Bending dies
Blanking dies
Coining dies
Embossing dies
Lamination dies
Chipper knives
Lathe centres
Plastic injection moulds
Cold extrusion punches

D-Grades tool steel (Cold-Working)

In this group we find the tool steels that combine W-grade and A-grade characteristics. On one hand, they contain a higher amount of carbon compared to the water hardening type. On the other hand, they have the properties described above which are typical of the air hardening type.Because of their high chromium content, D series tool steels are often also categorised as stainless. But the corrosion protection is actually pretty limited. Like D2 D3

The most common applications include:
Burnishing tools
Cutters
Cold extrusion dies
Lamination dies
Woodworking knives
Lathe centres
Drawing punches
Plastic injection moulds
Seaming rolls
Forming rolls

Oil Hardening tool steel or O-Grades (Cold-Working)

This tool steels group has great resistance to abrasion and high toughness properties. It is considered to be a general-purpose steel, making it very versatile. Like 1., 1., O2, O1
Most of the applications are similar to those of A-grade and D-grade tool steels, but also include:
Bushings
Chasers for thread cutting
Collets
Master engraving rolls
Gauges
Punches

Shock-Resisting tool steel or S-grades

This group contains low carbon tool steels and have very high toughness values. That allows them to be very resistant to shock at both low and high temperatures. However, they are not very resistant to abrasion because of the same low carbon content. Like S2, S7,
The most relevant applications of S-grade tool steels are:
Jackhammer parts
Blacksmith chisels
Cold working chisels
Hot working chisels
Clutch parts
Hot forming dies
Cold gripper dies
Chipper knives
Pneumatic tools
Hot stamps

High-Speed Tool Steel

These tool steels are especially common in cutting tools.Mechanical cutting methods result in a lot of heat generation. High-speed steels do not lose their hardness at high temperatures, though, making this a perfect use-case for them.
Common applications for high-speed steels:
Power-saw blades
Drill bits
Milling cutters
Gear cutters
Router bits

Hot-Working tool steel or H-Grades

When cutting material at very high temperatures, you may want to use a tool steel from this group. They high toughness and hardness values and keep their characteristics while working at high temperatures for long periods.This is achieved by having a low carbon content, but a high content of other alloying elements. Like 1., H10, H11, H13, H21
The most common applications of H-grade tool steels include:
Casings
Hot forging
Dummy blocks for hot extrusion
Plastic injection moulds
Hot working punches

The choice of the tool steel you really need depends on the properties your specific application requires. The most common mechanical properties to consider are surface hardness, toughness, working temperature and shock resistance.

At the same time, it is important to include the cost of each material into the assessment matrix.
Also, it is very useful to answer questions about the requirements of sharp edges or cutting, how important abrasion resistance is, and the heat treatment method required.

Grade Description A-2 Air-hardening steel. Replaces O-1 when safer hardening, better dimensional stability and increased wear-resistance are required. Most widely used in the A series. D-2 High carbon and high chrome. Ideal grade for maximum production runs. Superior machinability. Excellent wear-resistance, high compressive strength, and deep hardening properties. Most widely used in the D series. O-1 Oil Hardening. Easy to machine. Good abrasion resistance. Most widely used in O series. S-7 Shock resistant tool steel. Used in applications that require high toughness and resistance. Used for moderately elevated temperature service. M-2 General purpose high speed steel. Most widely used in the M series. W-1 Water hardening tool steel. Water quenched to achieve desired hardness. Most widely used in W series. H-13 A chromium, molybdenum, vanadium hot work tool steel which is characterized by high hardenability and excellent toughness.

For more information, please visit High-Performance Alloy Tool Steel.