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Tool Steel Applications and Grades


In industrial manufacturing and engineering, the right materials can make all the difference in achieving efficiency, durability, and precision. Among these essential materials, tool steel is renowned for its exceptional hardness, wear resistance, and ability to endure high temperatures. But what is tool steel, and why is it so crucial in various industries?

Tool steel is a carbon alloy steel meticulously engineered for specific applications where standard steels might fail. Tool steel composition incorporates a blend of carbon and various alloying elements, such as chromium, vanadium, molybdenum, and tungsten. This blend gives tool steel remarkable properties and enables tool steel material to be customized into various tool steel grades.

By understanding the intricacies of different tool steel materials and their tool steel uses, you can make informed decisions in material selection, ensuring optimal performance and longevity for your projects.

What Is Tool Steel?

Tool steel is a type of carbon alloy steel well-suited for tool manufacturing, such as hand tools or machine dies. Its hardness, resistance to abrasion, and ability to retain shape at increased temperatures are the key properties of this material. Tool steel is typically used in a heat-treated condition, which provides increased hardness.

Several alloy tool steel grades have additional resistance to corrosion due to added chemical properties, such as vanadium. Also, with certain alloy tool steel grades, the manganese content is restricted to minimize the potential of cracking while water quenching. Other alloy tool steel grades offer various methods other than water to quench the material, such as oil.

What is Tool Steel Made Of?

Tool steel composition can vary depending on the intended tool steel uses. Here are some key components that typically make up tool steel:

  • Carbon: Essential for hardness and strength. Carbon content in tool steel composition can range from 0.5% to 1.5%.
  • Chromium: Improves hardenability and corrosion resistance. Chromium content can vary significantly, typically from 4% to 12%.
  • Vanadium: Enhances wear resistance and toughness. Vanadium content can be up to 1%.
  • Molybdenum: Improves strength at high temperatures and enhances hardenability. Molybdenum content is often between 0.2% to 1.5%.
  • Tungsten: Adds wear resistance and helps maintain hardness at high temperatures. The tungsten content can range from 1% to 20%.
  • Manganese: Contributes to toughness and hardenability. Manganese content typically ranges up to 2%.
  • Cobalt: Used in high-speed tool steel composition to maintain hardness under extreme temperatures.
  • Nickel: Adds toughness and helps resist impact and shock.

Types of Tool Steel

The different alloy tool steel grades include:

  • Water Hardening
  • Air Hardening
  • D Type
  • Oil Hardening
  • Shock Resisting Types
  • Hot-Working

The choice of alloy Tool Steel grade depends on a number of factors, such as:

  • Is sharp cutting required?
  • Does the tool have to withstand impact loading (axes, hammers, picks, etc.)?
  • Is abrasion resistance an important criterion?
  • What type of heat treatment is needed?

Tool Steel Grades

Water Hardening (W-Grades)

This is basically a high carbon steel. While it generally has a lower cost, it cannot be used where high temperatures are involved. This alloy tool steel can achieve a high hardness but is somewhat brittle compared to other tool steels. All W-Grade tool steel materials must be water quenched, which can lead to increased warping and cracking.

Typical W-Grade tool steel applications include Cold Heading, cutting tools and knives, Embossing, Reamers and Cutlery.

Air Hardening (A-Grades)

This is a very versatile, all-purpose tool steel material characterized by a low distortion factor during heat treatment due to the increased chromium content. This alloy tool steel has good machinability and a balance of wear resistance and toughness.

Typical A-Grade tool steel applications include Arbors, Cams, Die Bending, Blanking, Coining, Embossing, Cold Forming, Lamination, Cold Swaging, Cold Trimming, Gages, Chipper Knives, Cold Shear knives, Woodworking Knives, Lathe Center Knives.

D Type (D-Grades)

This is a high carbon, high chromium (air hardening) tool steel material. It was formulated to combine both the abrasion resistance and air-hardening characteristics. Common applications for these alloy tool steels include forging dies, die-casting die blocks, and drawing dies.

Typical D-Grade tool steel applications include Burnishing Tools, File Cutting, Paper Cutters, Die Bending, Blanking, Coining, Cold Heading Die Inserts, Embossing, Cold Extrusion, Cold Forming, Lamination, Cold Swaging, Thread Roll, Cold Trimming, Wire Drawing, Gages, Paper Knives, Rotary Slitters, Cold Shear Knives, Woodworking Knives, Knurling tools and Lathe Center Knives.

Oil Hardening (O-Grades)

This is a general purpose oil hardening tool steel material. It has good abrasion resistance and toughness for a wide range of applications.

Typical O-Grade tool steel applications include Arbors, Bushing, Chasers (Thread Cutting), Collets, Die Blanking, Cold Forming, Cold Trimming, Drill Bushing, Gages, and Knurling Tools.

Shock Resisting Types (S-Grades)

This type of tool steel material has been designed to resist shock at low or high temperatures (E.g. Jackhammer bits). Its low carbon content is required to achieve the necessary toughness. This group of metals has high impact toughness but a low abrasion resistance.

Typical S-Grade tool steel applications include Battering Tools, Boiler-Shop Tools, Chisel Blacksmiths, Chisel Cold Working, Chisel Hot Working, Chuck Jaws, Clutch Parts, Collets, Cold Gripper, Hot Gripper, Cold Swaging, Hot Swaging, Hot Trimming, Chipper Knives, Cold Shear and Hot Shear.

Hot-Working (H-Grades)

This tool steel material is used to cut material at high temperatures. The H-Group has added strength and hardness for prolonged exposure to elevated temperatures. They are low in carbon and moderately high in additional alloys.

Typical H-Grade tool steel applications include Cold Heading Die Casings, Die Casting Dies and Cores for Zinc and Aluminum, Hot Extrusion for Aluminum and Magnesium, Hot Forging, Hot Gripper, Hot Swaging, Hot Trimming, Dummy Blocks (Hot Extrusion), and Hot Shear Knives.

Tool steel is commonly used to make tools because of its hardness, resistance to abrasion and ability to withstand high pressures. Metal Supermarkets carries a wide variety of tool steel grades, shapes and sizes. Contact your nearest Metal Supermarkets location, or visit our online store to learn more about what is tool steel and tool steel uses.


Metal Supermarkets

Metal Supermarkets is the world’s largest small-quantity metal supplier with over 130 brick-and-mortar stores across the US, Canada, and United Kingdom. We are metal experts and have been providing quality customer service and products since 1985.

At Metal Supermarkets, we supply a wide range of metals for a variety of applications. Our stock includes: mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum, tool steel, alloy steel, brass, bronze and copper.

We stock a wide range of shapes including: bars, tubes, sheets, plates and more. And we can cut metal to your exact specifications.

Visit one of our locations today.

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