Alloy Steel Series
Alloy Tool Steel refers to tool steel based on carbon tool steel, with added alloying elements such as chromium (Cr), tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), vanadium (V), manganese (Mn) to enhance its overall properties like hardness, wear resistance, toughness, and heat resistance.
This type of steel is widely used in high-performance molds, cutting tools, high-speed machining, and hot work dies, making it a critical material in the mold and tooling industry.
🧩 Main Categories of Alloy Tool Steel:
|
Category |
Description |
Representative Grades |
|
Cold Work Tool Steel |
Used for dies and tools operating at room temperature |
SKS3, SKD11, SKD12, DC53 |
|
Hot Work Tool Steel |
Used in high-temperature applications like die casting and forging dies |
SKD61, H13, H21 |
|
High-Speed Steel |
Maintains hardness during high-speed cutting |
SKH9, SKH51, M2, M42 |
|
Plastic Mold Steel |
Used for plastic injection and compression molds |
NAK80, P20, S136, 420 |
📘 Common JIS Alloy Tool Steel Grades:
🔹 Cold Work Tool Steel
|
Grade |
Properties & Applications |
|
SKS3 |
High toughness and wear resistance, suitable for stamping and shearing dies |
|
SKD11 |
High carbon chromium steel with excellent wear resistance, used for complex dies and cold work tools |
|
SKD12 |
Similar to SKD11, with slightly better toughness |
|
DC53 (non-JIS) |
Improved SKD11, high strength and cracking resistance, suitable for surface treatments |
🔹 Hot Work Tool Steel
|
Grade |
Properties & Applications |
|
SKD61 (AISI H13) |
Good hot hardness and thermal crack resistance, widely used for die casting and hot forging dies |
|
SKT4 (similar to AISI H11) |
Excellent toughness and thermal fatigue resistance, suitable for high-temperature dies |
|
H21 (non-JIS) |
High tungsten content, ideal for extreme high-temperature applications like extrusion dies |
🔹 High-Speed Tool Steel
|
Grade |
Properties & Applications |
|
SKH9 (AISI M2) |
Classic high-speed steel with well-balanced properties, used for drills, end mills, taps |
|
SKH51 (Modified AISI M2) |
Improved hot hardness and wear resistance |
|
SKH55/57 |
High wear resistance for precision cutting tools |
|
M42 (non-JIS) |
High cobalt content, suitable for machining hard materials like stainless steel |
🧪 Functions of Alloying Elements:
|
Element |
Function |
|
Cr (Chromium) |
Improves hardness and corrosion resistance |
|
Mo (Molybdenum) |
Enhances heat resistance and tempering stability |
|
V (Vanadium) |
Increases wear resistance and refines grain size |
|
W (Tungsten) |
Provides red hardness (hot hardness) |
|
Mn (Manganese) |
Improves hardenability and toughness |
🛠 Common Applications:
|
Application |
Recommended Grades |
|
Cold stamping dies |
SKD11, DC53, SKS3 |
|
Die casting molds |
SKD61, H13 |
|
Drills, end mills |
SKH9, SKH55, M42 |
|
Plastic molds |
S136, P20, NAK80 |
|
Thread forming dies |
SKD11, SKD12 |