{"id":422,"date":"2026-04-08T09:56:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T09:56:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wudejiansteel.com\/?p=422"},"modified":"2026-04-08T09:56:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T09:56:07","slug":"can-you-explain-to-us-the-types-and-uses-of-high-speed-steel-teacher-chapter-567","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wudejiansteel.com\/?p=422","title":{"rendered":"Can you explain to us the types and uses of high-speed steel? teacher Chapter 567"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Could you please explain to us the types and uses of high-speed steel<\/strong>, as requested by netizens in the 221st live broadcast? teacher<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The full name of high-speed steel<\/strong>\u00a0is high-speed tool steel<\/a><\/strong>, mainly used for making high-speed cutting tools and hard material cutting tools. To adapt to the high heat and high wear resistance conditions generated during high-speed cutting and hard material cutting, high-speed steel<\/strong>\u00a0needs to have good red hardness and high temperature strength to ensure the sharpness of the tool, while also considering some toughness to prevent tool breakage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The emergence of high-speed steel<\/strong>\u00a0has a history of 125 years, but the alloy composition has not changed much since its inception. The main improvement is the quality improvement of smelting purity, segregation, grain size, heat treatment process, etc., to enhance the performance of high-speed steel. The current research mainly focuses on the smelting process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grades of high-speed steel<\/strong>\u00a0are relatively fixed and there are many grades. There are 19 high-speed steel<\/strong>\u00a0grades in China, but only a few are commonly used. For the convenience of everyone’s understanding and memory, here we mainly share the commonly used brand names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The earliest high-speed steel<\/strong>\u00a0grade was W18Cr4V tungsten based\u00a0high-speed steel<\/strong>, and its alloy composition was determined in 1910. This was also the first high-speed steel used in our country. W18Cr4V has a hardness of 63HRC, high tungsten content, good red hardness, and good wear resistance. Also, due to its high tungsten content and poor toughness, W18Cr4V is prone to brittle fracture, poor hot forming process, easy cracking during hot forging, high risk of cracking during heat treatment, and high alloy cost. As the saying goes, tungsten is also present in both formation and failure. Currently, W18Cr4V is not widely used in practical applications, but is widely compared by high-speed steel researchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In order to improve the toughness of high-speed steel and reduce dependence on tungsten, scientists have come up with the idea of using molybdenum Mo instead of tungsten. One molybdenum Mo is equivalent to two tungsten W, and the structure and properties of the steel do not change, but the toughness is greatly improved. The difficulty of hot forming is greatly reduced, and the risk of cracking is also reduced. After 10 years of effort, scientists have developed W6Mo5Cr4V2 tungsten molybdenum high-speed steel, abbreviated as 6542.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hardness of W6Mo5Cr4V2 high-speed steel is 63HRC, ensuring high wear resistance and red hardness, with better anti cracking performance, wider application range, reduced process difficulty, and lower alloy cost. Currently, 6542 high-speed steel is the most widely used and best-selling steel type among high-speed steels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The global annual production of high-speed steel is about 200000 tons, and China’s production is about 100000 tons, accounting for about half of the global total. Among them, the sales volume of 6542 accounts for 60%. Half of our cutting tools such as milling cutters, drills, and wire taps are made of 6542 material, and our molds and various tools mainly use 6542 high-speed steel. The well-known grades of 6542 high-speed steel include SKH51, SKH-9, M2, etc. In China, it is generally called W6Mo5Cr4V2, or 6542, or W6 (tungsten 6).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to further improve the red hardness and wear resistance of high-speed steel, cobalt alloy was added to it. The alloying element of this type of high-speed steel is W6Mo5Cr4V2Co5, with a hardness of 63-65HRC. Famous grades include M35, SKH55, etc. But with the increase of cobalt Co content, brittleness also increases, and we need to consider the issue of cracking when selecting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to further improve wear resistance and red hardness, the cobalt Co content and molybdenum Mo content were increased, but the tungsten W content was reduced, and the alloy composition became W2Mo9Cr4V2Co8 with a hardness of 65-68HRC. This is used to replace some working conditions where tungsten steel is prone to cracking and general high-speed steel is prone to wear. Famous grades include M42, SKH59, etc. M42 is commonly used for cutting tools and round punch heads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Due to the limitations of the smelting process, the carbon content of ordinary cast high-speed steel<\/strong>\u00a0can only be 1.0%, and the maximum vanadium V content can only be 2.0%. The total amount of alloy cannot be increased further, but some working conditions do require higher wear resistance and red hardness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the past 60 years, scientists have developed advanced processes for powder metallurgy, which have now been iterated to the 5th generation. The resulting powder has reached the micrometer level, eliminating the segregation problem that cannot be avoided by ordinary cast high-speed steel<\/strong>\u00a0and achieving an ideal isotropic perfect state. At the same time, the carbon content, total alloy amount, hardness, wear resistance, and red hardness of high-speed steel<\/strong>\u00a0have been greatly improved, and the anti cracking performance has also been enhanced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The advanced process of powder metallurgy is a perfect embodiment of fine grain strengthening. After the grain size is small, the strength and toughness are simultaneously improved. The advanced technology of powder metallurgy is not only used for high-speed steel<\/strong>\u00a0smelting, but also for tool steel<\/strong>\u00a0smelting. Here, we mainly discuss high-speed steel<\/strong>. Powder high-speed steel is also a series, and the most commonly used ones are PM23, also known as ASP23, a tungsten molybdenum high-speed steel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PM23 is also a high-speed steel of tungsten molybdenum series, with an alloy composition of W6.5Mo5Cr4V3 and a carbon C content of 1.3%. Compared with the original W6Mo5Cr4V2, the carbon C content has increased from 1.0% to 1.3%, and the vanadium content has increased from 2.0% to 3.0%. Vanadium V is a substitute for tungsten element, and the higher the vanadium content, the better the wear resistance. With the increase of carbon C content and total alloy amount, the hardness has also increased from 62-64HRC to 64-66HRC, so the wear resistance has been greatly improved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, due to the advanced technology of powder metallurgy, segregation is avoided, fine cracks are eliminated, anisotropy is eliminated, and the grain size is finer. This is equivalent to fine grain strengthening, which not only improves hardness but also enhances strength. Because PM23 has both high wear resistance and anti cracking performance, it is widely used in stamping dies, even for thick plate and hard material stamping. The only drawback is that it is more expensive than ordinary high-speed steel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The method to improve wear resistance is to increase the carbon carbon content and the total amount of alloy, in order to obtain high hardness and obtain certain hard carbide structures, achieving high wear resistance. Powder high-speed steel<\/strong>\u00a0is the same. In order to further improve the wear resistance of PM23, cobalt element is added to the alloy. The typical grade is PM30, also known as ASP30. The alloy composition is W6.5Mo5Cr4V3Co8, with a hardness of HRC65-67. Because there are many grades of steel mills, and for the convenience of everyone’s understanding, we will not list too many grades. The wear resistance of PM30 is stronger than that of PM23, and it should be widely used in the stamping of some thin and hard materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The more advanced grade than PM30 is PM60, with a carbon C content of 2.3% and an alloy composition of W6.5Mo7Cr4V6.5Co10.8, with a hardness of 67-69HRC. Due to its high carbon and high alloy content, it can achieve better wear resistance and red hardness, but its crack resistance is further reduced, and its price is extremely expensive. It is mainly used as a tool for high-speed cutting and hard material cutting, as well as for high-speed stamping of thin and soft materials with requirements for wear resistance and low toughness, such as punch materials or tool edge inserts; Even replacing tungsten steel in working conditions that urgently require wear resistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In summary, high-speed steel is mainly divided into tungsten based high-speed steel, tungsten molybdenum based high-speed steel, and cobalt containing high-speed steel. From the perspective of smelting technology, there are ordinary melted and cast high-speed steel and powder metallurgy high-speed steel. Mainly used as cutting tools for high-speed cutting, hard material cutting, as well as stamping dies or certain special tools that require wear resistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because the alloy composition, smelting quality, and heat treatment process of each type of high-speed steel are different, the final performance presented is also different. Do not blindly think that the same grade means the same performance, and the cheaper the price, the more affordable it is. How to select materials specifically depends on the mold working conditions, mold structure, punching speed requirements, product quantity requirements, and comprehensive consideration of the material, thickness, hardness, and other information of the punched material. There is no best, what suits you is the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*************************  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am Wu Dejian, the king of die\u00a0steel<\/strong>, from Dongguan Yuhui Tool\u00a0Steel<\/strong>. Yuhui Tool\u00a0Steel<\/strong>\u00a0is used by 3 Fortune 500 companies, and Kyocera has been purchasing Yuhui Tool\u00a0Steel<\/strong>\u00a0for 7 consecutive years. I have solved the difficult problems of mold material selection, production, and use for more than 4,000 enterprises. If you are hesitant when choosing die\u00a0steel<\/strong>, or if the\u00a0die\u00a0steel<\/strong>\u00a0you are currently using has a short service life, and you don’t know which material to use, welcome to come to me. I believe that in this regard, I can be your chief of staff and help you save money. Wu Dejian Tool\u00a0Steel<\/strong>, the chief of staff of users, is well-received by those who have used it!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Could you please explain to us the types and uses of high-speed steel, as requested by netizens in the 221st live broadcast? teacher The full name of high-speed steel\u00a0is high-speed tool steel, mainly used for making high-speed cutting tools and hard material cutting tools. To adapt to the high heat and high wear resistance conditions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cases"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wudejiansteel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wudejiansteel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wudejiansteel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wudejiansteel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wudejiansteel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=422"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.wudejiansteel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":428,"href":"https:\/\/www.wudejiansteel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422\/revisions\/428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wudejiansteel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wudejiansteel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wudejiansteel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}