The Difference Between Hot & Cold Work Tool Steel

There are different types of tool steel, including high-speed tool steel, impact resistant tool steel, cold work tool steel, hot work tool steel and so on. So what are the differences between these materials?? Don’t worry, the following by the professional metal material supplier – IBC Group for you to answer questions.

cold work tool steel

What is hot & cold work tool steel?

1.Hot work tool steel helps to produce tools for use in heated environments. And it is made of metals that can withstand temperatures of up to 700 degrees Celsius. When this material is used with other materials, it will experience high wear. So suppliers need to control its temperature resistance, wear resistance and other qualities.

2.Cold work tool steel is used in the manufacture of tools, and its manufacturing process is usually maintained at temperatures below 260 degrees Celsius. This steel is often used to make tools such as scissors, taps, gauges and plastic molds. In addition, cold work tool steels are known for their toughness, wear resistance, and thermal softening properties, which do not require high temperature scaling.

how to choose cold work tool steel

The Difference Between Hot & Cold Work Tool Steel

Both of these steels have their own unique characteristics and are favored according to composition, application and so on. The specific points are as follows:

1.The former can work in the high temperature range of 350℃ to 700℃, while the latter works at temperatures below 100℃.

2.Cold working tool steel usually has a high carbon content, which gives it abrasion resistance and power scalability. On the other hand, the carbon content of high-processing tool steel is in the medium range (0.3% to 0.6%), which meets its requirements for hardness, thermal conductivity and wear resistance.

3.Hot work tool steel is used for die casting, while cold work tool steel is used to make punching, bending and cold extrusion dies.

Which tool steel is better for you?

As described above, the difference between hot & cold work tool steel requires customer attention. Choosing a suitable material for manufacturing tools is a very important task. If you want to choose the right tool steel, then you need to take into account many factors, including cost, toughness, impact resistance, surface hardness and tool temperature.

If you don’t know what types to choose from, call the number below! As a professional tool steel stockholder, IBC Group can provide customers with personalized products and services. Of course, we can do a more perfect pre-sales and after-sales service!

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