Materials database

High-carbon chromium bearing steel. The most widely used bearing steel worldwide. Extremely high hardness and wear resistance after heat treatment. Standard for ball and roller bearings, precision shafts, and measuring instruments.

Through-hardening bearing steel with higher Mn than 100Cr6 for improved hardenability in larger cross-sections. Used for bearing rings, rolling elements, and precision components where 100Cr6 cannot achieve sufficient core hardness due to section size.

Low-carbon Cr-Mo steel for elevated temperature pressure equipment. Excellent creep resistance up to 530°C. The standard grade for boiler tubes, headers, and pressure vessels in power generation and petrochemical industries.

Sulfur-manganese free-cutting steel, not intended for heat treatment. Excellent machinability (significantly better than standard carbon steels). Used for high-volume CNC-machined parts: bolts, nuts, pipe joints, bushings, fittings, and other turned components.

Leaded free-cutting steel — the highest machinability rating among carbon steels. Pb+S combination gives excellent chip breaking and surface finish. The standard grade for high-volume automatic lathe parts. Used for screws, nuts, bolts, bushings, pins, and automotive turned parts. ≈ AISI 12L14.

Low-alloy Cr-Mo steel for elevated-temperature service. Good creep resistance up to 500°C. The standard grade for boiler tubes, headers, superheater tubes, and pressure equipment in power generation. Lower alloy content than 10CrMo9-10.

High-Ni case hardening steel — Ni 3.0-3.5%, Cr 0.6-0.9%, no Mo. Ni gives excellent core toughness at low temperature — used for case-hardened parts operating in cold environments. THE classic aerospace/defense case-hardening steel (BS S130/S131). Used for aircraft gears, military vehicle transmission gears, and cryogenic case-hardened components.

Martensitic precipitation-hardening stainless steel. Similar to 17-4PH but with better transverse ductility and toughness due to lower delta ferrite. Used for aerospace structural components, nuclear reactor parts, food processing equipment, and high-performance fasteners.

Low-carbon chromium-molybdenum creep-resistant steel for elevated temperature service up to ~550°C. Good weldability (low C) combined with long-term creep strength. Used for pressure vessel shells, boiler drums, superheater tubes, and petrochemical reactors. Part of the Cr-Mo series alongside 13CrMo4-5 and 10CrMo9-10.

Cr-Mo-V steel for elevated temperature fastener applications. Retains strength up to 540°C. Used for high-temperature bolts, studs, and nuts in power plants, steam turbines, and pressure vessel flanges. Specified in EN 10269 for creep-resistant fasteners.

Heavy-duty NiCrMo case hardening steel — Ni 3.0-3.5% for maximum core toughness and deep hardenability. For the largest case-hardened parts: heavy truck ring gears, mill pinions, crane slewing gears, and large marine gearboxes up to 500mm ruling section. Surface HRC 60-63 with extremely tough core. More Ni than 17CrNiMo6 = even deeper hardenability.

Low-carbon case-hardening steel with manganese and chromium. Excellent for carburizing to produce a hard, wear-resistant surface with a tough core. Standard choice for gears, camshafts, piston pins, and transmission components.

Free-cutting variant of 16MnCr5 (1.7131) — sulfur addition (0.020-0.040%) for improved machinability on CNC automatics. Same case-hardening properties: surface 60-62 HRC after carburizing. THE high-volume automotive gear steel where machining cost matters. Used for transmission gears, shafts, pinions, and other carburized parts produced on CNC lathes and multi-spindle automatics.

Nickel-chromium case hardening steel — Ni 0.8-1.1%, Cr 0.6-1.0%, no Mo. Between 16MnCr5 (Mn-Cr) and 14NiCr14 (high-Ni) in hardenability. Better core toughness than 16MnCr5 due to Ni. Used for heavy-duty sprockets, pinions, worms, pins, and shafts requiring case-hardened surface (HRC 58-62) with tough core. EN 10084 standard.

The most widely used precipitation-hardening stainless steel. Combines high strength (up to 1310 MPa UTS) with corrosion resistance comparable to 304. Delivered solution-annealed and hardened by simple low-temperature aging. Used in aerospace, medical, oil & gas, and nuclear applications.

Chrome case-hardening steel — the simplest Cr-alloyed carburizing grade in EN 10084. 0.7-1.0% Cr gives better hardenability and wear resistance than unalloyed C20 but less than 16MnCr5. Used for smaller gears, camshafts, spindles, pins, and bushings with medium wear requirements. ≈ SAE 5117.

Premium CrNiMo case hardening steel for demanding gear applications. Ni 1.2-1.5% + Mo 0.25-0.35% give excellent core toughness and deep hardenability — suitable for large gears up to 400mm ruling section. Surface HRC 60-63 after carburizing. THE wind turbine gearbox steel. Also used for large industrial gearboxes, mining equipment, and heavy truck transmissions.

Premium Cr-Ni-Mo case-hardening steel for the most demanding gear applications. Excellent core toughness and hardenability for large cross-sections. The standard gear steel for wind turbines, heavy-duty gearboxes, and aerospace gearing.

Low-carbon manganese-boron steel for case hardening or through-hardening. Boron (0.0008-0.005%) provides cost-effective hardenability without expensive Cr/Mo/Ni. Lower C than 22MnB5 — better weldability and formability before hardening. Used for chains, fasteners, agricultural implements, and structural parts that are induction-hardened or carburized.

Manganese-chromium case-hardening steel with higher core strength than 16MnCr5. Used for heavily loaded gears, shafts, camshafts, and transmission components requiring high surface hardness with tough core. Popular in automotive and heavy machinery.

Free-cutting variant of 20MnCr5 with controlled sulfur (0.020-0.040%). Improved machinability for high-volume gear production without significant loss of mechanical properties. The standard free-cutting case-hardening steel in European automotive gear manufacturing.

Vanadium-microalloyed Mn steel — V 0.08-0.15% for grain refinement and precipitation strengthening. Can be used in as-forged (controlled-cooled) condition without separate Q&T. Lower cost than CrMo grades for moderate-strength applications. Used for hydraulic cylinders, shafts, and structural forgings where UTS 700-850 MPa is sufficient.

Free-cutting variant of 20NiCrMo2-2 (1.6523/AISI 8620) — S addition for improved machinability on CNC automatics. Same case-hardening properties as 8620. THE free-cutting automotive gear and pinion steel for high-volume CNC production. Surface HRC 58-62 after carburizing with good core toughness.

Free-cutting variant of 20NiCrMo6-4 — S addition for improved machinability. NiCrMo case hardening steel with excellent core toughness and deep hardenability. Used for high-volume CNC production of automotive transmission gears, pinions, and shafts.