W1 / C105W1
1.1545The simplest and cheapest tool steel — plain high-carbon steel with no significant alloy additions. Water-hardening with shallow hardening depth. Used for cold chisels, center punches, hand tools, scribers, woodworking tools, and simple cutting tools where only the surface needs to be hard.
International equivalents
| Flag | Standard | Country | Grade | Number | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 | AISI | USA | AISI W1 | T72301 | REF |
| 🇪🇺 | EN | Europe | C105W1 | 1.1545 | 100% |
| 🇯🇵 | JIS | Japan | SK3 / SK105 | — | 90% |
Sources: ASTM A686, EN ISO 4957, JIS G4401
Chemical composition comparison (wt%)
Side-by-side: W1 / C105W1 (EN) (EN ISO 4957) vs SK3 / SK105 (JIS)
| Element | W1 / C105W1 (EN) | SK3 / SK105 (JIS) | Overlap |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1–1.1% | — | — |
| Si | 0.1–0.25% | — | — |
| Mn | 0.1–0.25% | — | — |
| P | 0–0.03% | — | — |
| S | 0–0.03% | — | — |
| V | 0–0.1% | — | — |
Mechanical properties
Hardened Tempered
| Property | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Hardness HRC | 62–65 | HRC |
| Elastic Modulus | ≥ 210 | GPa |
| Density | ≥ 7.84 | g/cm3 |
Annealed
| Property | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Hardness HB | ≤ 210 | HB |
Heat treatment
| Process | Temperature | Medium | Holding Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| quenching | 760–800 °C | water | 10-20 min | WATER hardening — the defining feature. Only ~3mm hardening depth. |
| tempering | 150–300 °C | air | 1 hour x2 | Double temper. Low temp for max hardness. |
| annealing | 700–750 °C | furnace | 2-4 hours | Slow furnace cool |
Compatibility verdict
W1 / C105W1 and SK3 / SK105: 90% composition match
Close equivalents but NOT identical.
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