S7 / 45CrMoV7
1.2357Shock-resistant tool steel with excellent toughness at high hardness. Air or oil hardening. Used for chisels, shear blades, punches, rivet sets, and any tooling subjected to heavy impact loading. The primary S-type tool steel in AISI classification.
International equivalents
| Flag | Standard | Country | Grade | Number | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 | AISI | USA | AISI S7 | T41907 | REF |
| 🇪🇺 | EN | Europe | 45CrMoV7 | 1.2357 | 100% |
Sources: ASTM A681, EN ISO 4957
Chemical composition comparison (wt%)
Side-by-side: S7 / 45CrMoV7 (AISI) (ASTM A681) vs 45CrMoV7 (EN)
| Element | S7 / 45CrMoV7 (AISI) | 45CrMoV7 (EN) | Overlap |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 0.45–0.55% | — | — |
| Si | 0.2–1% | — | — |
| Mn | 0.2–0.9% | — | — |
| Cr | 3–3.5% | — | — |
| Mo | 1.3–1.8% | — | — |
| V | 0–0.35% | — | — |
Mechanical properties
Hardened Tempered
| Property | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Hardness HRC | 54–58 | HRC |
| Elastic Modulus | ≥ 207 | GPa |
| Density | ≥ 7.83 | g/cm3 |
Annealed
| Property | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Hardness HB | ≤ 235 | HB |
Heat treatment
| Process | Temperature | Medium | Holding Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| quenching | 925–955 °C | air or oil | 20-40 min | Air hardening preferred for minimal distortion |
| tempering | 200–600 °C | air | 1 hour x2 | Double temper. 200°C for max hardness, 400-600°C for max toughness. |
| annealing | 815–845 °C | furnace | 2-4 hours | Slow cool ≤15°C/hour to 540°C |
Compatibility verdict
S7 / 45CrMoV7 and 45CrMoV7: 100% composition match
Close equivalents but NOT identical.
Related materials
P20 / 40CrMnMo7
1.2311Pre-hardened plastic mold steel (usually delivered at 28-34 HRC). The most widely used mold base steel globally. Good machinability in pre-hardened condition, good polishability. Used for injection molds, die-casting dies, extrusion tooling, and structural mold components.
M2 / HS6-5-2
1.3343The most widely used high-speed steel worldwide. W-Mo-Cr-V composition gives excellent red hardness (cuts at temperatures up to 600°C). Used for twist drills, end mills, taps, reamers, bandsaw blades, and general-purpose cutting tools. The benchmark HSS grade.
X45NiCrMo4
1.2767Nickel cold-work tool steel with exceptional toughness from ~4% Ni content. Excellent through-hardenability, polishability, and impact resistance. Used for plastic injection molds (high-gloss), embossing dies, scrap shear blades, punches, cutlery dies, and bending tools.
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