Materials database

Ultra-high-strength nickel-chromium-molybdenum QT steel. 4% Ni gives exceptional deep hardenability — air-hardening up to 90mm, through-hardening up to 300mm. UTS 1100-1300 MPa QT with good toughness. White-spot sensitive — dehydrogenation after forging mandatory. French designation 35NCD16. Used for landing gear, aerospace structural parts, heavy-duty shafts, racing components, and mining/construction equipment.

Simple chromium QT steel without Mo — lower cost than CrMo grades. 1% Cr gives adequate hardenability for small-to-medium sections (up to ~40mm). Close to AISI 5135. Used for bolts, studs, axles, shafts, and general mechanical engineering where moderate strength suffices and Mo premium is not justified.

Boron press-hardening steel — higher C (0.36-0.42%) than 22MnB5 (0.20-0.25%) for higher final strength (UTS ~1800 MPa vs ~1500 for 22MnB5). Used for ultra-high-strength automotive structural parts where 22MnB5 is not strong enough: A/B-pillar reinforcements, bumper beams, door intrusion beams. Hot-stamped at 880-950°C then die-quenched to full martensite.

Microalloyed precipitation-hardened forging steel. Achieves high strength directly from forging heat — no separate quench & temper needed. Cost-effective alternative to QT steels for automotive crankshafts, connecting rods, and other high-volume forged components.

Silicon spring steel with lower C (0.35-0.42%) than 55Si7 — better toughness and fatigue life at the cost of slightly lower maximum hardness. Si (1.5-1.8%) gives excellent hot sag resistance to ~250°C. THE automotive engine valve spring material in many European OEMs. Also used for clutch springs, suspension springs, and applications requiring fatigue endurance under dynamic loading.

Nickel-chromium-molybdenum quench & temper steel. Similar to AISI 4340 but with lower Ni — more economical. Good hardenability for sections up to ~80mm. Excellent balance of strength, toughness, and fatigue resistance. High white-point sensitivity — hydrogen control required. Used for crankshafts, connecting rods, gear shafts, landing gear components, and heavy-duty machinery parts.

NiCrMo quenched & tempered steel — excellent combination of strength (UTS 1000-1200 MPa) and toughness. Ni 0.9-1.2% gives good low-temperature impact. Between 34CrNiMo6 (higher alloy) and 42CrMo4 (no Ni) in the performance/cost spectrum. Used for heavy-duty axles, crankshafts, large bolts, connecting rods, and hydraulic cylinder rods.

Lowest-chromium ferritic stainless steel with Ti stabilization. Developed specifically for automotive exhaust systems as a cost-effective alternative to austenitic grades. Good oxidation resistance to ~800°C. Used for exhaust manifolds, catalytic converters, mufflers, and heat shields.

Chromium Q&T steel with higher Cr (1.3-1.6%) than 41Cr4 (0.9-1.2%) — deeper hardenability for larger ruling sections. Used for heavy shafts, large bolts, and machine components up to ~60mm ruling section where 41Cr4 would not through-harden. Also offers slightly better wear resistance and corrosion resistance than lower-Cr grades.

Pre-hardened plastic mold steel — delivered at 28-32 HRC, ready for machining without further heat treatment. The European equivalent of AISI P20. Cr-Mn-Mo composition for good through-hardenability in large sections. THE workhorse mold base material for injection molds, compression molds, and die casting dies. Good machinability, polishability, and photo-etchability. Used for mold frames, large injection molds, blow molds, and structural die components.

Free-machining variant of 40CrMnMo7 (1.2311/P20) — sulfur addition (0.05-0.10%) for significantly improved machinability. Same pre-hardened delivery condition (28-32 HRC). 30-40% faster machining than 1.2311. Slight trade-off in polishability due to MnS inclusions. Used where machining cost matters more than mirror polish: large mold frames, structural mold components, and prototype molds.

High-strength Cr-Ni-Mo quench and temper steel. Higher C than 34CrNiMo6 for greater strength, with excellent hardenability from Ni+Mo combination. Used for heavy-duty crankshafts, connecting rods, high-strength bolts (class 12.9), gears, and critical structural components in large cross-sections.

High-nickel Cr-Mo quench & temper steel for large cross-sections. 1.6-2.0% Ni gives superior hardenability compared to 39NiCrMo3 — through-hardening up to ~130mm diameter. Close to AISI 4340 composition. Used for heavy crankshafts, large gears, turbine shafts, connecting rods, and critical structural fasteners in energy and heavy machinery sectors.

High-alloy NiCrMo Q&T steel — Ni ~2%, Cr ~1%, Mo ~0.5%. Very deep hardenability for large cross-sections. UTS 1100-1300 MPa. Used for heavy-duty crankshafts, landing gear, rock drill components, and large forgings requiring uniform through-hardening. Between 34CrNiMo6 and 36NiCrMo16 in hardenability.

The basic martensitic stainless steel — 12% chromium with moderate carbon. Hardenable by heat treatment to provide good strength with moderate corrosion resistance. Used for steam turbine blades, pump shafts, valve components, bolts, and mining equipment.

Medium-carbon chromium steel with good hardenability. Standard grade for induction-hardened and nitrided components. Used for crankshafts, gears, axle shafts, bolts, studs, and machine parts requiring surface hardening.

Chromium-molybdenum QT steel — very close to 42CrMo4 (1.7225) with slightly lower carbon. Essentially interchangeable with 42CrMo4 for most applications. Sometimes specified where marginally better weldability than 42CrMo4 is needed. Same applications: gears, shafts, crankshafts, bolts, hydraulic components.

Free-cutting variant of 41Cr4 (1.7035) — sulfur addition (0.020-0.040%) for improved chip formation on CNC automatics. Same mechanical properties as 41Cr4 after Q&T. UTS 900-1100 MPa. Used for high-volume automotive shafts, bolts, spindles, and connecting rods on automatic lathes. Most popular Cr-only QT steel for CNC mass production.

Medium-carbon martensitic stainless steel. Higher hardness than 410 but lower than 420C (1.4034). Good balance of strength, corrosion resistance and machinability. Used for turbine blades, pump shafts, valves, bolts, surgical instruments, and cutlery.

High-carbon martensitic stainless steel. Higher hardness than 410 (up to 56 HRC). The standard knife steel for European cutlery. Used for kitchen knives, pocket knives, surgical scalpels, machine blades, roller bearings, and valve components. Not weldable.

High-strength quenched and tempered chromium-molybdenum steel. Widely used for shafts, gears, crankshafts, connecting rods, and high-strength bolts. Excellent hardenability and good fatigue resistance.

Free-cutting variant of 42CrMo4 with controlled sulfur content (0.020-0.040%). Improved machinability while maintaining essentially the same mechanical properties. Used for high-volume CNC machined components: gears, shafts, bolts, and automotive parts.

Chromium-vanadium quenched & tempered steel — higher Cr (1.3-1.6%) than 41Cr4 plus V (0.10-0.20%) for grain refinement and secondary hardening. Good fatigue life and wear resistance. Used for heavily loaded shafts, gears, piston rods, and mining equipment where higher hardenability and finer grain than 41Cr4/42CrMo4 are needed.

Vanadium-microalloyed medium-carbon steel for controlled-cooling after forging — achieves target properties without separate Q&T heat treatment ("as-forged" concept). V precipitates (VN, VC) give precipitation strengthening during air cooling. THE modern automotive crankshaft steel — replaces 42CrMo4 Q&T at lower total cost (no heat treatment furnace needed). Also used for connecting rods and large forged parts.