Materials database

Chromium-molybdenum-vanadium creep-resisting steel for high-temperature fasteners and bolts per EN 10269. Excellent creep resistance up to 540°C with tensile strength 850–1000 MPa after quenching and tempering. Widely used for steam turbine bolts, pressure vessel fasteners, and power generation components. Equivalent to ASTM A193 Grade B16.

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 41CrMo4 (1.7225) — S 0.020-0.040% for improved chip formation on CNC automatics. Same Q&T mechanical properties (UTS 1000-1200 MPa). THE most popular free-cutting CrMo QT steel. Used for high-volume CNC production of crankshafts, connecting rods, gears, and shafts in the automotive industry.

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.

Ferritic chromium stainless steel with good corrosion resistance and formability. Lower cost than austenitic grades. Used for automotive trim, kitchen sinks, architectural panels, and appliance components.

Nickel-bearing martensitic stainless steel with higher corrosion resistance than 410/420. Highest strength of the standard martensitic grades (up to 1100 MPa). Used for marine shafts, propeller shafts, high-strength fasteners, valves, and pump components.

17% Cr Ti-stabilized ferritic stainless. Cost-effective alternative to 304 for many applications — no Ni means ~30-40% lower cost. Immune to chloride SCC. Used for automotive exhaust systems (downstream), kitchen sinks, washing machine drums, heat exchangers, and architectural trim.

High-carbon martensitic stainless steel with molybdenum and vanadium. Hardenable to 58+ HRC while maintaining moderate corrosion resistance. Used for cutlery, surgical instruments, valve components, bearings, and pump parts where hardness and corrosion resistance are both needed.

Highest-hardness standard martensitic stainless steel. Achieves 57-60 HRC — the hardest commonly available stainless grade. Excellent wear resistance from chromium carbides. Used for bearings, races, valve components, surgical instruments, high-end cutlery, and precision molds.

Stabilized ferritic stainless steel with Mo addition. A cost-effective alternative to 316L for applications where austenitic properties are not needed. Excellent resistance to chloride stress corrosion cracking. Used for hot water tanks, solar collectors, automotive exhaust, and catering equipment.

Ultra-high-strength NiCrMo Q&T steel — Ni 3.5-4.5%, the highest-Ni standard QT grade. UTS 1250-1450 MPa. Maximum through-hardenability for the largest cross-sections (300mm+). Used for the heaviest crankshafts, large forged rotors, press columns, and critical structural forgings in energy and defense. Comparable to AISI 4340 but with higher Ni.

Medium-carbon chromium steel for quenching and tempering. Good hardenability for medium cross-sections. Used for crankshafts, connecting rods, spindles, bolts, and other moderately stressed machine parts requiring through-hardening.

Higher-carbon CrMo Q&T steel — 0.42-0.50% C vs 0.38-0.45% for 42CrMo4. Higher maximum hardness (HRC 52-56 surface after induction) and tensile strength (UTS 1000-1200 MPa QT) at the expense of slightly reduced toughness and weldability. Used where 42CrMo4 is not quite hard/strong enough: heavy-duty gear shafts, large bolts (12.9 class), crankshafts, and torsion bars.