Tool steel
Tool steel is the workhorse of the industrialized world. This highly versatile steel has a relatively low carbon content, usually between 0.7% and 1.5%. Tool steel is alloyed with different metals. Tool steel properties depend to a large extent on the proportions of alloying elements such as chromium, vanadium, molybdenum, tungsten, cobalt, or nickel.
The alloying composition, in combination with heat treatment, results in an almost limitless variety of tool steel grades. Operating across Canada and North America, these steels are formulated considering the application needs, targeting abrasion resistance, impact toughness, machinability, ability to be polished, shock resistance, or high-temperature performance as the most important criteria.
What is tool steel?
Tool steel is a category of carbon and alloy steels used to make tools, molds, dies, and wear-resistant machine parts.Tool steels typically contain 0.7–1.5% carbon, which contributes to their high hardness and strength. Common alloying elements like chromium, tungsten, molybdenum, and vanadium improve wear resistance and toughness.
These properties are achieved through precise heat treatments, such as hardening and stress relieving. Tool steel is built to stay hard and strong even at high temperatures and under heavy loads.
Common Types of tool steel:
- Cold work tool steels – great for cutting and shaping at room temperature
- Hot work tool steels – handle high heat; used in die casting and forging
- High-speed steels – perfect for cutting at fast speeds
Types and classes of tool steel
Tool steels are grouped by their chemical composition and performance. Each type is engineered for specific demands, making them ideal for a wide range of industrial tooling and wear applications.
The AISI classification includes grades W, O, A, D, S, H, M, and T — each tailored for different use cases:
- W-Type (Water-Hardening)
- O-Type (Oil-Hardening)
- A-Type (Air-Hardening)
- D-Type (High Carbon, High Chromium)
- S-Type (Shock-Resisting)
- H-Type (Hot-Working)
- T- & M-Type (High-Speed Steels)
High-carbon plain steels hardened by water quenching. Cost-effective for cooler applications but more prone to distortion.
Used for: Cutlery, hand tools, woodworking tools
Medium-alloy steels hardened in oil. A balanced mix of toughness and wear resistance.
Used for: Dies, punches, cutting tools
Air-hardened medium-alloy steels with excellent dimensional stability during heat treatment.
Used for: Blanking and forming dies, punches
High wear resistance and hardness from elevated carbon and chromium. Air-hardened, holds a sharp edge.
Used for: Shear blades, blanking and forming dies
Engineered for impact resistance, both hot and cold. High toughness, low cracking risk.
Used for: Chisels, punches, jackhammer bits
Designed to stay hard and strong under prolonged heat.
Used for: Extrusion dies, hot forging tools, die casting dies
Tungsten (T) and molybdenum (M) based steels that stay hard at high temperatures — built for fast cutting.
Used for: Drill bits, saw blades, milling cutters
Benefits of tool steel
All production environments are challenged to produce fast and with high quality. The high hardness and toughness of Toolox® tool steel allows it to meet these challenges.
Toolox® is prehardened steel with high machinability, which saves time when manufacturing steel components. It also ensures that the final products deliver maximum performance, productivity and service life without the need for heat treatment after processing. This steel’s surface hardness which gives high wear resistance extends into the core of the material.
Toolox® engineering and tool steel from SSAB is mainly used for all kinds of machine components or molds and dies for hot and cold applications, serving a wide range of industries across Canada and North America.
Tool steel vs. stainless steel
Unlike stainless steel, tool steel is made for performance, not corrosion resistance. When wear resistance and hardness are critical, tool steel wins.
Key differences:
- Tool steel: High hardness, wear resistance, best for tooling
- Stainless steel: High corrosion resistance, lower hardness
Why choose SSAB’s Toolox® tool steel?
Toolox® is a pre-hardened, ultra-clean tool steel developed by SSAB. It blends the durability of engineering steel with the wear resistance of classic tool steels. Because it’s pre-hardened, it eliminates the need for additional heat treatment — reducing risk of distortion, saving time, and cutting overall production costs.
Why Toolox® stands out:
- Pre-hardened up to 45 HRC
- Great machinability and polishability
- Handles thermal cycling and heavy impacts
- Works for molds, dies, wear parts — even structural use
Available as plates or round bars with consistent quality and fast global delivery.
Learn more about Toolox® productsTool steel performance in real life
“With SSAB’s Toolox® 44, we’ve finally found the material we had long been searching for – a material that isn’t surface engineered, yet still has the same properties.”
Leading Argentinian medical equipment manufacturer Innovos achieves 100 percent customer satisfaction with Toolox® 33. “Using Toolox® 33 in the majority of our projects allows us to reduce production times, reduce tool wear and save time in after-treatment.” CEO Gustavo Becker, Innovos.
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