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FAQs - Tool Steel

Online Metals is a trusted tool steel supplier, offering it in a variety of alloys and shapes ‐ all in standard lengths. And we make buying tool steel easy! Price and order online, and we'll ship it directly to you!

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Which Tool Steel should I use for my application?

Alloy	Application	Why this material is chosen
A2	Punches, knives, tool holders, and wood cutting tools.	Good Machinability, wear resistance and hardenability with Superior Dimensional stability after heat treating.
D2	Shear blades, knives, tools, punches, and stamping dies	Good machinability when annealed, high wear resistance and mild corrosion resistance due to the chromium content.
O1	Dies, gages, punches, slitting cutters and machine parts	General purpose tool steel. Often chosen as a replacement for alloy steels when more Strength, hardness and wear resistance is required.
W1	Hand tools, knives, engraving stamps, taps, and reamers	Lowest cost tool steel, similar to standard high carbon steel. Very good machinability with moderate wear resistance but the high carbon content allows for a sharp cutting edge.
S7	Shear blades, dies, chisels, and punches	Excellent toughness for shock resistance and absorption.
M2	Drills, taps, saw blades, planers, router bits, and punches	High speed steel with excellent toughness, wear resistance, and hardness.
H13	Extrusion dies, forging dies, molds, hot shearing, and stamping tools	Very good toughness and good high temperature strength and resistance to thermal fatigue. Withstands rapid cooling. Machines well and welds well.

Is your Tool Steel Stock Pre-Hardened?

Our Tool steel (except for H13, which is in fact pre-hardened) will come in an annealed state and will require heat treatment to reach the desired hardness after machining. To learn more about heat treatments for each alloy, refer to the appropriate product guides.

What is Oversized Tool Steel Stock?

All our tool steel will be ground and polished and most of our stock sizes are precision ground to a tight tolerance or oversized to 0.01” - 0.015” over the listed dimensions.

Which Tool Steels are best for knife making?

The best tool steels for knife making are O1, A2 Tool Steel, 440C and D2 Tool Steel. Which alloy you use is determined by the properties you wish your knives to have as well as your experience level. D2 will be for more experienced knife makers, while A2 and O1 are good for beginners. 440C is ideal for knives where corrosion resistance is a must. Please refer to our guide to knife making for more information.