Cold work tool steels are essentially high carbon steels containing relatively low alloyed additions of tungsten, manganese, chromium and molybdenum. They also have good dimensional stability and hardenability.

Cold Work Tool Steels

The reason why cold work tool steel is labelled “cold work” is because you use it to be able to shape, cut and work on materials at low temperatures. This is also where the term differs from hot work tool steels, which typically operate at temperatures above 250°C.

What are the Properties of Cold Work Tool Steels?

Cold work tool steels have high wear resistance. They can be used at temperatures up to 200°C. Cold work tool steels exhibit excellent toughness properties for their specific application. Alloy compositions are designed to provide excellent dimensional stability and medium to high hardenability. At temperatures above 205 to 260°C, these steels may undergo softening due to their low alloy content.