Buy against the grade and standard on your approved drawing or specification. An “equivalent” name is a useful search clue, but it is not a substitute for confirming chemistry, delivery condition, dimensions, manufacturing route and service requirements with your technical team.
Steel families organise broad tooling and service needs. The final grade still needs application-specific approval.
| Steel Family | Typical Enquiry Context | Grades we list |
|---|---|---|
| Hot Work Steel | Forging dies, die casting dies, aluminium extrusion tooling, hot shear blades | H13, H11, H21, H10, H12, DB6 / 1.2714 |
| Cold work steel | Blanking and punching dies, slitter knives, thread rolling dies, long-run forming tools | D2 (HCHCr), D3 (HCHCr), 1.2379, 1.2080 |
| Plastic mould steel | Injection moulds, mould bases, large cavities and tooling blocks | P20, P20+Ni, 1.2311, 1.2738 |
| High Speed Steel | Drills, taps, reamers, milling cutters, broaches | M2, M35, M42, T1 |
| Alloy steel | Engineering components, shafts, gears and general machine parts | EN series |
| Newer Grades | Demanding hot work and tooling applications | KDA-1, KDA1S, KDAMAX, HXM 19, HXM 24 |
| Ingots | Forging and further processing | Contact us for availability |
The same material may be described using AISI, DIN/Werkstoff, JIS, EN, trade or manufacturer-specific names. Knowing which system a name belongs to saves time when you compare quotes.
Names such as H13, D2, M2 and P20 are the most common way tool steels are searched and ordered in India.
Numbers such as 1.2344, 1.2379 or 1.2714 identify grades within the European system. On our product pages some of these appear in short form, for example DIN 2714 for 1.2714 and DIN 2379 for 1.2379.
Names such as SKD61 or SKH51 may appear on drawings or supplier documents that follow Japanese standards.
Names such as KDA-1, KDAMAX or HXM 19 belong to specific manufacturers and must be checked against the original mill datasheet.
Two designations may be commonly described as equivalents and still differ in permitted chemistry, cleanliness, manufacturing route, testing, delivery condition or tolerances. Confirm the approved standard and revision before any substitution.
An enquiry with these six lines can be checked and quoted without a round of questions.
Use the approved designation and revision.
Round bars, flat bars, die blocks, forged blocks or ingots, as available for the grade.
Diameter, or width × thickness × length.
Pieces, total length or approximate weight.
For example annealed or pre-hardened, where your specification requires it.
Delivery city or pickup requirement.
The questions to settle before approving a substitution or sending an RFQ.
Tool and alloy steel supply for the sectors that depend on dies, tooling, and wear-resistant components.
