H10 Tool Steel - 1.2365 - 32CrMoV12-28 - JIS ~SKD 7

Where can tool steel H10 be used?

H10 can be used in a wide variety of applications like hot punches, extrusion tools, die inserts as well as hot shear blades, ejector pins, tool holders, tools for extrusion for processing copper alloys like inner sleeves or the processing of light metals for bridge dies and piercing mandrels.

Is tool steel H10 a stainless steel?

H10 tool steel is not a stainless steel. To be classified as a stainless steel has to have a minimum mass fraction of 10.5% of chromium.

Is tool steel H10 corrosion resistant? 

With a mass fraction of 2.7 - 3.2% of chromium, this gives tool steel some corrosion resistance but is not high enough to prevent staining and corrosion in corrosive environments. 

Is tool steel H10 magnetizable?

Tool steel is a ferromagnetic material and can be magnetized and is suitable for magnetic clamping.

Heat treatment for tool steel H10

Annealing tool steel H10

Heat parts uniformly to a temperature of 1382 - 1472°F (750 - 800°C), hold for 6 - 8 hours and then cool them slowly in the furnace by 50 - 68°F (10 - 20°C) per hour to a temperature of 1112°F (600°C) and complete this process with cooling the parts further in air. Precaution should be taken to avoid excessive decarburization/carburization.

Stress relieving tool steel H10

H10 should be heated uniformly to a temperature of 1112 - 1202°F (600 - 650°C) after rough machining. Hold for 2 - 6 hours, the time depends on the size of the parts, in a neutral atmosphere, then cool slowly in the furnace.

Hardening AISI H10

Heat the material uniformly to a temperature of 1832 - 1886°F (1000 - 1030°C) and then hold for 15 to 30 minutes. Quench for maximum hardness in oil, for most applications this material can be quenched in air. To minimize decarburization quench in salt or a controlled atmosphere furnace.

Quenching tool steel H10

To avoid excessive distortion and/or quench cracking, cooling should be done uniformly and at a sufficient cooling rate.

• Air
• Oil
• Controlled atmosphere furnace
• Salt bath, at a temperature of 932 - 1022°F (500 - 550°C), hold the temperature for 15 - 30 minutes after equalizing.

Tempering tool steel H10

Temper the material immediately after hardening for at least 2 hours for smaller pieces and 1 hour per 25/32 inch (20mm) of thickness for larger pieces, at a temperature of 842 - 1058°F (450 - 570°C). To achieve a better toughness, it is recommended to temper this material twice; a third tempering cycle can be advantageous to relieve stress. The third tempering cycle should be done at a temperature of 86 - 122°F (30 - 50°C) below the highest tempering temperature.

Dimensional changes of tool steel H10

As for all metals, tool steel H10 does expand and contract during heating and cooling. To prevent stress and distortion, uniformly heating the material can prevent or minimize expansion or contraction.

Dimensional changes can happen during phase changes, through improper quenching, from residual stresses and decarburization. It is important to use correct temperatures, relief stresses and quench the material properly to minimize the possibility of distortion or warping.

Surface treatment for tool steel H10

Surface treatments can enhance wear resistance, corrosion resistance and give parts a higher surface hardness. Below are a few examples of surface treatments that can be used for tool steel H10.

Nitriding H10 tool steel

Nitriding diffuses nitrogen into the surface of the H10. This process gives the parts more wear resistance, a harder surface and fatigue strength.

Carburizing tool steel H10

Carburizing H10 introduces carbon to the surface to enhance wear resistance and improve hardness.

Physical Vapor Deposition / Chemical Vapor Deposition

PVD and CVD overlaying the material with a thin layer of for example titanium nitride (TiN) to enhance the wear resistance and reduce friction.

Chrome Plating tool steel H10

This process applies a thin layer of chrome to the surface to enhance corrosion resistance and to reduce friction.

Machinability of tool steel H10

Forging AISI H10 tool steel

The material should be heated slowly and uniformly to a temperature range of 1900 - 2000°F (1038 - 1093°C). Reheat as often as necessary and do not let the temperature drop below 1650°F (899°C). To finish the process, cool slowly in lime, dry ash or in the furnace and always anneal after forging.

Wear resistance for tool steel H10

On a scale where 1 is low and 6 is high, the H10 scores a 5.

Tensile strength of tool steel H10

The tensile strength for the H10 is approx. 111.6 KSI (0.145KSI = 1MPa). This value is the result from a tensile test to show how much force is needed before the material starts to stretch or elongate before it breaks.

Working hardness for AISI H10 tool steel

The working hardness for the H10 is in the range of 469 - 504 BHN (50 - 52 HRC).

Specific heat capacity for H10 tool steel

The specific heat capacity of tool steel H10 at room temperature is  0.46 J/(g*K). This value shows how much heat is needed  to heat 1lb of material by 1 Fahrenheit.

Continuous TTT-diagram for tool steel H10

This diagram shows micro changes over time at different temperatures. Those are important during heat treatment as they show information about the optimum conditions for processes such as hardening, annealing and normalizing.

Isothermal TTT-diagram for tool steel H10

This diagram shows the structural changes at micro level over time at a constant temperature. It shows at what temperature and after what time different phases, e.g., perlite, martensite or bainite start to build.

Steel Properties for H10 tool steel

Hot working tool steel H10

H10 has good thermal toughness, high hot hardness and is resistant to thermal cracking. This makes the H10 a good choice for forging, hot punches or hot shear blades for example.

H10 tool steel density

Typically the density of H10 tool steel is 0.281 lb/in3 (7.78g/cm3) at room temperature.

Thermal conductivity for tool steel H10

The heat conductivity for tool steel H10 is at 32.8 W/(m*K) (227 BTU/(h-ft*°F)) in its annealed condition at room temperature.

Thermal expansion coefficient for tool steel H10

The following table shows expansion or contraction at various temperatures, which may be very important for high temperature works or when working with high temperature changes.

Specific electrical resistivity for tool steel H10

You can find the temperature dependent material constant (Resistivity) in the following table. The electrical conductivity is the reciprocal value of the specific resistance.

Modulus of elasticity (Young’s Modulus) for tool steel H10

The stress and strain modulus or modulus of elasticity (Young’s modulus) for H10 tool steel  is at 30000 KSI (207 GPa). 

Is tool steel H10 a knife steel?

H10 is not the ideal choice for knife making as it does not have the needed toughness and corrosion resistance. Its high hardness makes it possible to keep an edge well but resharpening can be challenging due to its hardness.  

AISI H10 Conclusion

H10 tool steel is often used for applications where characteristics like thermal shock resistance, hot hardness and minimal distortion during the hardening process is important. It has high hardness which is positive for wear resistance and can be a challenge when machining. H10 can be used for a wide variety of applications like cutting tools, mold making or hot work tools and dies in industries like the automotive industry, for metalworking and manufacturing or for machine manufacturing.

Datasheet for tool steel H10

As a steel supplier we provide you with the datasheet for tool steel H10 in PDF format.

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