S1 Tool Steel - DIN 1.2550 - 60WCrV8 - Chromium and tungsten

What kind of steel is tool steel S1?

The added chromium and tungsten in tool steel S1 give this steel grade its excellent dimensional stability. In addition the added tungsten gives the S1 its toughness and wear resistance. The added silicon in this steel grade forms a microstructure which can resist distortion in the tempered condition. These added alloys make the S1 a reliable choice for tools which have to withstand high stresses and for the use in cold and hot work.

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S1 Tool Steel: Standard values

Working hardness: 56 HRC - 60 HRC
Delivery condition: max. 229HB

Chemical composition in %

C

0.550000

0.55

0.650000

0.65
Si

0.700000

0.7

1.000000

1
Mn

0.150000

0.15

0.450000

0.45
P

0.000000

0

0.030000

0.03
S

0.000000

0

0.030000

0.03
Cr

0.900000

0.9

1.200000

1.2
V

0.100000

0.1

0.200000

0.2
W

1.700000

1.7

2.200000

2.2

S1 Tool Steel: Technical Data

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S1 Tool Steel: Technical Properties

Steel grade with focus on cold work, with full hardenability, excellent toughness, dimensional stability and impact strength.

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S1 Tool Steel: Applications

blanking tools, dies, punches, forming dies, embossing tools, coining tools, tableting punches, plug-in tools, trimming tools, cold shear knives, riveting pins, hand chisels, pneumatic chisels, centre punches, ejectors, woodworking tools

Chemical designation: Working hardness: 56 HRC - 60 HRC
Delivery condition: max. 229HB

C

0.550000

0.55

0.650000

0.65
Si

0.700000

0.7

1.000000

1
Mn

0.150000

0.15

0.450000

0.45
P

0.000000

0

0.030000

0.03
S

0.000000

0

0.030000

0.03
Cr

0.900000

0.9

1.200000

1.2
V

0.100000

0.1

0.200000

0.2
W

1.700000

1.7

2.200000

2.2

Steel grade with focus on cold work, with full hardenability, excellent toughness, dimensional stability and impact strength.

blanking tools, dies, punches, forming dies, embossing tools, coining tools, tableting punches, plug-in tools, trimming tools, cold shear knives, riveting pins, hand chisels, pneumatic chisels, centre punches, ejectors, woodworking tools

S1 General Information

Where can tool steel S1 be used?

As a high impact and shock resistant tool steel the S1 is suitable for applications exposed to severe mechanical stresses. Here are a few examples where the S1 finds it uses:

As cold work tools like forming dies, punches and chisels or as hot work tools for hot shear blades or die casting dies. High impact tools like blanking and stamping dies or for extrusion dies where a lot of pressure is used to push material through the die to create complex shapes. S1 can be used for woodworking tools like carving tools, especially for hard wood instruments.

Is tool steel S1 a stainless steel?

To be classed as a stainless steel the steel has to have a mass fraction of 10.5% chromium. The S1 has a chromium content of 0.9 - 1.2%  and is therefore not a stainless steel.

Is the S1 tool steel corrosion resistant?

Though the S1 has some corrosion resistance, it is not corrosion resistant in the classical sense as a stainless steel would be. S1 can corrode when exposed to moisture, chemicals and corrosive environments. Regular maintenance and dry storage of tools will help prolong the tools live. Oiling or otherwise coating the material with a protective layer might safeguard against moisture or corrosive environments.   

Is tool steel S1 magnetizable?

Yes, as a ferromagnetic metal the S1 tool steel is suitable for magnetic clamping and can be magnetized.

Heat treatment for tool steel S1

Annealing S1 tool steel

To anneal tool steel S1, heat the parts uniformly to a temperature of 1310 - 1382°F (710 - 750°C) and cool them down slowly in the furnace at a rate of 50-68°F (10 - 20°C) per hour to 1112°F (600°C). Finish this process with cooling the parts further in air.

Stress relieving S1 tool steel

Stress relieving can reduce internal stresses which may develop during machining, welding or forging. This process can help to improve mechanical properties and dimensional stability. Uniformly and slowly heat the work pieces through to 1202°F (650°C) after rough machining for example. Hold and then slowly cool in still air. Then finish machining the parts.


Hardening S1 tool steel

Preheat the parts uniformly to a temperature of 1202°F (650°C), then increase the temperature to a range of 1598 - 1652°F (870 - 900°C). Finish the process by quenching the material.

Quenching tool steel S1

Commonly the quenching media for the S1 tool steel are: 

• Oil
• Salt bath 356 - 428°F (180 - 220°C)
• After quenching the S1 is extremely hard and brittle, to reduce this and to improve toughness the steel should be tempered.

Tempering S1 tool steel

Slowly heat the S1 tool steel parts to the required tempering temperature and soak the material for 1 hours per inch (25.4 mm) thickness and follow with cooling the parts down in air.

s1 tool steel tempering chart diagrams1 tool steel tempering chart diagram

Dimensional changes of the S1 tool steel

As for all other steels the S1 does expand and contract with heating and cooling the material. Localized heating and cooling during welding may result in dimensional changes or distortion. Stress relieving the S1 may cause dimensional changes, as well as putting high mechanical loads on to the material. Heavy loads may result in elastic or plastic deformation and may lead to failure or changes to the shape and dimensions. 

Surface treatment for the tool steel S1

Nitriding S1 tool steel

Introducing nitrogen into the material surface creates a hard and wear resistant layer enhancing wear resistance and endurance limits.

Carburizing S1 tool steel

Carburizing also enhances hardness and wear resistance by introducing carbon into the material surface. 

Coating tool steel S1

By coating the S1 with Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD), Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), TiCAN (Titanium Carbonitride) or TiAlN (Titanium Aluminum Nitride) wear resistance and corrosion resistance can be enhanced as well as reducing friction. 

Passivation of the S1 tool steel

Passivation removes free iron and contaminants from the surface and creates a passive oxide layer which can prevent rust and other corrosion when exposed to corrosive environments. As the S1 is not a stainless steel, passivation has some advantages for certain applications.

Tool steel S1 machinability

Depending on hardness, cutting speed, feed rates, lubrication, heat treatment, choice of cutting tools as well as tool life the S1 is fairly good to machine.

Forging tool steel S1

To forge the S1, preheat the work pieces uniformly to a temperature of 1832°F (1000°C), the forging temperature range is between 1472 - 1832°F (800 - 1000°C). Reheat as often as needed and avoid forging under 1472°F (800°C). To prevent stress to the material, cool it slowly in the furnace after forging.

Welding tool steel S1

Ensuring the base metal is clean from contamination such as grease, rust, oil, and moisture, remove sharp edges and make sure to check for surface cracks before welding.

When choosing filler metals, the tensile strength and yield strength of the base metal should be taken in consideration and either matched to the base metal or should be stronger than the base metal.

S1 tool steel wear resistance

The S1 tool steel’s wear resistance comes in at 3 on a scale where 1 is low and 6 is high.  

S1 tool steel tensile strength

S1 has a tensile strength of approx. 111.6 KSI on delivery (0.145 KSI = 1MPa). In order to reach this value, a tensile test is performed to show how much force is needed to stretch or elongate a sample before it breaks.

S1 tool steel yield strength

The yield strength shows how much stress has to be applied to plastically deform and when the point is reached for the material not to return to its original state after stresses have been removed. It then either stays in the mischaped form or breaks.

The range for the tool steel P20 is between 120 - 125 KSI (827 - 862 MPa).

S1 tool steel working hardness

The working hardness for S1 tool steel is at 572 - 627 BHN (56 - 60 HRC).

Specific heat capacity S1 tool steel

The specific heat capacity for the S1 tool steel at room temperature is 0.46 J/g-°C (0.109 BTU/lb-°F). This value shows how much heat is needed  to heat 1lb of material by 1 Fahrenheit.

s1 tool steel specific heat capacity charts1 tool steel specific heat capacity chart

S1 tool steel continuous TTT-diagram

This diagram shows the micro changes at different temperatures which are important during heat treatment. They show the optimum condition for the hardening, annealing and normalizing process.

s1 tool steel continuous ztu-diagram ttt-chart structural changess1 tool steel continuous ztu-diagram ttt-chart structural changes

S1 tool steel isothermal TTT-diagram

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.

s1 tool steel isothermal time temperature transformation (TTT) diagrams1 tool steel isothermal time temperature transformation (TTT) diagram

Properties for tool steel S1

Hot work tool steel S1

The S1 can retain its hardness and strength at elevated temperatures for applications like forging and extrusion dies.

S1 tool steel cold work

Forming, cutting and shaping the S1 like for application as blanking dies, punches, cold forming dies or shear blades can be done at temperatures close to room temperature. 

S1 tool steel density

Typically the density of tool steel S1 is 0.285 lb/in3 (7.89 g/cm3) at room temperature.

Thermal conductivity S1 tool steel

The heat conductivity for tool steel S1 is 34.2 W/(m*K) (237 BTU/(h-ft*°F)) at room temperature.

Heat conductivity table
Value By temperature
34.2 68°F
32.6 662°F
10.5 68 - 392°F
30.9 61292°F
s1 tool steel thermal conductivity diagram charts1 tool steel thermal conductivity diagram chart

S1 tool steel thermal expansion coefficient

The thermal expansion coefficient shows how much the material might expand or contract when the temperature is changed. This is very important information, especially when working with high temperatures, or where there are strong temperature changes during applications. 

Medium thermal expansion coefficient
10-6m/(m • K) At a temperature of
11.8 68 - 212°F
12.7 68 - 392°F
13.1 68 - 572°F
13.5 68 - 752°F
14.0 68 - 932°F
14.3 68 - 1112°F
14.5 68 - 1292°F
s1 tool steel thermal expansion coefficient diagram charts1 tool steel thermal expansion coefficient diagram chart

Specific electrical resistivity of the S1 tool steel

The following table shows the electrical resistivity of S1 tool steel. 

Table of the specific electrical resistivity
Value At a temperature of
0.3 (Ohm*mm²)/m 68 °F

Is S1 a knife steel?

S1 is not a typical knife steel as it lacks characteristics required for knife blades. For better edge retention and corrosion resistance it should be considered to use a different material grade. 

Conclusion

S1 has advantages and disadvantages which should be considered when selecting a steel for specific applications and for its specific properties. S1 is shock resistant, tough, it has good wear resistance and heat resistance but is not corrosion resistant, can be challenging to machine in its hardened condition and can only achieve specific properties with a precise heat treating process. 

S1 tool steel datasheet

As a S1 steel supplier we provide you with the datasheet for tool steel S1 in PDF format.

Tool Steel alternatives or equivalent

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Steel comparison - S1 Tool Steel - Alternative Equivalent - Steel GuideSteel comparison - S1 Tool Steel - Alternative Equivalent - Steel Guide

Disclaimer

The data shown here has been compiled with the greatest diligence and is regularly updated with regard to the correctness and completeness of its content. The content is indicative only and should not be taken as a warranty of specific properties of the product described or a warranty of suitability for a particular purpose. All information presented is given in good faith and no liability will be accepted for actions taken by third parties in reliance on this information. ABRAMS Industries reserves the right to change or amend the information given here in full or parts without prior notice.