L6 Tool Steel | 1.2713 | 55NiCrMoV6

L6 Tool Steel | 1.2713 | 55NiCrMoV6 Product Introduction

L6 Tool Steel (American Standard ASTM)

Composition and Basic Properties: L6 is an oil-hardening, chromium-nickel tool steel with a typical composition of carbon (0.65%-0.75%), nickel, and chromium (0.60%-1.20%), supplemented by manganese (0.25%-0.80%) and traces of molybdenum (≤ 0.50%).
Heat treatment and properties: hardness of 40-54 HRC after oil quenching (816-843°C) and low-temperature tempering, combining high toughness with moderate wear resistance (industrial rating 2/6). The hardenability is excellent and large cross sections can be hardened uniformly, but strict temperature control is required to avoid cracking and rapid cooling is required after tempering.

1.2713 Tool Steel (DIN, equivalent to 55NiCrMoV6)

Composition and Physical Properties: 1.2713 is a nickel-chromium-molybdenum-vanadium alloyed tool steel, with a composition of carbon (0.50-0.60%), nickel, chromium (0.60-0.80%), molybdenum (0.25-0.30%) and molybdenum (0.25-0.30%). 0.25%-0.35%) and vanadium (0.07%-0.12%).
Heat treatment and micro-control: oil quenching at 830-860°C, hardness after tempering varies with the temperature gradient (approx. 54 HRC at 200°C tempering, approx. 51 HRC at 300°C). Its high hardenability supports hardness uniformity over large sections (300 mm thickness), but it is sensitive to smelting impurities (phosphorus and sulphur ≤ 0.030%) and white point defects need to be controlled.

55NiCrMoV6 tool steel (German DIN, composition approximates 1.2713)

Composition and property correlation: X55NiCrV6 is a high-nickel-chromium-vanadium alloy steel, with a typical composition of carbon (0.50%-0.60%), nickel, chromium (0.60%-0.80%), vanadium (0.07%) 0.07%-0.12%) and vanadium (0.07%-0.12%), differing from 1.2713 by the absence of molybdenum.
Process characteristics: oil quenching at 830-870°C, hardness gradient after tempering similar to 1.2713 (tempered hardness 47-56 HRC at 160-300°C). The need to improve purity by electroslag remelting (ESR) and the low heat treatment distortion rate make it suitable for precision machining.

L6 Tool Steel | 1.2713 | 55NiCrMoV6 Product Types and Options

The table below shows the size range, surface condition and tolerance details for L6,1.2713,55NiCrMoV6 tool steel:

Shape	Pocess	Size range	Surface	Tolerance
Flat Bar	Hot Rolled	Thickness: 10-400mm Width: 200-800mm Length: 3000-5800mm	Black; Sandblasted	Thickness :0-+2MM Width:0-+5MM/0-+10MM
	Hot Forged	Thickness: 50-500mm Width: 50-1500mm Length: 3000-5800mm	Black	Thickness:+2-+5MM Width:0-+5MM/0-+10MM
			Turned/Machined/Milled/Bright	Thickness :0-+2MM Width:0-+5MM/0-+10MM
Round Bar	Hot Rolled	Diameter:10-65mm Length:3000-5800mm	Black	0-+2MM
			Turned/Machined	0-+2MM
	Hot Forged	Diameter:70-700mm Length:3000-5800mm	Grinded	0-+5MM/+2-+5MM
			Turned/Machined/Milled/Bright	0-+2MM

H21 tool steel | 1.2581 |55NiCrMoV6 Customized Options

1. Customized chemical composition: GB, DIN, ASTM, JIS and other standard grades can be produced. Chemical composition can be customized individually.
2. Customized specifications: round steel (diameter), plate (thickness, width) can be customized production.
3. Specialized packaging for long term storage or extreme transportation conditions: includes spraying black paint all around, wrapping plastic film, spraying anti-rust oil, and shipping in wooden crates.
4. Customized production based on samples or technical agreements.
5. L6,1.2713,55NiCrMoV6 Hot Work Tool Steel Electroslag Remelting (ESR): premium option with higher purity and isotropic properties for critical applications.

L6 Tool Steel | 1.2713 | 55NiCrMoV6 Chemical Composition

Standard/Steel Grade		Chemical Composition(%)
		C	Si	Mn	Cr	Mo	V	W
ASTM	L6	0.65~0.75	0.10~0.50	0.25~0.80	0.60~1.20	≤0.50	-	1.25~2.00
DIN/W-Nr.	55NiCrMoV6/1.2713	0.50~0.60	0.10~0.40	0.65~0.95	0.60~0.80	0.25~0.35	0.07~0.12	1.50~1.80
JIS	SKT4	0.50~0.60	0.10~0.40	0.60~0.90	0.80~1.20	-	0.05~0.15	0.35~0.55

L6 Tool Steel | 1.2713 | 55NiCrMoV6 Heat Treatment Process

1.Annealing

Purpose: to eliminate internal stresses generated during forging or rolling, reduce hardness, improve cutting performance, and prepare for subsequent processing and heat treatment.
Process parameters:
Heating temperature: 800-850 ℃, holding time 2-4 hours, with the furnace cooling to below 500 ℃, and then air-cooled.
Hardness after annealing: ≤ 212 HBS.

2.Quenching

Purpose: to make the tool steel to obtain martensitic organization, improve hardness and wear resistance.
Process parameters:
Heating temperature: 1000-1050 ℃ (commonly used 1020-1040 ℃), holding time according to the size of the workpiece to determine, generally 30-60 minutes.
Cooling: oil cooling or air cooling (for small size or simple shape of the workpiece), large workpieces can be graded quenching (in the 260-300 ℃ salt bath cooling for a period of time and then air-cooled), in order to reduce the quenching stress, to prevent deformation and cracking.

3.Tempering

Purpose: to eliminate quenching stress, adjust the hardness and toughness, stable organization and size.
Process parameters:
low-temperature tempering: 150-250 ℃, insulation 2-3 hours, air-cooled, tempered hardness of 58-62HRC, for molds requiring high hardness and wear resistance.
Medium temperature tempering: 300-500 ℃, insulation 2-3 hours, air-cooled, tempered hardness of 50-58HRC, can improve the toughness, suitable for molds subject to impact load.
High-temperature tempering: 500 ℃ or more, insulation 2-3 hours, air-cooled, tempered hardness 45-50HRC, mainly for the need for higher toughness of the occasion.

4.Precautions

Heating process should control the rate of heating to avoid too rapid a rise in temperature leading to workpiece surface oxidation and decarburization. Protective atmosphere heating can be used or placed in the furnace charcoal and other anti-decarburization agent.
When quenching and cooling, choose the appropriate cooling medium and cooling method according to the shape and size of the workpiece to ensure the quenching effect while reducing the risk of deformation and cracking.
Tempering must be sufficient to ensure the elimination of internal stresses to avoid mold failure due to stress release during use. For large molds or workpieces with complex shapes, multiple tempering can be used.

L6 Tool Steel | 1.2713 | 55NiCrMoV6 Quality Inspection

1.Surface Condition Inspection

FCS factory has a very strict quality inspection team, we will carefully check the surface condition of each piece of tool steel to ensure that the steel surface is free from cracks, folds, knots, oxidized skin, pitting, scratches and other defects.

2.Chemical Composition Testing

To verify whether the content of alloying elements meets the standard requirements and to safeguard the basis of the mechanical properties of the material. We will let the staff use full-spectrum direct reading spectrometer to analyze multiple elements at the same time. Sampling needs to remove the surface oxidation layer, using a block specimen to stimulate the test.

3.Dimension and Tolerance Inspection

FCS factory will use professional measuring tools to inspect the dimensions and tolerances of the steel to ensure compliance with the customer's contract requirements. Corresponding gauges will be selected according to the dimensional accuracy requirements, including tape measure, high-precision vernier calipers (0.02mm), micrometers (0.001mm), and special inspection gauges. Inspection items cover: diameter, thickness, width, length, hole diameter, chamfering dimensions, etc., to ensure that the tolerances and dimensions meet the contract requirements.

4.Hardness test

Our FCS factory will use professional hardness tester to test the hardness of steel to ensure that it meets the customer's contract requirements.

5.Ultrasonic Testing

Ultrasonic Testing Standard (UT Test Standard) is: Sep 1921-84 Class3 D/d,E/e.
FCS factory uses ultrasonic testing equipment to detect macro defects inside the material (such as cracks, shrinkage holes, inclusions, white spots, etc.), and every piece of round steel and plate will be examined by a second flaw detection test before shipment to ensure that the quality is qualified before shipment.

6.Microstructure Inspection

(1) Metallographic Analysis

FCS factory will use metallographic analysis instrument to detect the microstructure state after heat treatment, including carbide distribution, martensite morphology, residual austenite content, etc.

 (2) Grain size rating

FCS factory will use the comparative method to determine the austenite grain size by comparing the microstructure of the specimen with the standard rating chart, to ensure that it meets the customer's requirements.

L6 Tool Steel | 1.2713 | 55NiCrMoV6 Technical Specifications

Parameters	L6 Tool Steel	1.2713 Tool Steel	55NiCrMoV6 Tool Steel
International Standard	AISI L6	W-Nr/DIN 1.2713/56NiCrMoV7	W-Nr/DIN 1.2713/X55NiCrMoV6
Physical Properties	Density: 7.85 g/cm³ Elastic Modulus: 210 GPa	Density: 7.75 g/cm³ Elastic Modulus: 215 GPa	Density: 7.78 g/cm³ Elastic Modulus: 212 GPa
Heat Treatment	Annealing: 750-780°C Hardening: 830-870°C Tempering: 150-650°C	Annealing: 680-720°C Hardening: 850-880°C Tempering: 550-650°C	Annealing: 680-720°C Hardening: 840-880°C Tempering: 450-650°C
Achievable Hardness	Annealed: ≤212 HB After heat treatment: 58-62 HRC	Annealed: ≤212 HB After heat treatment: 50-54 HRC	Annealed: ≤212 HB After heat treatment: 56-62 HRC
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion	11.9×10⁻⁶/°C (20-400°C)	11.5×10⁻⁶/°C (20-500°C)	11.7×10⁻⁶/°C (20-450°C)
Thermal Conductivity	28.5 W/(m·K)	30.0 W/(m·K)	29.5 W/(m·K)
Supply Form	Plates, round bars	Plates, round bars	Plates, round bars

L6 Tool Steel | 1.2713 | 55NiCrMoV6 Product Applications

L6 Tool Steel Application Scenarios (Impact Performance Preferred)

With its excellent balance of toughness and hardness, L6 tool steel is particularly suited to application scenarios where impact loading is required. In the automotive industry, our L6 tool steel is widely used in the production of large stamping dies that can withstand continuous high-speed stamping operations without cracking.
After an auto parts manufacturer used our L6 tool steel to make the body side plate stamping die, the die life was increased from 800,000 times to 1.35 million times, reducing the number of die maintenance times by 40% and significantly reducing the production downtime.
In addition, L6 tool steel also performs well in woodworking cutting tools, large shear knives and cold work moulds that require high toughness. A wood processing company uses band saws made from our L6 tool steel to cut hardwoods with 55% longer life than ordinary tool steel, significantly reducing replacement and maintenance costs.

1.2713 tool steel application scenarios (hot work performance preferred)

Designed for high temperature working environments, 1.2713 tool steel excels in hot forging, hot extrusion and die casting applications. Our 1.2713 tool steel is used in a wide range of aluminium alloy die casting moulds, where it maintains good hardness and resistance to thermal fatigue at sustained working temperatures of 500°C and above.
A die casting factory using our 1.2713 tool steel manufacturing aluminium alloy auto parts mould, achieve a continuous 80,000 times die casting without maintenance, than using ordinary hot work die steel to improve productivity by 30%, product qualification rate increased by 5 percentage points.
In addition, 1.2713 tool steel in the hammer forging die, hot extrusion die and plastic mould also has excellent performance. A heavy-duty forging plant uses our 1.2713 tool steel to manufacture hammer forging dies, and in the 1100 ℃ high-temperature forging environment, the service life is 45% higher than that of traditional dies, creating significant economic benefits for customers.

X55NiCrMoV6 Tool Steel Application Scenarios (Precision Performance Preferred)

55NiCrMoV6 tool steel is ideal for precision cold work moulds and precision measuring tools. The 55NiCrMoV6 tool steel we supply has high dimensional stability and excellent wear resistance, and performs well in precision stamping, precision forming and precision instrument manufacturing.
A precision electronic connector manufacturer uses our 55NiCrMoV6 tool steel to manufacture precision stamping moulds, which can achieve a dimensional accuracy of ±0.005mm, and maintains the original accuracy after 2 million consecutive production runs, which significantly improves product consistency.
In addition, 55NiCrMoV6 tool steel in high-precision gauges, precision cutting tools and high-load cold working moulds are also widely used. An aerospace parts manufacturer uses our 55NiCrMoV6 tool steel to manufacture precision forming moulds, and the deformation in the production process is 65% lower than that of ordinary tool steel, which greatly improves the product qualification rate.

L6 Tool Steel | 1.2713 | 55NiCrMoV6 Competitive Advantage Comparison

Performance Indicators	Tool Steel from FCS Factory	Ordinary Tool Steel	Advantage Analysis
Impact Toughness	L6: 13-16 J/cm² 1.2713: 23-28 J/cm² X55NiCrV6: 18-22 J/cm²	8-10 J/cm²	Toughness increased by 40-180%, significantly reducing the risk of mold cracking
High-Temperature Performance	85% hardness retention at 500°C	65% hardness retention at 500°C	High-temperature hardness retention increased by 31%, extending the service life of hot work molds
Wear Resistance	Relative wear index 8.5-9.2	Relative wear index 7.0	Wear resistance increased by 21-31%, reducing maintenance frequency
Machinability	Relative machinability index 90%	Relative machinability index 75%	Machining efficiency increased by 20%, reducing tool wear

L6 Tool Steel | 1.2713 | 55NiCrMoV6 Customer Success Stories

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L6 Tool Steel | 1.2713 | 55NiCrMoV6 Pricing Structure Information

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L6 Tool Steel | 1.2713 | 55NiCrMoV6 Frequently Asked Questions

Q:How do I select the best tool steel for my application?
A:The choice depends on your specific application requirements. Consider the following factors: working temperature, type of load (impact, pressure, wear), batch size, precision requirements and budget. L6 tool steel is suitable for high impact applications, 1.2713 for high temperature working environments and X55NiCrMoV6 for precision applications. Our technical team can give you professional advice based on the application information you provide.

Q:How do ESR and VAR processes improve the properties of tool steel?
A:Electroslag Remelting (ESR) and Vacuum Arc Remelting (VAR) are advanced processes that improve the purity of tool steel. These processes can reduce the amount of non-metallic inclusions by 60-80% and significantly improve fatigue strength and toughness. ESR/VAR tool steels are particularly suited for high-load, long-life, or safety-critical applications, and although more expensive, they are often more cost-effective over their entire life cycle.

Q:What is the lead time for tool steel materials?
A:Lead times depend on material type, specification and quantity.

Q:What factors affect the service life of tool steel?
A:The main factors affecting tool steel life include: proper material selection, quality of heat treatment, surface finish, operating temperature, load size, frequency of impacts, lubrication conditions, cooling effectiveness, frequency of maintenance, and operating practices. By optimising these factors, tool life can vary by a factor of 5-10 FCS TOOL STEEL offers a full range of technical advice to help customers maximise the performance of their tool steel.