DC53 tool steel

DC53 Tool Steel Product Introduction

DC53 is a high-hardness and high-toughness cold working die steel that conforms to the Japanese industrial standard (JIS G4404), and is improved on the basis of SKD11 (Cr12MoV). As an upgraded grade of JIS SKD11, the core design objective is to break through the limitation of traditional cold work steel that "high hardness leads to brittleness". Its chemical composition is centered on a balanced ratio, including carbon, chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, and supplemented by elements such as silicon and manganese, while strictly controlling impurities like phosphorus and sulfur. It belongs to the category of high alloy tool steel.

Through specific heat treatment (quenching temperature 1020-1040℃, tempering temperature 520-530℃), DC53 can achieve a high hardness of 62-63 HRC, while its toughness is twice that of SKD11, significantly reducing the risk of tool cracking. The essence of its design is to optimize the distribution of carbides and the decomposition of retained austenite, thereby enhancing machinability, dimensional stability after wire cutting and the convenience of welding repair while maintaining high wear resistance and strength.

As a cold working die steel, DC53 focuses on the core demands of cold working scenarios (such as stamping and cutting) for "wear resistance + crack resistance + dimensional stability". With more balanced mechanical properties, it has become the mainstream material choice for high-end cold working dies and is widely recognized in the global tool steel market as an upgraded alternative to SKD11.

DC53 Tool Steel Types and Options

The table below shows the size range, surface condition and tolerance details for DC53 mould 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

DC53 Tool Steel 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. DC53 Tool Steel Electroslag Remelting (ESR): premium option with higher purity and isotropic properties for critical applications.

DC53 Tool Steel Chemical Composition

Standard/Steel Grade		Chemical Composition(%)
		C	Si	Mn	Cr	Mo	V
JIS	DC53	1.00	1.00	0.40	8.00	2.00	0.30

DC53 Tool Steel 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.

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.

DC53 Tool Steel 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.

DC53 Tool Steel Technical Specifications

Property	Value	Test Method
Density	7.7 g/cm³	ASTM A370
Compressive Strength	2100 MPa	ASTM E9
Impact Toughness	15-20 J	ASTM E23
Thermal Conductivity	20 W/m·K	ASTM E1461
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (20-400°C)	11.5 × 10⁻⁶/°C	ASTM E228
Electrical Resistivity	0.65 μΩ·m	ASTM B193
Machinability (relative to 1% carbon steel)	45%	Internal testing
Dimensional Stability	<0.1% distortion after heat treatment	Internal testing

DC53 Tool Steel Product Applications

Cold Forming and Bending Tools

DC53 combines wear resistance and toughness for complex cold forming operations. Feedback from precision medical device manufacturers: DC53 forming tools last up to 40% longer and maintenance is significantly reduced. The material's resistance to high stress deformation/failure translates into more consistent part quality and fewer production interruptions.

Fine Blanking Dies and Punches

DC53's edge strength and wear resistance make it particularly well suited for fine blanking operations. When a leading electronics manufacturer switched to DC53 for electrical sheet metal blanking, tool life increased by 65% and the quality of blanked edges improved dramatically. The material's ability to maintain a sharp edge reduces the need for subsequent finishing operations.

Wear-resistant plastic injection moulds

When forming glass fibre or mineral-filled polymers, conventional mould steels often wear prematurely due to high flow zones. DC53 combines wear resistance with high polishability. Mould makers report that when processing 30% glass-filled engineering plastics, DC53 cavities/cores maintain surface finish and dimensional accuracy approximately 250,000 cycles longer than comparable P20 moulds.

Wire Rolling Moulds

The combination of abrasion resistance and toughness makes DC53 ideal for wire rolling applications. A fastener manufacturer uses DC53 dies to process high-strength threads and has seen a 55% increase in production between die maintenance intervals. The improved rolled wire surface finish also enhanced the fatigue performance of the finished fasteners.

DC53 Tool Steel Competitive Advantage Comparison

 

Performance Dimension	DC53 tool steel from FCS Factory	Conventional D2 tool steel	Standard SKD11 tool steel
Wear Resistance (relative value)	10	7.5	7
Toughness (Charpy J)	15-20	8-12	8-10
Machinability (relative value)	45%	40%	40%
Dimensional Stability	Excellent	Fair	Fair
Thermal Crack Resistance	Excellent	Poor	Poor
Heat Treatment Simplicity	High	Medium	Medium
Polishability	Superior	Good	Good
Edge Retention	Superior	Good	Good
Cost-Performance Ratio	Very High	Medium	Medium

DC53 Tool Steel Customer Success Stories

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DC53 Tool Steel Pricing Structure Information

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DC53 Tool Steel Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How does DC53 compare to conventional D2/SKD11 tool steels?
A: DC53 has 35% higher wear resistance and 2.5 times the toughness of conventional steels (conventional SKD11). The unique combination prevents progressive wear and sudden chipping. In addition, DC53 has better dimensional stability in heat treatment.

Q: Does DC53 require special heat treatment?
A: The heat treatment process for DC53 is similar to that of other tool steels, but requires tighter temperature control (±5°C) to achieve optimum performance. Vacuum heat treatment (to minimise distortion) is recommended for complex shapes.

Q: Can an existing mould design be directly replaced with DC53?
A: In most cases, direct replacement is possible without modification. However, in some applications, engineers may recommend design optimisation (e.g., adjusting edge geometry, reducing back angle) to take full advantage of DC53's enhanced performance.

Q: How does machinability compare to other tool steels?
A: The machinability of DC53 in the annealed state is comparable or better than that of D2/SKD11. Excellent surface quality and reasonable tool life can be achieved with appropriate cutting parameters. In the hardened condition, despite the high hardness, the grindability is still better than most conventional tool steels.