1.2436 Cold work Steel | D6 |X210Crw15

1.2436 Cold work Steel | D6 |X210CrW15 product introduction

1.2436 Tool Steel (X210CrW12) is a German DIN high carbon, high chromium cold work tool steel (corresponding to grade X210CrW12), which belongs to the Rheinzite type of steel, with the addition of tungsten for enhanced properties.This specialized grade solves the challenge of rapid tool wear in demanding stamping, stock removal, and cutting operations by providing excellent wear resistance and hardness.

D6 is a tool steel grade in the American Standard (ASTM), which belongs to cold work die steel. It corresponds to the Chinese national standard grade Cr12W, the German DIN/W-Nr grade X210CrW12/1.2436, and the Japanese JIS grade SKD2. The smelting and manufacturing methods are: EF+LF+VD+Hot rolled /Hot Forged+Annealed.

Precision manufacturing and aerospace applications require tool steels with excellent wear resistance and consistent properties under extreme conditions. wear resistance, dimensional stability and consistent performance under extreme conditions. Standard tool steels often fail prematurely in high wear environments or fail to hold critical tolerances during thermal cycling. FCS Factory's 1.2436/X210CrW12/D6 tool steel addresses these challenges with an optimal ratio of high carbon to high chromium, resulting in a dense carbide structure that resists wear and maintains dimensional stability. Each lot is rigorously tested to ensure compliance with aerospace and industry standards.

1.2436 Cold work Steel | D6|X210CrW15 Product Types and Options

The FCS Factory's line of 1.2436,D6,X210CrW15 tool steel includes a wide variety of forms and processing options to meet diverse manufacturing needs. 1.2436,D6,X210CrW15 plate and round bar are stocked in standard or custom sizes. The former is ideally suited for flat die components requiring maximum wear resistance. The latter is perfect for punches, pins, and cylindrical wear parts. 1.2436,D6,X210CrW15 Tool Steel offers rounds that are subdivided into hot rolled rounds and hot forged rounds; and plates that are classified into hot rolled and hot forged plates.
Below is a table showing details of 1.2436,D6,X210CrW15 tool steel size range, surface condition and tolerances:

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

1.2436 Cold work Steel | D6|X210CrW15 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. 1.2436 ,D6,X210Crw15 Cold work Steel Electroslag Remelting (ESR): premium option with higher purity and isotropic properties for critical applications.

1.2436 Cold work Steel | D6| X210Crw15 Chemical composition

1.2436 Tool Steel
Tool Steel Grade		Chemical Composition(%)
		C	Si	Mn	Cr	W
DIN/W-Nr.	X210CrW12/1.2436	2.00~2.25	0.10~0.40	0.15~0.45	11.00~12.00	0.60~0.80
GB	Cr12W	2.00~2.30	0.10~0.40	0.30~0.6	11.00~13.00	0.60~0.80
ASTM	D6	2.00~2.20	0.35~0.50	0.20~0.40	11.50~12.50	0.60~0.90
JIS	SKD2	2.00~2.30	0.10~0.40	0.30~0.60	11.00~13.00	0.60~0.80

1.2436 Cold work Steel | D6|X210Crw15 work 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.
Hardness after annealing: ≤ 255HBS.

2.Quenching

Purpose: to make the 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.

1.2436 Cold work Steel | D6|X210Crw15 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.

1.2436 Cold work Steel | D6 | X210Crw15 Technical Specifications

Full Specification Sheet

Physical Property	Value	Test Method
Density	7.7 g/cm³	ASTM B311
Melting Point	1421°C-1450°C	DSC Analysis
Thermal Conductivity	20 W/m·K (Annealed)	ASTM E1461
Specific Heat Capacity	460 J/kg·K	ASTM E1269
Electrical Resistivity	0.65 μΩ·m	ASTM B193
Compressive Strength	2200 MPa	ASTM E9
Tensile Strength	560-650 MPa	ASTM E8
Impact Strength	12-15 J/cm²	ASTM E23

1.2436 Cold work Steel | D6|X210Crw15 Work Steel Product Applications

1.2436 Steel Key Application Scenarios

High Volume Stamping Dies

1.2436 tool steel excels in high volume stamping operations for automotive parts and metal hardware manufacturing. Its superior wear resistance extends die life by 40% compared to standard D2 tool steel, significantly reducing downtime for tool changes. One automotive supplier reported savings of more than $75,000 per year in tool replacement costs after switching a high-volume door hinge stamping operation to 1.2436 steel.

Precision Drop Tooling

When used in precision drop tooling applications for electronic components and precision parts, 1.2436 tool steel maintains a sharp cutting edge and tight tolerances over long production runs. The combination of high hardness and good dimensional stability ensures consistent part quality even after hundreds of thousands of drop feed operations. One precision connector manufacturer achieved more than 300,000 cycles before the edges wore out, compared to 180,000 cycles with a previously used tooling material.

D6 Steel Key Application Scenarios:

Precision Gauge Blocks

The excellent dimensional stability and wear resistance of D6 tool steel makes it ideal for the manufacture of precision gauge blocks and measuring references. Specially heat-treated to 62-64 HRC, our D6 steel maintains a dimensional accuracy of ±0.001mm over many years of use. Calibration laboratories and precision manufacturing companies choose our material especially for its extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion (10.5 x 10^-6/°C) and its resistance to dimensional changes under different humidity conditions. Each block blank is stress relieved and comes with material certification documenting chemical composition and uniformity.

Aircraft Broaching Tools

Aerospace manufacturers rely on our AMS 6491 certified D6 steel for critical broaching tools used in the production of turbine components. The high carbon and chromium content creates a microstructure that maintains a sharp cutting edge under extreme cyclic loads. Properly heat-treated to 60-62 HRC, these tools last up to 40% longer than conventional tool steels when machining nickel-based high-temperature alloys and titanium alloy components. Our aerospace customers place special emphasis on our material traceability documentation and batch consistency to ensure predictable performance in a tightly controlled manufacturing process, avoiding serious downstream consequences of tool failure.

Cold Forging Dies

Cold forging operations subject dies to extremely high stresses and abrasive wear. Our D6 tool steel is heat-treated to 58-60 HRC to provide the optimum balance of wear resistance and toughness for these challenging applications. The high chromium content creates hard carbides that resist distortion while maintaining sufficient matrix toughness to prevent catastrophic failure. Manufacturers of automotive parts, fasteners and precision hardware report producing more than 100,000 pieces per die when using our D6 steel with proper design and lubrication. Each dolly blank comes with a comprehensive heat treatment guide for the specific application.

Industrial Work Rolls

Steel processors use our D6 tool steel in intermediate and finishing applications where surface quality and dimensional consistency are critical. The material's high wear resistance maintains precise roll profiles even after processing thousands of tons of material. After heat treatment according to our specialized procedures, including triple tempering, these work rolls achieve an optimum combination of surface hardness (58-62 HRC) and core toughness. Customers in the rolling mill industry particularly value our ultrasonic testing certification to ensure internal material integrity in high speed rotating applications and to avoid accidental failures that can cause major equipment damage.

Industry-specific applications:

Automotive Manufacturing

1. Stamping dies for chassis components and body panels
2. Progressive dies for small precision parts
3. Trimming dies to remove flying edges from castings and forgings
4. Drop tools for high strength automotive steels

Aerospace industry

1. Precision cutting tools for titanium and nickel alloys
2. Forming dies for sheet metal parts
3. Stamping tools for ventilation and weight reduction holes
4. Wear plates for material handling equipment

Electronics Manufacturing

1. Precision drop tools for electrical contacts
2. Precision punches for circuit board assemblies
3. Edge trimming tools for connector manufacturing
4. Molding dies for radiator and chassis components

Medical device manufacturing

1. Cutting dies for surgical instruments
2. Molding tools for implanted parts
3. Stamping tools for medical device frames
4. Precision longitudinal cutters for medical materials

Metal packaging industry

1. Molded parts for cans for high-volume production
2. Deep drawing dies for metal containers
3. Cutting tools for lid manufacturing
4. Trimming and forming dies for container closures

1.2436 Cold work Steel | D6|X210Crw15 Competitive Advantage Table

1.2436,X210CrW12 Tool Steel Competitive Advantage Table

Performance Factor	FCS Factory's 1.2436 (X210CrW12)	Standard D2 Tool Steel	Standard A2 Tool Steel
Wear Resistance	Excellent	Very Good	Good
Edge Retention	Exceptional	Good	Moderate
Compressive Strength	Very High	High	Moderate
Toughness	Moderate	Moderate	Good
Dimensional Stability	Excellent	Good	Very Good
Grindability	Good	Good	Very Good
Polishing Ability	Very Good	Excellent	Good
Hot Hardness	Excellent	Good	Average
Typical Tool Life	140%	100%	75%

D6 Tool Steel Competitive Advantage Table

Characteristics	FCS Factory's AMS 6491 D6 Tool Steel	Industry Standard D6 Tool Steel	General High-Carbon Tool Steel
Carbide Distribution	Uniform fine carbide structure	Non-uniform carbide distribution	Coarse and uneven carbides
Internal Defect Detection	100% ultrasonic inspection	Only sampling inspection	Only visual inspection
Heat Treatment Support	Complete procedures and technical guidance	Basic guidelines	Minimal or no guidance
Technical Support	Comprehensive metallurgical consultation and application guidance	Limited application guidance	No technical support

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How does the ESR (Electroslag Remelting) version differ from Standard 1.2436?

A: The ESR version undergoes an additional remelting process that significantly reduces non-metallic inclusions and improves microstructural uniformity. This results in better toughness, improved polishability, enhanced fatigue strength, and more consistent heat treat response.ESR materials are recommended for critical applications where premium performance justifies a 30-40% price premium.

 

Q: If 1.2436 is not available, what are suitable alternatives?

A: The closest alternatives include 1.2601 (X165CrMoV12), which has similar wear resistance and slightly better toughness, and D2 (1.2379), which has lower wear resistance but better availability. Our technical team can recommend the best alternative for your specific application requirements.

 

Q: How does D6 tool steel differ from other high carbon tool steels?

A: D6 tool steel has a higher chromium content than most high carbon tool steels, forming a large number of hard chromium carbides in the microstructure. This gives it excellent wear resistance while maintaining good dimensional stability during heat treatment. The high chromium content also provides better corrosion resistance than low alloy tool steels.

 

Q:What is the difference between Standard D6 and Electroslag Remelting Grade?

A: Standard D6 tool steels have a certain amount of inclusions and carbide segregation, especially in large sizes, which can be centrally loose. ESR D6 tool steels have a reduction in inclusions of more than 50 percent, and the carbides are finely dispersed (e.g., in the form of webs or ribbons), with no significant segregation. For example, the ESR process improves the impact toughness of D6 by a factor of 1.5 and significantly reduces data dispersion.