Brief Introduction of 1.2343 - LinkedIn

Tool steel grade 1., also known as AISI H11, is a type of hot-work tool steel that has found widespread use in various applications due to its excellent heat resistance, toughness, and wear resistance. This steel grade is considered to be one of the most versatile and widely used tool steels.

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The chemical composition of 1. steel includes carbon, chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, and silicon. The presence of these elements imparts high-temperature strength, toughness, and wear resistance to the steel, making it suitable for use in applications that involve high heat, pressure, and mechanical loads. And its chemical composition is as follows:

1. steel is commonly used for the production of hot-work tools such as forging dies, extrusion dies, punches, and mold inserts. These tools are subjected to high temperatures, pressure, and mechanical stress, and therefore require a material that is reliable and can withstand these conditions. The high degree of toughness and heat resistance of 1. steel makes it ideal for such applications.

In addition to its mechanical properties, 1. steel also exhibits good machinability and grindability, which allows for easy fabrication and finishing of tools made from this material. The steel has good resistance to thermal fatigue and cracking, which contributes to its longevity and durability.

Overall, 1. steel is considered to be one of the most versatile tool steels on the market today. Its high-temperature strength, toughness, and wear resistance make it suitable for a variety of hot-work tool applications. Its excellent machinability and grindability also contribute to its widespread use. For these reasons, tool steel grade 1. continues to be a popular choice in many industrial settings.

AISI H11 Tool Steel | DIN1. | SKD6

H11 steel is a medium-carbon medium-chromium hot work tool steel, which belongs to the grade in the American ASTM A681 standard (corresponding to the European standard DIN 1. steel, but the composition of the two is slightly different).

H11 steel is well-known for its excellent thermal fatigue resistance, good toughness and high temperature strength in the hot work tool steel family, making it one of the preferred materials for aluminum, magnesium, zinc alloy die-casting molds, as well as medium-temperature hot forging and hot extrusion molds, especially suitable for use under medium temperature (about 600°C or below) working conditions.

H11 steel performs well in mold applications that need to withstand severe thermal cycle shock. Its good hardenability (suitable for air cooling) also reduces the risk of heat treatment deformation and cracking. Choosing the right quenching and tempering process is the key to fully realizing its performance.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION：H11 & EQUIVALENT GRADE

StandardGradeCSiMnPSCrVMo ASTM A681H110.33-0.430.8-1.250.2-0.60.030.034.75-5.50.3-0.61.1-1.6 DIN ISO ..28-0.350.8-1.20.1-0.40.030.032.7-3.20.4-0.71.1-1.5 JIS GSKD60.32-0.420.8-1.20.50.030.034.5-5.50.3-0.51.0-1.5 BS BH110.32-0.400.85-1.150.40.350.354.75-5.250.3-0.51.25-1.75

Comparison with H13 steel:

• H13 is a variation of H11, the main difference being that H13 contains higher vanadium (0.80-1.20%).
• Result: H13 generally has higher wear resistance, better high temperature strength and thermal stability (especially above 600°C), but is generally slightly less tough than H11 and has a slightly higher cost.
• Selection: H11 is an excellent choice for cost-sensitive applications with extremely high thermal fatigue resistance, high toughness requirements, operating temperatures below 600°C. For applications with extremely high wear resistance requirements and higher operating temperatures (above 600°C), H13 may be more suitable.

H11 STEEL PHYSICAL PROPERTY

Temperature 20°C 200°C 400°C 600°C Density,kg/m Modulus of elasticity,Mpa Coefficient of thermal expansion from 20°C,per °C—11.6 x 10^-612.4 x 10^-613.2 x 10^-6 Thermal conductivity,W/m °C—

H11 STEEL FORGING

• Heating temperature: -℃, maximum not exceeding ℃, to prevent overburning and grain coarsening.
• Initial forging temperature: -℃, to ensure sufficient plasticity and avoid cracking.
• Final forging temperature: ≥900℃, strictly prohibited to be lower than 850℃! Low temperature forging is prone to cracks (due to the precipitation of carbides to increase deformation resistance).
• Forging Ratio：above 4:1
• Post-Forging Treatment:For H11 steel, Slow cooling after sand burying for 24h, then air cooling. Annealing must be performed after forging (780-800℃×4h → ≤30℃/h furnace cooling to 500℃) to eliminate stress and prepare for subsequent processing and heat treatment.

H11 STEEL HEAT TREATMENT

The heat treatment process of H11 steel is the key to its performance, especially its air-cooled hardenability and secondary hardening effect. The following introduces two common heat treatment processes of H11.

H11 Steel Annealing

Annealing of H11 steel is generally carried out after forging and before processing. Usually heated to 840-900°C, fully kept warm (about 2-4 hours/inch thickness), slowly cooled to below 500°C in the furnace, and then air-cooled to room temperature. Hardness after annealing: 192-229 HB (≈HRC 10-20).

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H11 Steel Quenching

• Preheating:
  -First preheating: 500-550℃ (reduce thermal stress and prevent cracking)
  -Second preheating: 800-850℃ (balance internal and external temperatures)
  -Each stage holding time ≥ workpiece heat penetration time (usually 0.5-1 hour/inch)
• Austenitizing temperature:
  -Standard range: -℃ (commonly used ℃)
  -High temperature tendency: ℃↑ → dissolve more carbides → improve high temperature strength, but slightly reduce toughness.
  -Low temperature tendency: ℃↓ → retain more undissolved carbides → wear resistance↑, toughness↑.
• Holding time:
  -Salt bath furnace: 5-15 minutes/inch
  -Box furnace: 20-30 minutes/inch (need to prevent decarburization)
• Cooling method:
  –Preferred air cooling (static/forced air cooling) → small deformation, suitable for complex molds.
  -Oil cooling can be used for large cross-section or high-demand parts (cracking risk↑, need to be strictly controlled).

H11 Steel Tempering

Adequate tempering is a must! Usually done in the 540-650°C temperature range, at least twice (sometimes three times), with adequate holding time each time (usually 2 hours per inch of thickness).

The tempering temperature is selected based on the required hardness (the target hardness is usually in the HRC 45-52 range). A secondary hardening peak occurs when tempering at about 540-580°C. Adequate tempering is key to achieving optimal toughness and thermal fatigue resistance.

Tempering temperature (°C)Expected hardness(HRC)Applicable scenarios 540-560°C50-52High wear resistance requirements (such as extrusion dies) 580-600°C47-49Balance wear resistance and toughness (die casting dies) 620-650°C42-45High impact toughness (hot forging dies)

Note: H11 steel should avoid tempering in the range of about 370-425°C to prevent temper brittleness.

H11 Steel Mechanical Property

Hardness,HRC.548.5 Tensile strength,Mpa Yield strength Rp 0.2,Mpa Elongation A5 ,% Reduction in area Z,% Tempering,℃ HRC Rm,N/mm

H11 STEEL MAIN APPLICATION AREAS

• Die-casting molds: Especially suitable for aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy die-casting molds (such as cores, cavities, sliders, gate sleeves, etc.), and zinc alloy die-casting molds. Its excellent thermal fatigue resistance is crucial in such applications.
• Hot extrusion molds: Dies used for extrusion of aluminum, copper alloys and other non-ferrous metals (such as extrusion barrel liners, extrusion pads, die supports, die sleeves, front ends of extrusion rods, etc.).
• Hot forging molds: Suitable for forging dies with not particularly large forging forces and medium working temperatures (such as hammer forging dies, inserts of press forging dies, core rods, etc.).
• Hot shear blades: Blades used to shear bars or billets at high temperatures.
• Plastic molds (parts requiring high wear resistance and high corrosion resistance): Although it is not a mainstream plastic mold steel, it can be used to manufacture plastic mold parts that require high wear resistance, corrosion resistance or need to withstand a certain temperature (such as wear-resistant inserts of injection molds, runner systems of high-temperature plastics, etc.).
• Others: core rod, hot punch, hot piercing plug, etc.

H11 STEEL SUPPLY FORM & SIZE & TOLERANCE

Hot Forged Round bar:Φ61-Φ505mm

Hot Rolled  Round bar:Φ14-Φ56mm

Hot Forged Square bar: Max Thickness:400mm

Flat bar/Blcoks:Thickness :8-400mm ,Width:210-810mm

Surface FinishBlack-Forged Black-Rolled Turned   GrindingPolishedPeeledCold Drawn Tolerance(0，+5mm)(0，+1mm)(0，+3mm)Best h9Best h11Best H11Best H11

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