
Cold-Work Tool Steel Selection Guide
Cold-work tool steel — the AISI D-series, A-series, O1, DC53. Compare chemistry, heat treatment, wear life and toughness for industrial blade applications.
selection-guide
Step-by-step methodology for choosing the right industrial blade for your substrate and line.
15 articles

Cold-work tool steel — the AISI D-series, A-series, O1, DC53. Compare chemistry, heat treatment, wear life and toughness for industrial blade applications.

High-speed steel — AISI M-series (M1, M3, M35, M42, M50), T-series (T1, T15), and PM grades like ASP 2060. Compare hot hardness, wear life and selection…

Hot-work tool steel — AISI H11, H13, GB 6CrW2Si. Compare chemistry, hot hardness, thermal fatigue resistance and selection for die casting, hot shear and…

Martensitic stainless steel — AISI 420, 440A, 440B, 440C, 17-4 PH. Compare chemistry, hardness, corrosion resistance and selection for food-contact and…

A structured method to match substrate, geometry, hardness, edge prep and operating speed to a production line. The 5-Factor Blade Selection Framework —…

Tungsten carbide — GB YG6, YG10, YG15 grades and ISO 513 K-series. Compare composition, hardness, wear resistance and selection for granulator rotors,…

Compare industrial cutting tools to optimize manufacturing efficiency. Learn how to choose between high-speed steel, carbide, and coated blades today.

Corrugated slitting is one of the most abrasive industrial cutting applications. The substrate is a multi-layer composite of kraft paper + adhesive + flute.

Crusher blades take the largest impact loads in industrial cutting. A 30 mm M16 nut in a granulator feed will shatter a D2 blade in 200 cycles.

Doctor blades see high-speed scraping, ink chemistry and metrology-grade edge geometry. The wrong steel grade produces streaking, ghosting.

Foam and rubber substrates are gummy, abrasive and chemically variable. The wrong blade grade galls immediately, the wrong edge geometry produces a torn.

Granulator rotor and bed knives see impact, contamination and abrasive fillers. The right grade, geometry and edge prep separates a 2-week knife from a 6-month.

Paper slitting looks simple until you account for the substrate GSM, the caliper variation, the trim, the lay-flat tension and the line speed.

Plate shear blades see impact, work-hardening substrate and variable stock thickness. The grade, hardness and chamfer choice drive a 10× difference in service.

Stainless steel work-hardens under the cut, and the wrong blade grade will see service life drop by 3–5×. This selection guide walks through the substrate.