DIN 1.2379 X153CrMoV12 / AISI D2 / JIS SKD11 Cold Work Tool Steel

1.2379 is a widely recognized high-carbon, high-chromium tool steel that conforms to the German standard DIN 17350. It is renowned for its exceptional wear resistance, high hardness, and excellent toughness, making it suitable for applications requiring durability and precision under high-stress conditions. Due to its outstanding performance, many countries have developed equivalent steels to DIN 1.2379. Such as the American standard D2 (ASTM A681), the international standard X153CrMoV12 (ISO 4957), the Japanese standard SKD11 (JIS G4404), and the Chinese standard Cr12Mo1V1 (GB/T 1299).

1.2379 steel contains high levels of carbon (1.50-1.60%), chromium (11.00-12.00%), and molybdenum (0.60-0.80%), along with vanadium (0.90-1.10%), which contribute to its excellent wear resistance, high hardness, and good toughness. The chromium content enhances its hardness and corrosion resistance, while molybdenum and vanadium improve its wear resistance, toughness, and ability to retain hardness under demanding conditions. These properties make 1.2379 an ideal choice for manufacturing cold work tools, such as blanking dies, forming dies, shear blades, and other components that require high wear resistance, long service life, and precise dimensional stability.

1: Steel equivalent

2: Chemical composition

3: Surface hardness and hardenability

4: Supply size & Tolerance & Stock size

Qilu steel stock hot rolled bar and forged bars more than ten thousands tons every month, below our our stock size.

1): Stock diameter for hot rolled bar

2) : Stock diameter for hot forged bar

Since the stocks change everyday, if you want to know our stock available information, please contact our salesman.

5: Ultrasonic Test

EN10228-3 class III or Sep 1921-84 D/D

6：Steel making & Forging processing

1): Steel making process:

  EF+LF+VD

  EAF+LF+VD

  EF+LF+VD+ESR

  EAF+LF+VD+ESR

2): Forging processing:  

Put the 1.2379 ingot into the furnace and pre-heat to 700-800℃

Continue heating the ingot to initial temperature: 1000-1100℃

Forge the ingot, forging temperature should be not less than 850-900℃

Cooling in the sand after forging

7: Heat treatment

1): Annealed:

Heat 1.2379 steel to 840-880℃ in the furnace

Soak at this temperature in the furnace

Cooling in the furnace slowly

2): Quenching and tempering:

Preheat Temperature: 816℃

Heat 1.2379 steel to 1010-1030℃ in the salt bath furnace

Soak at this temperature in the furnace

Quench in air

Temper steel at 170-190℃ in the furnace

Take out from furnace and cool in the air.

Above curve in figure is just a rough guide to the tempering behaviour of steels. When applying the curves for an estimation of the hardness which can be expected in quenched and tempered tools, it should be taken into account that the optimum heat-treatment conditions for the tools are not necessarily identical with those specified for the test pieces.

The heating time of test pieces in a salt batch shall be as give in below table:

Total heating time of test pieces in a salt bath

If the test pieces are not heated in a salt batch, the heating time must be extended accordingly, and the times for heating give above are not valid for thicker tools.

8：Application

1.2379 steel has very high wear resistance, compressive strength and good toughness and is mainly used in the following applications.

Cold-Work Molds and Dies

1): Blanking Dies: Used for cutting and blanking metal sheets.

2): Forming Dies: Suitable for cold forming and bending operations.

3): Drawing Dies: Used for deep drawing of metal components.

4): Trimming Dies: Applied in trimming and cutting processes.

Cutting Tools

1): Shear Blades: Used for cutting metal sheets and strips.

2): Slitting Knives: Ideal for precision slitting of thin materials.

3): Punching Tools: Suitable for high-precision punching operations.

Wear-Resistant Components

1): Guide Rails: Used in high-wear environments for guiding moving parts.

2): Wear Plates: Applied as protective plates in abrasive conditions.

3): Rollers: Used in rolling mills and other high-wear machinery.

Precision Tools

1): Gauges: Used for high-precision measurement tools.

2): Thread Rolling Dies: Suitable for thread rolling applications.

3): Knurling Tools: Used for creating patterns on metal surfaces.

Other Applications

1): Cold Extrusion Dies: Used for cold extrusion of metals.

2): Stamping Tools: Applied in high-precision stamping operations.

3): High-Hardness Mechanical Parts: Such as bearings, gears, and shafts.