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E: enquiry@qilumetal.com
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X30WCrV9-3 / 1.2581 is a widely used high-carbon, high-tungsten hot-work tool steel conforming to the German standard DIN EN ISO 4957 and DIN 17350. It is renowned for its high red hardness, excellent wear resistance, good high-temperature strength, and moderate tempering stability. With proper heat treatment, this steel maintains excellent dimensional stability and thermal fatigue resistance, making it suitable for molds operating in high-temperature environments, such as die-casting molds, hot forging dies, and extrusion tools. Due to its outstanding properties, equivalent grades have been established in many countries, such as AISI H21 from America standard ASTM A681, SKD5 from Japanese standard JIS G4404, 3Cr2W8V from Chinese standard GB/T 1299.
1.2581 steel contains elevated levels of carbon and tungsten, supplemented with chromium and vanadium. These elements are crucial for forming hard carbides, enhancing wear resistance, and improving secondary hardening capacity. The tungsten content significantly improves the steel's red hardness and high-temperature strength, while the chromium addition increases hardenability and provides some corrosion resistance. Vanadium helps refine the grain structure, enhancing toughness and impact resistance. This makes it highly suitable for applications demanding high durability, precision, and good resistance to tempering softening.
1: Steel equivalent
Country | ISO | Germany | China | Japan | USA |
Standard | ISO 4957 | DIN 17350 | GB GB/T 1299 | JIS G4404 | AISI/ASTM ASTM A681 |
Grade | X30WCrV9-3 | X30WCrV9-3/ 1.2581 | 3Cr2W8V | SKD5 | H21 |
2: Chemical composition
Grade | C | Si | Mn | Cr | W | P | S | V |
| X30WCrV9-3/ 1.2581 | 0.25-0.35 | 0.10-0.40 | 0.15-0.45 | 2.50-3.20 | 8.50-9.50 | 0.030Max | 0.020Max | 0.30-0.50 |
| 3Cr2W8V | 0.30-0.40 | ≤ 0.40 | ≤ 0.40 | 2.20-2.70 | 7.50-9.00 | 0.030Max | 0.030Max | 0.20-0.50 |
| SKD5 | 0.25-0.35 | 0.10-0.40 | 0.15-0.45 | 2.50-3.20 | 8.50-9.50 | 0.030Max | 0.020Max | 0.30-0.50 |
| H21 | 0.26-0.36 | 0.15-0.50 | 0.15-0.40 | 3.00-3.75 | / | 0.030Max | 0.030Max | 0.30-0.60 |
3: Surface hardness and hardenability
Heat Treatment | Hardness |
Annealed (+A) | HB241Max |
| Hardening and Tempering (+HT) | HRC48 Min |
| Cold-drawn condition | HB262Max |
| Quenched and tempred (+QT) | HRC28-32(Common Range) |
4: Supply size & Tolerance & Stock size
Product type | Size range | Length |
Hot rolled bar | Φ10-Φ190mm | 2000-5800mm |
Hot forged bar | Φ200-Φ600mm | 2000-5800mm |
Hot rolled plate/sheet | T:10-60mm; W:310-810mm | 2000-5800mm |
Hot forged plate | T:70-250mm; W:310-810mm | 2000-5800mm |
Hot Forged block | T: 260-500mm; W: 300-1000mm | 2000-5800mm |
Surface Finish | Turned | Milled | Grinding(Best) | Polished(Best) | Peeled(Best) | Black Forged | Black Rolled |
Tolerance | +0/+3mm | +0/+3mm | +0/+0.05mm | +0/+0.05mm | +0/+0.1mm | +0/+5mm | +0/+1mm |
Straighness | 1mm/1000mm max. | 3mm/1000mm max. | |||||
For 1.2581 steel, because we don’t use them in domestic market, so there is no stocks for that material.
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:
Initial temperature: 1100-1150℃
Final temperature: 900-950℃
Cooling in the furnace or in the sand
7: Heat treatment
1): Annealed:
Heat 1.2581 steel to 820-850℃
Slowly cool to approximately 600 °C. Cooling in the air
2): Quenching and tempering:
Heat 1.2581 steel to 1140-1160℃ in the salt bath furnace
Quench in the Oil
Temper steel at 590-610℃ in the furnace
Cooling in the air.
Above curve in figure is a rough guide to the tempering behaviour of steels.
8：Application
Based on the chemical composition of 1.2581 steel and its resulting high red hardness, excellent high-temperature strength, good wear resistance, and thermal fatigue resistance, its application areas are clearly defined, primarily concentrated in tool and die fields requiring resistance to high heat, high mechanical stress, and severe wear. Below are the main application classifications for 1.2581 steel:
1. Hot-work dies
1) Die-casting molds: Used for die-casting low-melting-point non-ferrous metals such as zinc alloys, magnesium alloys, and aluminum alloys. Typical components: cores, cavities, slides, nozzles, crucibles, etc.
2) Hot extrusion dies: Used for forming bars, tubes, and profiles from non-ferrous metals like copper alloys and aluminum alloys. Typical components: Extrusion rods, extrusion heads, extrusion cylinder liners, dies
3) Hot Forging Dies: Used for forging various steel and non-ferrous metal components. Typical components: Forging dies, punches, dies, especially under high forging force and elevated mold temperature conditions
4) Other Hot Forming Dies:
Plastic molds: Used for processing highly corrosive plastics (e.g., PVC) or precision molds requiring high polishability and extended service life
Gravity casting molds and metal mold casting molds
2. Cutting and Wear-Resistant Components
High-temperature cutting tools: Suitable for manufacturing cutting tools operating at high speeds or tools for machining hard materials
Wear-resistant components: Used in manufacturing machine parts operating under high-temperature, high-wear conditions. Typical components: Bearings, guide rails, rollers, feed rollers, etc.
3. Other Tools
Cored Welding Rods: Due to its high tungsten and chromium content, 1.2581 steel is sometimes used as the core wire for cored welding rods to repair or reinforce damaged tool and die surfaces.
X30WCrV9-3 / 1.2581 is a widely used high-carbon, high-tungsten hot-work tool steel conforming to the German standard DIN EN ISO 4957 and DIN 17350. It is renowned for its high red hardness, excellent wear resistance, good high-temperature strength, and moderate tempering stability. With proper heat treatment, this steel maintains excellent dimensional stability and thermal fatigue resistance, making it suitable for molds operating in high-temperature environments, such as die-casting molds, hot forging dies, and extrusion tools. Due to its outstanding properties, equivalent grades have been established in many countries, such as AISI H21 from America standard ASTM A681, SKD5 from Japanese standard JIS G4404, 3Cr2W8V from Chinese standard GB/T 1299.
1.2581 steel contains elevated levels of carbon and tungsten, supplemented with chromium and vanadium. These elements are crucial for forming hard carbides, enhancing wear resistance, and improving secondary hardening capacity. The tungsten content significantly improves the steel's red hardness and high-temperature strength, while the chromium addition increases hardenability and provides some corrosion resistance. Vanadium helps refine the grain structure, enhancing toughness and impact resistance. This makes it highly suitable for applications demanding high durability, precision, and good resistance to tempering softening.
1: Steel equivalent
Country | ISO | Germany | China | Japan | USA |
Standard | ISO 4957 | DIN 17350 | GB GB/T 1299 | JIS G4404 | AISI/ASTM ASTM A681 |
Grade | X30WCrV9-3 | X30WCrV9-3/ 1.2581 | 3Cr2W8V | SKD5 | H21 |
2: Chemical composition
Grade | C | Si | Mn | Cr | W | P | S | V |
| X30WCrV9-3/ 1.2581 | 0.25-0.35 | 0.10-0.40 | 0.15-0.45 | 2.50-3.20 | 8.50-9.50 | 0.030Max | 0.020Max | 0.30-0.50 |
| 3Cr2W8V | 0.30-0.40 | ≤ 0.40 | ≤ 0.40 | 2.20-2.70 | 7.50-9.00 | 0.030Max | 0.030Max | 0.20-0.50 |
| SKD5 | 0.25-0.35 | 0.10-0.40 | 0.15-0.45 | 2.50-3.20 | 8.50-9.50 | 0.030Max | 0.020Max | 0.30-0.50 |
| H21 | 0.26-0.36 | 0.15-0.50 | 0.15-0.40 | 3.00-3.75 | / | 0.030Max | 0.030Max | 0.30-0.60 |
3: Surface hardness and hardenability
Heat Treatment | Hardness |
Annealed (+A) | HB241Max |
| Hardening and Tempering (+HT) | HRC48 Min |
| Cold-drawn condition | HB262Max |
| Quenched and tempred (+QT) | HRC28-32(Common Range) |
4: Supply size & Tolerance & Stock size
Product type | Size range | Length |
Hot rolled bar | Φ10-Φ190mm | 2000-5800mm |
Hot forged bar | Φ200-Φ600mm | 2000-5800mm |
Hot rolled plate/sheet | T:10-60mm; W:310-810mm | 2000-5800mm |
Hot forged plate | T:70-250mm; W:310-810mm | 2000-5800mm |
Hot Forged block | T: 260-500mm; W: 300-1000mm | 2000-5800mm |
Surface Finish | Turned | Milled | Grinding(Best) | Polished(Best) | Peeled(Best) | Black Forged | Black Rolled |
Tolerance | +0/+3mm | +0/+3mm | +0/+0.05mm | +0/+0.05mm | +0/+0.1mm | +0/+5mm | +0/+1mm |
Straighness | 1mm/1000mm max. | 3mm/1000mm max. | |||||
For 1.2581 steel, because we don’t use them in domestic market, so there is no stocks for that material.
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:
Initial temperature: 1100-1150℃
Final temperature: 900-950℃
Cooling in the furnace or in the sand
7: Heat treatment
1): Annealed:
Heat 1.2581 steel to 820-850℃
Slowly cool to approximately 600 °C. Cooling in the air
2): Quenching and tempering:
Heat 1.2581 steel to 1140-1160℃ in the salt bath furnace
Quench in the Oil
Temper steel at 590-610℃ in the furnace
Cooling in the air.
Above curve in figure is a rough guide to the tempering behaviour of steels.
8：Application
Based on the chemical composition of 1.2581 steel and its resulting high red hardness, excellent high-temperature strength, good wear resistance, and thermal fatigue resistance, its application areas are clearly defined, primarily concentrated in tool and die fields requiring resistance to high heat, high mechanical stress, and severe wear. Below are the main application classifications for 1.2581 steel:
1. Hot-work dies
1) Die-casting molds: Used for die-casting low-melting-point non-ferrous metals such as zinc alloys, magnesium alloys, and aluminum alloys. Typical components: cores, cavities, slides, nozzles, crucibles, etc.
2) Hot extrusion dies: Used for forming bars, tubes, and profiles from non-ferrous metals like copper alloys and aluminum alloys. Typical components: Extrusion rods, extrusion heads, extrusion cylinder liners, dies
3) Hot Forging Dies: Used for forging various steel and non-ferrous metal components. Typical components: Forging dies, punches, dies, especially under high forging force and elevated mold temperature conditions
4) Other Hot Forming Dies:
Plastic molds: Used for processing highly corrosive plastics (e.g., PVC) or precision molds requiring high polishability and extended service life
Gravity casting molds and metal mold casting molds
2. Cutting and Wear-Resistant Components
High-temperature cutting tools: Suitable for manufacturing cutting tools operating at high speeds or tools for machining hard materials
Wear-resistant components: Used in manufacturing machine parts operating under high-temperature, high-wear conditions. Typical components: Bearings, guide rails, rollers, feed rollers, etc.
3. Other Tools
Cored Welding Rods: Due to its high tungsten and chromium content, 1.2581 steel is sometimes used as the core wire for cored welding rods to repair or reinforce damaged tool and die surfaces.
