Tool steels are the engineering materials of last resort — specified when no other material is hard enough, wear-resistant enough, or dimensionally stable enough. D2 (high-carbon high-chromium cold-work tool steel), H13 (hot-work die steel for die casting and injection moulding), and A2 (air-hardening tool steel for general tooling) are the grades we machine most frequently. The machining workflow for tool steel is different from any other material: rough machine in the soft (annealed) condition, send for heat treatment, finish-machine and grind to final dimensions in the hardened condition. OrangeSea CNC manages this complete workflow, coordinating heat treatment through our qualified local partners and returning parts to our CMM for final inspection.
Technical Data
Material Properties
Capabilities
Why CNC Machine Tool Steel?
Complete Workflow Management
We rough-machine, coordinate heat treatment, then finish-machine and grind to final dimensions — one supplier, zero hand-off complexity.
Die Casting & Mould Expertise
H13 is the global standard for die casting dies and injection mould inserts. Our EDM and grinding partners deliver mirror finishes and tight cavity dimensions.
Press Tool Accuracy
D2 press tool inserts and blanking punches machined and ground to the close clearances that stamping quality requires — typically 5–10% of material thickness.
Precision Grinding Available
Surface and cylindrical grinding to ±0.005 mm on hardened tool steel for precision gauge, fixture, and tooling components.
Long Service Life
Correctly specified and heat-treated D2 tooling runs millions of cycles without re-sharpening. H13 die inserts survive hundreds of thousands of casting shots.
Use Cases
What We Machine in Tool Steel
Engineering Tips
Design for Machining — Tool Steel
Always rough-machine with 0.3–0.5 mm stock left for finishing — heat treatment distorts dimensions and this allowance is removed in the hardened finish operation
D2 is for cold work (punching, blanking, forming); H13 is for hot work (die casting, extrusion, forging dies). Do not substitute without consulting an engineer
Wire EDM is the preferred process for complex profiles in hardened D2 — we coordinate EDM through our partner facility
Specify the hardness range you require — H13 at 52 HRC has different toughness/hardness balance than H13 at 44 HRC. We need to know the intended application to recommend the correct temper
Surface Options
Available Finishes
Related Materials
Get Started
Ready to Machine in Tool Steel?
Upload your design files and get a detailed quote within 24 hours. Tolerances to ±0.01 mm, ships worldwide from Shenzhen.