12L14 Free-Cutting Steel

12L14 is a leaded low-carbon free-cutting steel known for its exceptional machinability. Compared with 1215, it generally offers even better cutting performance and machined surface quality, making it particularly suitable for high-speed CNC turning, automatic screw machines, and high-volume precision component production.

Appearance & Properties

Color: Silver-gray to dark gray

Density: Approx. 7.85 g/cm³

Tensile Strength: Approx. 380–540 MPa (depending on material condition)

Corrosion Resistance: Poor

Machinability: Excellent

Weldability: Poor

Strength: Moderate

Magnetism: Magnetic

Surface Finishes: Zinc plating, nickel plating, black oxide, phosphating, etc.

Typical Applications

12L14 Free-Cutting Steel is widely used in automotive, electronics, automation equipment, instrumentation, hardware, and precision machinery.

Typical parts include precision shafts, pins, bolts, nuts, threaded components, bushings, fittings, connectors, and various high-volume CNC turned parts.

Advantages

• Exceptional machinability

• High cutting efficiency and excellent chip control

• Good machined surface quality

• Good tool life and production efficiency

• Ideal for high-speed turning and high-volume production

Limitations

• Poor corrosion resistance and usually requires surface protection

• Poor weldability

• Not suitable for high-strength or highly loaded structures

• Contains lead, so regulatory and customer requirements should be verified for food, drinking water, medical, and restricted-substance applications