H13 Tool Steel

H13 is a chromium-molybdenum-vanadium hot-work tool steel known for its excellent high-temperature strength, thermal fatigue resistance, and toughness. Compared with cold-work tool steels such as D2, A2, and O1, H13 is better suited for elevated temperatures and repeated heating and cooling cycles.

Appearance & Properties

Color: Silver-gray to dark gray

Density: Approx. 7.8 g/cm³

Hardness: Typically approx. 44–52 HRC after heat treatment

Corrosion Resistance: Poor

Machinability: Good when annealed; difficult after hardening

High-Temperature Strength: Excellent

Thermal Fatigue Resistance: Excellent

Toughness: Good

Magnetism: Magnetic

Heat Treatment: Annealing, hardening, tempering, nitriding, etc.

Surface Treatments: Nitriding, PVD coating, black oxide, grinding, polishing, etc.

Typical Applications

H13 Tool Steel is widely used in die casting, hot forging, extrusion, die manufacturing, automotive production, and high-temperature metal forming.

Typical parts include die-casting dies, hot-forging dies, extrusion dies, die cores, punches, hot-shear tools, die inserts, and high-temperature wear-resistant tooling components.

Advantages

• Excellent high-temperature strength and hardness retention

• Good resistance to thermal fatigue and heat checking

• Good toughness and impact resistance

• Good dimensional stability after heat treatment

• Ideal for hot-work dies and high-temperature tooling

Limitations

• Poor corrosion resistance

• Generally lower wear resistance than high-wear cold-work steels such as D2

• Difficult to CNC machine after hardening

• Final performance is highly dependent on proper heat treatment