P20 Mold Steel

P20 is a widely used pre-hardened plastic mold steel offering good machinability, toughness, dimensional stability, and polishability. It is commonly supplied in a pre-hardened condition, allowing direct CNC machining without additional through-hardening and reducing the risk of heat-treatment distortion.

Appearance & Properties

Color: Silver-gray to dark gray

Density: Approx. 7.85 g/cm³

Hardness: Typically approx. 28–34 HRC in the pre-hardened condition

Corrosion Resistance: Poor

Machinability: Good

Polishability: Good

Toughness: Good

Weldability: Good

Magnetism: Magnetic

Heat Treatment: Commonly supplied pre-hardened; surface hardening such as nitriding can be applied

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

Typical Applications

P20 Mold Steel is widely used in plastic molding, automotive, home appliances, consumer electronics, industrial equipment, and precision mold manufacturing.

Typical parts include injection molds, mold cores, cavities, mold inserts, sliders, mold-base components, and medium-to-large precision mold parts.

Advantages

• Can be CNC machined directly in the pre-hardened condition

• Good machinability and polishability

• Good toughness and dimensional stability

• Reduced risk of distortion from through-hardening

• Well suited for medium-to-large plastic molds

Limitations

• Poor corrosion resistance

• Lower hardness and wear resistance than high-hardness tool steels such as D2

• Not ideal for extremely high-wear or high-temperature applications

• Long-life molds may require additional surface hardening such as nitriding