What Makes a Steel Grade ‘Machinable’?

When it comes to tooling, die making, or manufacturing components, selecting the right steel isn’t just about strength or hardness — it's about how well the material can be machined into the desired shape with precision and speed.

This quality is known as machinability and it plays a huge role in reducing cost, saving time, and improving tool life.

At Goel Steel Enterprises, we supply D3, H13, DB6, and EN24 steel grades in machined or pre-machined condition, helping industries get ahead with materials that are ready for production.

🔍 What is Machinability?

Machinability is a measure of how easily a material can be cut or shaped using machining processes like turning, milling, drilling, or grinding.

A high machinability steel:

• Requires less power to cut

• Produces cleaner chips

• Leads to longer tool life

• Provides smoother finishes

• Minimizes wear on machines

⚙️ What Affects the Machinability of Steel?

There are several key factors that determine how machinable a steel grade is:

1. Carbon Content

• Low to medium carbon steels (like EN8D) are generally more machinable than high-carbon steels.

• Too much carbon makes steel harder but brittle, and thus more difficult to machine.

🧠 EN24, with its balanced carbon content (~0.40%), offers good machinability with high strength.

2. Alloying Elements

• Elements like Chromium, Molybdenum, Vanadium enhance strength and wear resistance but may reduce machinability.

• Sulfur and Lead (when added in controlled amounts) improve machinability.

🔹 H13 (Cr-Mo tool steel) is moderately machinable, especially in its annealed condition.
🔹 D3 (high-carbon high-chromium steel) has low machinability in hardened state but can be machined well when supplied soft annealed.

3. Heat Treatment Condition

• Annealed steels are softer and easier to machine.

• Hardened or tempered steels require carbide tools and slower feeds.

✅ At Goel Steel Enterprises, we provide D3, H13, DB6, and EN24 in soft annealed or pre-machined forms, making them ready for tooling or precision applications.

4. Microstructure

• Fine, uniform grain size = better machinability

• Presence of hard carbides or inclusions can reduce machinability

5. Surface Condition

• Scaled, oxidized, or rough surfaces increase wear on tools

• At Goel Steel, we supply machined or turned round bars and flats for better surface control

🧪 Relative Machinability of Common Grades (1–100 Scale)

🟢 100% = Reference Steel (AISI 1112)

🔧 Our Machined Supply Formats at Goel Steel Enterprises

We provide steel grades in:

• 🔹 Rough machined condition (peeled or turned bars)

• 🔹 Pre-machined flats and blocks

• 🔹 Annealed and UT-tested with MTC

This reduces your machining time, improves surface quality, and ensures dimensional consistency.

✨ Why Choose Goel Steel Enterprises?

✅ Grades like D3, H13, DB6, and EN24 always available in machined or ready-to-use condition
✅ Pan-India shipping with proper rust protection
✅ Free consultation on grade selection and heat treatment
✅ MTC + Ultrasonic Testing + Chemical Certification included

📍 Visit: www.goelsteelenterprises.com
📞 Call us: +91-9686477515
📧 Mail: [email protected]

💬 Quote of the Day

If you're working with steels like D3, H13, EN24, or DB6, knowing their machinability is key to productivity.
At Goel Steel Enterprises, we ensure the grades you get are not just technically accurate, but also ready to be shaped into precision tools.

Whether you’re machining dies, shafts, or molds we’ve got the steel and the support you need.

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