High Speed Steel

This grade is described by balanced combination of abrasion resistance, toughness and good red hardness. Because of its nearly low carbon content, M2 has a great mix of strength properties and abrasion resistance when properly hardened and tempered. M2 is widely used in cutting device, blade and punch and kick and die applications.

World wide, the M2 type is by far the most popular high speed steel having replaced T1 high speed in most applications because of its superior properties and relative economy.

Chemical Composition

Element	Min	Max
Carbon, C	0.80	0.90
Manganese, Mn	-.--	0.40
Silicon, Si	-.--	0.40
Molybdenum, Mo	4.50	5.50
Chromium,Cr	3.80	4.50
W	5.50	6.70
V	1.60	2.20

Physical Properties

Properties	Metric	Imperial
Density	8.16 g/cm3	0.294 lb/in3
Melting point	4680°C	2600°F

Mechanical Properties

Properties	Metric	Imperial
Hardness, Rockwell C (tempered at 1150°F, quenched at 2200°F)	62	62
Hardness, Rockwell C (as hardened, quenched at 2200°F)	65	65
Compressive yield strength (when tempered at 300°F)	3250 MPa	471000 psi
Izod impact unnotched (when tempered at 300°F)	67 J	49.4 ft-lb
Abrasion (loss in mm3, as-hardened; ASTM G65)	25.8	25.8
Abrasion (loss in mm3, tempered at 1275°F; ASTM G65)	77.7	77.7
Poisson's ratio	0.27-0.30	0.27-0.30
Elastic modulus	190-210 GPa	27557-30458 ksi

Thermal Properties

Properties	Metric	Imperial
CTE, linear (@20.0 - 100°C/ 68.0 - 212°F)	10 μm/m°C	5.56 μin/in°F
CTE, linear (@20.0 - 500°C/68.0 - 932°F)	12.2 μm/m°C	6.78 μin/in°F
CTE, linear (@20.0 - 850°C/68.0 - 1560°F)	12.6 μm/m°C	7 μin/in°F

Features

Heat Treatment

Tempering

Annealing

Machinability

Hardening

Stress Relieving