440C Stainless Tool Steel is a martensitic stainless steel of high carbon and chromium content capable of full hardening response after oil quenching or air cooling. Interested in 440C Stainless Tool Steel? Contact us for more information.
The outstanding wear resistance of 440C combined with it’s moderately good corrosion resistance make it an excellent candidate for bearings, bushings, valve components, cutlery, pump parts, seaming chucks and rolls.
For maximum softness 440C should be heated slowly to 850° / 900° C equalized, and very slowly furnace cooled to 540° C followed by cooling in air. Typical fully annealed hardness is 229 / 255 Brinell. Intermediate process annealing can be accomplished by heating uniformly to 730 / 760° C followed by air cooling. Since typical hardness will be above 255 Bhn, the full annealing process is preferred.
Heat to 650 / 700 C. Hold for 2 – 4 hours and furnace cool.
Heat slowly to 101 O / 1060° C and oil quench. Smaller sections can be air cooled. As quenched hardness in the range of Rockwell “C” 60 / 61 is possible.
Tempering 440C in the range of 180 / 230° C is recommended to develop full -working hardness in the range of Rockwell “Cn 57 I 59.
| Temperature °C | Rockwell C | Brinell |
|---|---|---|
| 150 | 60-61 | 614 |
| 180 | 57-59 | 578 |
| 200 | 57-58 | 578 |
| 260 | 56 | 555 |
| 320 | 55-56 | 555 |
| 430 | 56 | 555 |
| 540 | 57-59 | 578 |
| 650 | 38-39 | 352 |
These curves indicate typical values obtained from standard test specimens air cooled from 1030°C and double tempered at 600°C.
| TEMPERING °C | HARDNESS RC | U.T.S KSI | TENSILE YIELD KSI | % ELONGATION IN 50MM | % REDUCTION OF AREA | COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH KSI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annealed As Quenced | 98 | 110 | 70 | 15 | 30 | |
| 1040 | 61/62 | |||||
| 260 | 57 | 265 | 230 | 350 | ||
| 320 | 53/56 | 267 | 230 | 338 | ||
| 430 | 54 | 267 | 230 | 330 | ||
| 540 | 43/45 | 248 | 200 | 321 | ||
| 650 | 38/39 | 150 | 130 | 181 |
Whether you need tool steels, conventional high-speed steels, or powder metallurgy grades, our friendly team is ready to help meet your requirements. We cut and supply steel products for our customers, across the UK and Ireland, and specialise in niche products as well as standard commercial grades.