M2 High Speed Tool Steel Chemical Analysis
Common M2 Tool Steel Related Specifications and Equivalents
| Country | USA | German | Japan |
| Standard | ASTM A600 | DIN EN ISO 4957 | JIS G4403 |
| Grades | M2 | 1.3343 | SKH51 |
other Known Names: HS 6-5-2, S600 Steel, E M2, REX M2®, P6M5, 6-6
ASTM M2 Tool Steel Chemical Composition Properties
| ASTM A600 | C | Mn | P | S | Si | Cr | V | Mo | W | |||||||
| M2 regular C | 0.78 | 0.88 | 0.15 | 0.40 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.20 | 0.45 | 3.75 | 4.50 | 1.75 | 2.20 | 4.50 | 5.50 | 5.50 | 6.75 |
| DIN ISO 4957 | C | Mn | P | S | Si | Cr | V | Mo | W | |||||||
| 1.3343 | 0.86 | 0.94 | … | … | … | … | … | 0.45 | 3.80 | 4.50 | 1.70 | 2.10 | 4.70 | 5.20 | 5.90 | 6.70 |
| JIS G4403 | C | Mn | P | S | Si | Cr | V | Mo | W | |||||||
| SKH51 | 0.80 | 0.88 | … | 0.40 | 0.03 | 0.03 | … | 0.45 | 3.80 | 4.50 | 1.70 | 2.10 | 4.70 | 5.20 | 5.90 | 6.70 |
M2 Tool Steel Chemical composition
0.85% Carbon improves the steel hardness, tensile strength, and improves wear resistance. As the amount of carbon in a steel alloy increases, the ductility trends downward.
4.15% Chromium increases tensile strength, hardness, and toughness. Since the chromium appears in low amounts, M2 is highly vulnerable to rusting and not a good steel knife for use in humid or saltwater conditions.
5.00% Molybdenum increases the hardness, strength, and toughness of this steel.
1.85% Vanadium boosts the steel toughness while increasing its strength and wear resistance.
0.280% Manganese increases the hardenability and wear resistance of this steel.
0.30% Nickel adds to the steel toughness.
0.45% Silicon improves the steel strength.
0.25% Copper helps prevent surface oxidization, thereby promoting corrosion resistance.
0.030% Phosphorous improves the machinability, strength, and hardness of M2 steel.
0.030% Sulfur boosts machinability. This element has to be used in small amounts since too much of it can increase impurity level in the steel alloy and affect its strength.
The M2 tool has a combination of high Tungsten, Nickel and Chromium, which makes hard steel with great toughness and corrosion resistance.
M2 Tool Steel Equivalent And Comparison
M2 Tool Steel Vs D2
AISI D2 is close steel to M2 and is at times considered its equivalent. Not to forget, D2 is also popular in the knife manufacturing industry. When these two steels are treated to the same hardness level, M2 will offer better wear resistance and toughness. But D2 offers better corrosion resistance and is more difficult to sharpen than M2 tool steel.
M2 Vs M4 Tool Steel
As we have mentioned earlier, M4 tool steel replaced M2 around 2005. As the upgraded version of the famous M2 steel, the M4 steel delivers higher toughness at the same hardness as M2. Because of the higher carbide volume in M4 than in M2, it’s less challenging to grind, offers increases wear resistance and has better edge retention than M2 at the same hardness. However, anti-corrosion performance is still wanting for both steels.
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