Applications
Which die steel for which job — grouped by the industry the tool runs in, not by grade name.
Most grade questions are really application questions. A buyer looking for die steel is usually trying to match a steel to a press, a substrate and a failure mode; the grade name is the last thing they learn. This page starts from the job — pick the segment your tool runs in and it sets out the grades our engineers put forward for it, with the recorded applications behind each choice.
Segment 01
Packaging & label converting
Kiss-cutting, through-cutting and slitting on paper, board and film
The workhorse segment for rotary dies. Pressure-sensitive label stock, folding carton, corrugated board and flexible film all punish a die differently: label stock rewards a keen, stable edge, corrugated rewards toughness at the tooth root, and metallised film rewards resistance to abrasive wear.
High-Speed Steel
HRC 60-63
- Standard circular blades
- General rotary dies
- Paper slitting rollers
Supplied as hardened round bar and custom rotary die
Cobalt High-Speed Steel
HRC 63-66
- High-speed rotary dies
- Precision slitting rollers
- Long-life die rollers
Supplied as custom rotary die
Cold Work Tool Steel
HRC 58-62
- Paper slitting rollers
- Film slitting rollers
Supplied as custom rotary die
Practical note: Kiss-cut depth control and anvil condition matter as much as the grade — read the cut-depth guide before upgrading steel.
Segment 02
Metal stamping & progressive dies
Blank, pierce and form sheet metal without edge breakdown
Metal stamping is the segment where a wrong cross-reference does the most damage. A die that survives on card will crater on steel: the same geometry that fails by gradual wear on board fails by chipping or cracking on 1 mm cold-rolled sheet. Toughness, not peak hardness, is usually the deciding property.
Cold Work Tool Steel
HRC 58-62
- High-precision die-cutting blades
- Progressive die punches
- Precision shearing blades
Supplied as hardened round bar
Cold Work Tool Steel
HRC 58-62
- Economy die tooling
- Stamping dies
- Gauges & measuring tools
Supplied as hardened round bar
High-Speed Steel
HRC 60-63
Practical note: If a die chips rather than wears, raising hardness makes it worse. Diagnose the failure mode before choosing a grade.
Segment 03
Film, foil & thin-material slitting
Multi-ring slitting modules on metallised film, foil and laminate
Thin material does not wear an edge gradually — it polishes it away, and a polished edge soon pulls rather than cuts. This is the segment that justifies cobalt and powder-metallurgy grades: they hold a fine, stable edge far longer, which is what pays for them on a long run.
Powder Metallurgy HSS
HRC 64-65
- Long-life circular blades
- Ultra-wear-resistant dies
- Long-life slitting rollers
Supplied as hardened round bar and custom rotary die
Cobalt High-Speed Steel
HRC 63-66
- High-speed rotary dies
- Precision slitting rollers
Supplied as custom rotary die
High-Cobalt High-Speed Steel
HRC 65-66
- Thin-metal slitting rollers
Supplied as custom rotary die
Practical note: Abrasive and metallised stock is where cobalt grades earn their premium; plain M2 softens at speed.
Segment 04
Food-contact & medical tooling
Corrosion resistance and cleanability alongside a working edge
Food packaging, wash-down lines and medical converting add a constraint the other segments do not have: the tool gets cleaned. A standard tool steel that would last for years will stain, and the staining itself becomes the rejection. The stainless grades trade peak hardness for that corrosion resistance.
Stainless Steel
HRC 50-55
- Food-contact cutting blades
- Corrosion-resistant die blades
- Wet-environment slitting rollers
Supplied as hardened round bar and custom rotary die
Stainless Steel
HRC 58-62
- Food-grade die-cutting blades
- Medical surgical blades
- Food-grade rotary dies
Supplied as hardened round bar and custom rotary die
Practical note: 9Cr18Mo holds a tool-steel edge at HRC 58-62; 30Cr13 resists corrosion better but tops out around HRC 55.
Every grade, and the segments it serves
Some grades cross segments and some are specialists. If a grade appears under two or three segments it is the versatile choice; if it appears once, it is there for a reason the others cannot cover.
| Grade | Hardness | Segments | Grade page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cr12Mo1V1 | HRC 58-62 | Packaging · Stamping · Slitting | Open → |
| Cr8Mo2SiV | HRC 58-62 | Packaging · Stamping · Slitting | Open → |
| W6Mo5Cr4V2 | HRC 60-63 | Packaging · Stamping · Slitting | Open → |
| PM23 | HRC 64-65 | Packaging · Slitting | Open → |
| W6Mo5Cr4V2Co5 | HRC 63-66 | Packaging · Slitting | Open → |
| 30Cr13 | HRC 50-55 | Food & medical | Open → |
| 9Cr18Mo | HRC 58-62 | Food & medical | Open → |
| 9CrWMn | HRC 58-62 | Stamping | Open → |
| W2Mo9Cr4VCo8 | HRC 65-66 | Slitting | Open → |
Swipe the table sideways →
Not sure which segment your tool falls into?
Send the substrate, the press and the failure mode. That is enough to name a grade and, if it is a close call, the two alternatives worth quoting against.