Hardened L6 Tool Steel
Hardened SAE-AISI L6 is SAE-AISI L6 steel in the hardened (H) condition. The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare hardened SAE-AISI L6 to: tool steels (top), all iron alloys (middle), and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.
Mechanical Properties
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
190 GPa 27 x 106 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Rockwell C Hardness
65
Shear Modulus
72 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
2090 MPa 300 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
250 J/g
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1450 °C 2650 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1410 °C 2570 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
470 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
42 W/m-K 24 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
11 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
7.6 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
8.7 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
3.6 % relative
Density
7.8 g/cm3 490 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
2.0 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
28 MJ/kg 12 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
54 L/kg 6.5 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
24 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
74 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
46 points
Thermal Diffusivity
11 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
70 points
Alloy Composition
| Fe | 93.6 to 97.3 | |
| Ni | 1.3 to 2.0 | |
| Cr | 0.6 to 1.2 | |
| C | 0.65 to 0.75 | |
| Mn | 0.25 to 0.8 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.5 | |
| Mo | 0 to 0.5 | |
| V | 0 to 0.3 | |
| Cu | 0 to 0.25 | |
| P | 0 to 0.030 | |
| S | 0 to 0.030 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Further Reading
SAE J437: Selection and Heat Treatment of Tool and Die Steels
ASTM A681: Standard Specification for Tool Steels Alloy
Tool Steels: Properties and Performance, Rafael A. Mesquita (editor), 2016
ASM Specialty Handbook: Carbon and Alloy Steels, J. R. Davis (editor), 1996