Hardened M52 Tool Steel
Hardened SAE-AISI M52 is SAE-AISI M52 steel in the hardened (H) condition. The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare hardened SAE-AISI M52 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 28 x 106 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Rockwell C Hardness
71
Shear Modulus
75 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
2280 MPa 330 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
260 J/g
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1510 °C 2750 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1470 °C 2670 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
460 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
31 W/m-K 18 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
13 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
8.9 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
10 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
12 % relative
Density
7.9 g/cm3 500 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
7.5 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
110 MJ/kg 49 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
89 L/kg 11 gal/lb
Common Calculations
PREN (Pitting Resistance)
20
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
14 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
24 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
80 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
49 points
Thermal Diffusivity
8.4 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
67 points
Alloy Composition
| Fe | 84.4 to 88.9 | |
| Mo | 4.0 to 4.9 | |
| Cr | 3.5 to 4.3 | |
| V | 1.7 to 2.3 | |
| W | 0.75 to 1.5 | |
| C | 0.85 to 1.0 | |
| Si | 0.2 to 0.6 | |
| Mn | 0.15 to 0.45 | |
| Ni | 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
ASTM A600: Standard Specification for Tool Steel High Speed
Tool Steels: Properties and Performance, Rafael A. Mesquita (editor), 2016
ASM Specialty Handbook: Carbon and Alloy Steels, J. R. Davis (editor), 1996