Tool Steel Selection for Stamping, Blanking & Piercing Dies

Select tool steel by production volume, stock thickness, impact load, wear level, and dimensional stability requirement. For stamping, blanking, and piercing dies, the main choice is usually between wear resistance and toughness.

Quick Selection Guide by Tool Steel Grade

Choose the grade according to production volume, wear level, stock thickness, impact load, and dimensional stability requirement.

Balanced Choice

A2 Tool Steel 1.2363 / SKD12

Recommended for medium to long-run blanking, punching, and forming dies.

Reason: A2 gives a practical balance of wear resistance, toughness, and dimensional stability during heat treatment.

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High Wear Resistance

D2 Tool Steel 1.2379 / SKD11 / Cr12Mo1V1

Recommended for long-run blanking and piercing dies where edge wear is the main failure risk.

Reason: D2 has high carbon and high chromium, forming hard carbides for strong abrasion resistance.

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Very High Wear

D3 Tool Steel 1.2080 / SKD1 / Cr12

Recommended for blanking and piercing tools where wear resistance is more important than impact toughness.

Reason: D3 offers very high wear resistance, but it should not be used where heavy shock can cause chipping.

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High Wear Dies

D6 Tool Steel 1.2436 / SKD2

Recommended for cold-work dies that need very high wear resistance under stable loading.

Reason: D6 belongs to high-carbon, high-chromium cold-work steels and is selected when abrasion resistance is the priority.

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Short to Medium Runs

O1 Tool Steel 1.2510 / SKS3

Recommended for short to medium-run blanking, trimming, and piercing dies.

Reason: O1 is a general-purpose oil-hardening tool steel with good hardness and edge-holding ability.

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General Purpose

O2 Tool Steel 1.2842

Recommended for short to medium-run piercing, trimming, and blanking tools.

Reason: O2 provides useful hardness and edge holding for less severe cold-work tooling conditions.

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Shock Resistance

S1 Tool Steel 1.2550

Recommended when impact load is higher and the tool needs stronger resistance to cracking.

Reason: S1 is selected when toughness and shock resistance are more important than maximum wear resistance.

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Heavy Impact

S7 Tool Steel 1.2355

Recommended for thick stock, hard stock, and severe impact blanking or punching conditions.

Reason: S7 has very high toughness, helping reduce premature chipping, snapping, or breaking.

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Demanding Production

M2 High Speed Steel 1.3343 / SKH51

Recommended for high-speed blanking, highly abrasive work materials, or stronger production demands.

Reason: M2 is selected when standard cold-work steels are not enough for wear resistance and production severity.

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Selection Summary

This table gives a faster comparison when the buyer already knows the main working condition.

Main Requirement	Recommended Direction	Aobo Steel Grades
Balanced wear resistance and toughness	Air-hardening cold-work steel	A2
Long tool life under abrasive wear	High-carbon, high-chromium cold-work steel	D2, D3, D6
Short or medium production runs	Oil-hardening cold-work steel	O1, O2
Resistance to chipping and breaking	Shock-resisting tool steel	S1, S7
Higher production severity	High-speed steel	M2

Need Tool Steel for Stamping, Blanking or Piercing Dies?

Send your grade, size, quantity, and application. Aobo Steel can support bulk supply of tool steel round bars and plates for industrial buyers.

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