For our customers, a basic understanding of mold-making materials can also provide a small help for their own products.
This knowledge facilitates clearer communication and more accurate specifications, enabling our customers to make informed decisions about materials based on their product’s performance, cost, and quality. It helps our customers set realistic expectations for product performance and limitations, understand the general costs of product manufacturing, and plan for potential supply chain issues.
This knowledge base covers internationally standardized steels commonly used in mold manufacturing. You will gain a comprehensive understanding of each mold material’s basic usage scenarios, processability, price, and service life. If you are interested in a specific material, you can try clicking the link below it to access detailed in-depth material analysis.
General purpose plastic injection molds, medium-volume production molds
PP, PE, PS, ABS, and most general-purpose thermoplastics
Excellent machinability, good polishability, can be welded and nitrided
Medium
50,000 - 500,000 cycles
High-gloss plastic molds, large household appliance molds
ABS, PC, PMMA, high surface finish engineering plastics
Superb polishing performance, uniform hardness, good weldability
Medium-High
300,000 - 1,000,000 cycles
Automotive interior molds, large high-gloss plastic molds
ABS, PC, PMMA, reinforced modified plastics
Pre-hardened delivery, mirror polish available, stable texture
Medium-High
500,000 - 1,200,000 cycles
Cosmetic molds, optical parts, mirror surface precision molds
High-gloss transparent plastics, high-precision injection parts
Pre-hardened, no heat treatment needed, ultra-fine polishing
High
800,000 - 1,500,000 cycles
Electronic connector molds, small precision plastic molds
General engineering plastics, small batch precision parts
High dimensional stability, easy cutting, uniform hardness
High
300,000 - 800,000 cycles
Medical molds, food grade molds, corrosive material molds
PVC, PET, flame retardant and corrosive plastics
Stainless anti-rust, strong corrosion resistance, mirror polish
High
1,000,000+ cycles
Corrosion resistant plastic molds, daily chemical product molds
Corrosive injection materials, humid environment production
Moderate anti-corrosion, good finish, cost-effective stainless steel
Medium-High
300,000 - 1,000,000 cycles
High anti-corrosion medical molds, precision transparent part molds
Highly corrosive plastics, high cleanliness requirements
Excellent rust resistance, high hardness after heat treatment
High
500,000 - 1,500,000 cycles
High temperature resistant plastic molds, long-life production molds
High temperature engineering plastics, fiber reinforced materials
Heat & wear resistant, strong toughness, long service life
Medium-High
300,000 - 1,000,000 cycles
Universal medium and small plastic molds, simple structure molds
Common daily plastic products, low wear materials
Cost-effective, easy processing, balanced toughness and hardness
Medium
100,000 - 500,000 cycles
Large-scale plastic molds, complex structural injection molds
Large part plastics, high appearance requirement products
High toughness, uniform texture, excellent large mold stability
Medium-High
500,000 - 1,200,000 cycles
High-gloss household molds, high stability multi-cavity molds
Electrical appliances, daily necessities high-gloss plastics
Fine grain structure, good polishing, small deformation
Medium-High
300,000 - 1,000,000 cycles
High temperature resistant injection molds, die casting auxiliary molds
High temperature modified plastics, high hardness injection materials
Strong thermal stability, anti-fatigue, durable
Medium-High
300,000 - 1,000,000 cycles
Food container molds, daily chemical corrosion-resistant molds
PVC, PP corrosive additives, long-term wet production
Stable anti-rust performance, easy to clean and maintain
Medium-High
300,000 - 1,000,000 cycles
Simple prototype molds, low-demand trial production molds
Ordinary low-demand plastic parts, short-term trial production
Ultra-low cost, easy cutting, temporary mold use
Low
10,000 - 50,000 cycles
Cold stamping dies, cutting tools, high wear forming molds
Sheet metal stamping, plastic material cutting
High wear resistance, good dimensional stability
Medium
1,000,000+ cycles for stamping applications
High-precision cold forming dies, blanking and punching molds
Sheet metal, plastic parts stamping
Improved toughness over SKD11, less cracking
Medium-High
1,500,000+ cycles for high-precision use
Cold stamping dies, forming molds, drawing dies
Sheet metal, high wear parts stamping
High wear resistance, good toughness, cost-effective
Low-Medium
500,000 - 1,000,000 cycles
General cold stamping dies, low to medium complexity parts
Common sheet metal stamping
Good wear resistance, low cost, widely used
Low-Medium
300,000 - 800,000 cycles
High-precision cold forming dies, high-speed stamping molds
Thick sheet metal, high wear parts stamping
Excellent wear resistance, high toughness
Medium-High
1,000,000+ cycles for high-speed production
Small and medium-sized cold stamping dies, forming tools
Medium-hardness sheet metal stamping
Good toughness, high dimensional stability, low cost
Low-Medium
200,000 - 500,000 cycles
Small cold stamping dies, cutting tools
Low to medium hardness materials stamping
Good wear resistance, ultra cost-effective
Low
100,000 - 300,000 cycles
Medium-sized cold stamping dies, high-precision forming molds
Sheet metal stamping, precision parts forming
Balanced toughness and wear resistance
Medium
500,000 - 1,000,000 cycles
Small precision cold stamping dies, hand tools
Low hardness materials, precision thin parts
Good dimensional stability, easy heat treatment
Low-Medium
100,000 - 300,000 cycles
Small precision cold forming dies, thin plate stamping
Low to medium hardness thin materials
Fine grain, high precision, stable size
Low-Medium
100,000 - 300,000 cycles
Aluminum and zinc alloy die casting molds, high-temperature plastic molds
High-temperature plastics, die casting aluminum alloys
High hot hardness, excellent thermal fatigue resistance, long service life
Medium-High
500,000 - 1,000,000 cycles for die casting
High-performance die casting molds, hot forging dies
Aluminum, magnesium and zinc die casting alloys
Improved toughness over H13, less cracking, better thermal stability
High
1,000,000+ cycles for high-performance die casting
Pre-hardened die casting molds, hot forming dies
Aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys die casting
Pre-hardened, no need for heat treatment, good thermal fatigue resistance
Medium-High
300,000 - 800,000 cycles
High-performance die casting molds, hot forging dies
Aluminum, magnesium and zinc alloys die casting
Excellent thermal fatigue resistance, high toughness, long service life
High
1,000,000+ cycles for high-performance applications
High-temperature plastic molds, die casting inserts, hot stamping dies
High-temperature engineering plastics, aluminum alloys
Good heat resistance, high wear resistance, stable performance
Medium-High
300,000 - 800,000 cycles
Hot extrusion molds, high-temperature auxiliary molds
Copper alloy, aluminum alloy high-temperature forming
High temperature resistance, strong thermal shock resistance
Medium-High
300,000 - 800,000 cycles
Precision die casting molds, long-life hot forming molds
Zinc, aluminum, magnesium alloy die casting
Fine grain, high toughness, excellent high-temperature oxidation resistance
High
800,000 - 1,200,000 cycles
Fast delivery die casting molds, small batch hot molds
General non-high load alloy die casting
Pre-hardened, easy processing, short mold opening cycle
Medium
200,000 - 500,000 cycles
Large automotive die casting molds, heavy load hot molds
Large aluminum alloy structural parts die casting
Ultra-high toughness, anti-cracking, suitable for heavy load
High
1,000,000+ cycles
Universal hot work molds, medium load die casting molds
Zinc alloy, small and medium aluminum alloy parts
Cost-effective hot work steel, balanced comprehensive performance
Medium
400,000 - 700,000 cycles
High-speed punching molds, precision cutting tools, wear-resistant inserts
Copper, aluminum, stainless steel thin sheet stamping
High hardness, high wear resistance, excellent high temperature resistance
High
2,000,000+ high-speed stamping cycles
Ultra-high speed stamping dies, durable precision tool parts
Hard metal sheet, high wear industrial materials
Superior red hardness, strong compression resistance
Very High
3,000,000+ cycles
Universal high-speed steel molds, standard cutting and punching parts
General metal and plastic high-speed processing
Cost-effective high speed steel, balanced performance
Medium-High
1,500,000+ cycles
Anti-oxidation high-speed molds, harsh environment tooling
High-strength alloy materials, difficult-to-process metals
Cobalt alloy added, high temperature oxidation resistance
High
2,200,000+ cycles
Super hard high-speed molds, ultra-durable industrial tools
Stainless steel, high hardness alloy plate
Ultra-high hardness, strong corrosion and wear resistance
Very High
3,500,000+ cycles
Powder metallurgy high density precision molds
High-precision electronic thin material stamping
Uniform grain, small deformation, ultra-high wear resistance
Very High
4,000,000+ cycles
Heavy load powder high-speed steel molds, long-life continuous production
Abrasive modified plastics, high fiber reinforced materials
Excellent toughness and wear resistance balance
Very High
4,500,000+ cycles
Top grade powder high-speed steel, ultra-wear-resistant molds
Super abrasive industrial raw materials
Industry top wear resistance, extreme service life
Premium
5,000,000+ cycles
High toughness precision cold punching die, electronic connector mold
Thin copper foil, circuit board auxiliary stamping
High toughness, not easy to crack, high precision retention
High
1,800,000+ cycles
Powder high-speed stamping die, multi-cavity long-life mold
Automotive thin parts, household appliance hardware
Fine powder structure, stable mass production
High
2,500,000+ cycles
High temperature resistant high-speed mold, continuous production tool
High temperature forming metal parts
Strong red hardness, durable under long-term heat
High
2,100,000+ cycles
Imported high-performance powder high-speed steel mold
Medical precision parts, high-end electronic components
High purity raw materials, ultra-high precision
Premium
4,800,000+ cycles
Quick prototype molds, trial production simple molds
Small batch trial plastic products
Light weight, easy cutting, fast mold opening
Low
1,000 - 10,000 cycles
Medium-life quick mold, fixture and jig material
Medium batch trial production parts
High hardness aluminum alloy, better wear resistance
Low-Medium
10,000 - 50,000 cycles
Mold cooling insert, heat conduction part, electrode material
Mold internal heat dissipation structure
Superior thermal conductivity, easy EDM processing
Medium
Long-term auxiliary use
Mold auxiliary accessories, wear-resistant sliding parts
Mold guide, limit, wear-resistant parts
Good self-lubrication, anti-wear, easy processing
Low-Medium
Long-term auxiliary use
High-efficiency cooling mold insert, high-gloss local part
Thick wall plastic parts, rapid cooling demand products
High hardness + high thermal conductivity, mirror polishable
Medium-High
300,000+ auxiliary production cycles
Ultra-wear-resistant tiny punch, precision blade parts
Ultra-hard material stamping, micro-hole processing
Extreme hardness, strong compression resistance
High
5,000,000+ cycles
EDM electrode material, special high temperature mold
Complex pattern spark processing
Light weight, easy carving, high temperature resistance
Low
Electrode processing consumables
High wear-resistant plastic mold, fiber reinforced material mold
PP+GF, ABS+GF abrasive modified plastics
Strong wear resistance, anti-erosion
Medium
800,000+ cycles
Custom special specification mold parts, non-standard accessories
Special working condition customized mold
Custom hardness and performance
Medium-High
Customized according to demand
High-efficiency EDM copper material, precision electrode
Precision pattern, fine texture processing
Stable discharge, low loss
Low-Medium
Long-term processing use
Mold frame, mold base, structural support parts
Mold overall structural support
High toughness, low cost, good structural stability
Low
Permanent mold base use
High strength mold base, large mold structural parts
Heavy load large mold overall support
High strength, anti-deformation, durable
Low-Medium
Permanent heavy load use