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Manufacturing services
CNC milling and turning · From 1 part
Die inserts and plates, punches, blades, forming tools and tooling parts in A2 tool steel, machined from your file. Upload your CAD and order online, starting at a single part.
Die insert
A2 Steel · 80 × 50 × 20 mm · 30 × 12 mm slotted opening · 2 Ø8 dowel pin holes · 2 M6 tapped holes · CNC milled
1 pc
$145.10 USD
per part
25 pcs
$47.11 USD
per part
-67.53%100 pcs
$42.76 USD
per part
-70.53%A2 tool steel (AISI A2, ASTM A681) is an air hardening cold work tool steel with about 1% carbon and 5% chromium. Hardened it reaches 57–62 HRC, it is tough for a tool steel and it moves very little in heat treatment. It is sold annealed as plate, block, flat bar and round bar, and that is how it is machined: it is hardened afterwards to reach its hardness. At PREMSA we CNC mill and turn it from your file: die inserts and plates, punches, blades, forming tools and tooling parts, starting at a single part with an instant price.
Engineering-grade properties of Tool Steel A2, including hardness capability, wear resistance, and heat-treatment performance. This material is widely used for precision tooling where stability and durability are critical.
Material Type
Air hardening cold work tool steel
Primary Characteristics
Good toughness, good wear resistance, moves very little in heat treatment, high hardness when hardened
Hardness (HRC)
Annealed: 248 HB max (about 24 HRC) · Hardened and tempered: 57–62 HRC
Tensile Strength (Ultimate)
≈ 220–280 ksi (1515–1930 MPa, heat treated)
Compressive Strength
High (designed for tooling and load-bearing contact surfaces)
Density
7.86 g/cm³ (0.284 lb/in³)
Elastic Modulus
29,400 ksi (203 GPa)
Poisson’s Ratio
0.29
Thermal Conductivity
26 W/m·K
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion
10.5 µm/m·°C
Machinability
Medium: machined annealed, with carbide tooling; once hardened it is only ground or EDM’d
Weldability
Poor: only with preheat, special filler and tempering afterwards
Formability
Low
Corrosion Resistance
Low: it isn’t stainless and rusts if left unprotected
Heat Treatment
Air hardened from about 955 °C (1,750 °F) and tempered; moves very little in heat treatment
Common Forms
Plate, block, flat bar and round bar, annealed
Typical Applications
Die inserts and plates, punches, blanking and forming dies, blades, gauges, tooling parts
Material Composition
Carbon 0.95–1.05%, chromium 4.75–5.50%, molybdenum 0.90–1.40%, vanadium 0.15–0.50%, manganese 0.40–1.00%, silicon 0.10–0.50%, balance iron
ASTM Standard
ASTM A681 (A2 Tool Steel)
Rating across key engineering and manufacturing criteria.
Strength
Weight
Machinability
Weldability
Formability
Corrosion Resistance
Thermal Resistance
Cost Efficiency
Upload your CAD file and get an instant price and delivery date. CNC milling and turning from one part to production.
We CNC mill and turn A2 tool steel parts for dies, tooling and parts that work under wear and impact.
Die inserts
Die plates
Punches
Blanking dies
Forming and bending tools
Blades
Gauges
Tooling guides and stops
Custom tooling parts
What people ask most about A2 tool steel parts: what it is, what it is used for, composition, hardness, heat treatment, equivalents, density, rust, knives, price and tolerances.
A2 tool steel is chosen for tooling parts that have to withstand wear and impact and hold their dimensions after hardening: die inserts and plates, punches, blades and forming tools. It is bought annealed, machined, and then hardened.
At PREMSA Industries we machine A2 with CNC milling and turning from your file, from a prototype to production.
A2 is chosen when the part has to withstand wear and impact at the same time and hold its dimensions after hardening.
If your drawing doesn’t specify tolerances, we machine to ISO 2768-m (medium). On dimensions you call out —holes, fits and datum surfaces— we can hold ±0.025 mm (±0.001 in), and critical dimensions are checked in inspection. Tolerances apply to the part as it comes off the machine: if it is hardened afterwards, heat treatment can move it a few hundredths of a millimeter, so tight dimensions are left with stock to be ground after hardening.
A2 is machined annealed with CNC milling, CNC turning, drilling and tapping.
A2 is air hardened from about 955 °C (1,750 °F) and tempered to the hardness on the drawing, usually 57–62 HRC. We machine the part and, if you ask, send it out for heat treatment.
A2 is rarely welded.
For its toughness and because it moves little in heat treatment, A2 is used in many tooling parts made with CNC machining.
A2 is usually the right choice when the part works under wear and impact and has to hold its dimensions after hardening.