1.2083 / X40Cr14 corrosion-resistant mould steel

Heat treatment

The material arrives quenched and tempered, so hardening is done before it leaves the mill. If further treatment is needed, keep the tempering in the low range: tempered high, both hardness and corrosion resistance fall, because the chromium is bound in carbides instead of staying in the matrix. If the drawing requires a condition other than +QT, it must be stated on the enquiry.

Machinability and weldability

The mould is milled, drilled and spark-eroded in the as-delivered condition – no hardening in between. What the ESR variants cost extra is the cleanliness, not the hardness. If the mould is to be polished to a high gloss, it is the cleanliness that decides the result. Repair welding belongs at a tool shop with preheating and matching filler. It is not structural welding as in S355.

1.2083 among the mould steels

1.2311 and 1.2312 are also milled in the as-delivered condition, but they are not corrosion-resistant – the difference is the chromium. 1.2083 is chosen when the mould meets outgassing from PVC or POM, when there is water cooling in the tool, or when the surface is to be polished. 1.2085 is the step with raised sulphur, when machining has to go faster in a corrosion-resistant mould steel.

1.2083 or 1.4034

The two are confused because they are related: both are martensitic chromium steels that are hardened, and both are corrosion-resistant – not acid-resistant. The difference that matters in purchasing is the series and what the market sells them as. 1.2083 is a tool steel and is traded as mould steel in flat bar and block, often ESR-remelted for the sake of polishing. 1.4034 is stainless to EN 10088-3 and is traded as bar and flat bar for knives and wear parts. The carbon figure in the EN names says the rest: X40Cr14 against X46Cr13. By designation, 1.4031 / X39Cr13 is in fact closer to 1.2083 than 1.4034 is. The certificate carries the name the mill has issued. A mould drawn in 1.2083 is not approved by supplying 1.4034 – and conversely, 1.2083 for a knife is rarely technically wrong, but often a more expensive purchase than necessary.

• Series: Tool steel, 1.2xxx · Stainless steel, 1.4xxx
• Traded as: Mould steel in flat bar and block · Stainless bar and flat bar
• Trade names: Stavax ESR, M310 · 420C
• Delivery condition: +QT, quenched and tempered · +QT, quenched and tempered
• Typical task: Moulds that are to be polished · Knives, blades and wear parts

Sawing and machining

Sawing of flat bar and bar to length. We write ESR only when the mill and the certificate carry it: “Stavax” on the enquiry becomes the W.Nr. and the variant the certificate can document.

Certificates and documentation

EN 10204/3.1 as standard. Trade name, W.Nr. and condition must agree on the certificate. 1.2083 and 1.4034 are two designations and cannot be swapped on paper.