Specific tool applications are: dies (stamping or extrusion), cutting, mold making, or impact applications like hammers (personal or industrial). It is also a common material used to make knives.

Tool steels are extremely hard and are quite often used to form other metal products. It is available in a wide variety of shapes including round bar, flat bar, square bar and more.

In addition to A2, D2 and O1, tool steels come in many other grades including H13, S7 and W1. Tool steel H13 is a chromium molybdenum, vanadium hot work tool steel which is has high hardenability and excellent toughness. This material can withstand rapid cooling and it resists premature heat checking. H-13 has good machinability, weldability and good ductility. Tool steel S7 is a shock resisting tool steel with excellent toughness, high strength and medium wear resistance. Due to its maximum shock resistance and high compression strength, it has good deformation resistance and retains good toughness during use. This grade can be easily machined in the annealed condition and heat treated. When quenched in air, this material exhibits minimal distortion on hardening. Tool steel W1 depends on its relatively high carbon content for its useful properties. It’s known for its easy machining characteristic, ability to develop a keen cutting edge, high surface case hardness, and its soft, ductile, inner core. When properly annealed, W1 has a machinability rating of 100 when compared to a 1% Carbon Steel rated at 100. In order to avoid decarburization, this grade should be annealed and/or hardened in a controlled neutral atmosphere, vacuum, or neutral salt furnace environment.