FREE CUTTING STEELS
High Machinability Free Cutting Steel Bars, Hexagons, Wire Rods & Industrial High-Speed Machining Grades
Low Machining Cost & High Speed
Easy Chip Fragility & Breakage
Very Low Shear Force Requirement
Superior Surface Finish
Low Measurement Tolerances
Ready Stock
FREE CUTTING STEELS SUPPLIER IN MUMBAI
Free cutting steels are steels with low machining cost due to chips broken when subjected to fast chipping process. Thanks to its easy machinability characteristics, these steels are defined as the most suitable for machining processes such as longitudinal and face turning, toothing, drilling, reaming operations that are performed in multi spindle and revolver turning lathes. Machinability capability becomes more of an issue among the characteristics desired from steel materials. During production stage, high cutting speeds and associated processing time, useful life, good surface quality, lower cutting forces are directly dependent on material quality, along with other factors.
- Longer Tool Life: Longer cutting tool life compatible with the lathe machining speed.
- Chip Fragility: A good chip fragility that enables easy machining of the workpieces and their easy movement on the lathe.
- Low Shear Force: Very low shear force requirement.
- Surface Quality: Good surface quality on the machined part.
- Tight Tolerances: Low measurement tolerances.
- In manufacturing of various fasteners for automotive industry;
- For the fields of industry manufacturing machinery and equipment, and for construction industry;
- In manufacturing of construction items;
- For the fields of industry manufacturing precision mechanical components (optical devices and measurement instruments).
ROUND BARS
HEXAGONAL BARS
SQUARE BARS
FREE CUTTING GRADES CLASSIFICATION
CATEGORIES OF FREE CUTTING STEELS
Free cutting steels are categorized by alloying additions into Low-Carbon Sulfur & Lead Free Cutting Steels, Medium-Carbon Free Cutting Steels, and High-Performance Special Free Cutting Alloys.
LOW CARBON LEADED & RESULFURIZED
MEDIUM CARBON ENGINEERING FREE CUTTING
INDUSTRIAL ADAPTABILITY
APPLICATIONS OF FREE CUTTING STEELS
Free cutting steels are essential for mass production on automatic CNC & multi-spindle lathes across automotive, precision engineering, and construction sectors.
AUTOMOTIVE FASTENERS & STUDS
MULTI-SPINDLE LATHE PARTS
PRECISION OPTICAL INSTRUMENTS
MEASUREMENT DEVICES & GAUGES
HYDRAULIC FITTINGS & VALVES
CONSTRUCTION CONNECTORS
MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT SHAFTS
MASS CNC REVOLVER LATHE TURNING
GRADE FINDER
FREE CUTTING STEEL GRADES AVAILABLE
Use the options below to filter by standards, search specific free cutting steel grades, and request quick rates.
DATA SHEET
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Detailed metallurgical specifications, chemical compositions, mechanical properties, and available sizes of our free cutting steel products.
Typical chemical compositions of prominent Free Cutting Steel grades supplied by Steel Mart:
| Grade | Carbon (C) | Manganese (Mn) | Sulfur (S) | Phosphorus (P) | Lead (Pb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EN 1A / 9SMn28 | 0.14 % Max | 0.90 – 1.30 % | 0.27 – 0.33 % | 0.11 % Max | - |
| EN 1A (L) / 12L14 | 0.15 % Max | 0.85 – 1.15 % | 0.26 – 0.35 % | 0.04 – 0.09 % | 0.15 – 0.35 % |
| SAE 1144 | 0.40 – 0.48 % | 1.35 – 1.65 % | 0.24 – 0.33 % | 0.04 % Max | - |
| ETG 100 | 0.44 – 0.48 % | 1.35 – 1.65 % | 0.24 – 0.33 % | 0.04 % Max | - |
| SAE 1215 | 0.09 % Max | 0.75 – 1.05 % | 0.26 – 0.35 % | 0.04 – 0.09 % | - |
Round Bars: 3 mm to 150 mm diameter in h9/h11 tolerance.
Hexagonal Bars: 5 mm to 80 mm A/F in bright cold drawn condition.
Square Bars: 6 mm to 60 mm A/F in ready stock.
We supply Free Cutting Steel products in multiple finish conditions depending on application demands:
- Cold Drawn Bright: Precision cold drawn finish with clean, scale-free surface straight for automatic feeding into CNC lathes.
- Centerless Ground: Ultra-precise ground finish (+/- 0.01mm) for high-speed precision optical and measuring components.
- Peeled & Polished: Smooth turned surface for larger diameter free-cutting shafts and fittings.
Heat treatment considerations for free cutting steels:
- As-Drawn Condition: Most free cutting steels (EN1A, 12L14) are supplied cold drawn without further heat treatment.
- Case Hardening (Carburizing): Low carbon grades (EN1A) can be carburized at 880°C–930°C and oil quenched for high surface wear resistance.
- Direct Hardening: Medium carbon grades (SAE 1144, 40Mn15S12) can be oil quenched and tempered for high structural strength.
Key industrial applications for free cutting steel grades:
- Automotive & Fasteners: High-speed turned bolts, nuts, studs, bushings, spark plug shells, hydraulic hose fittings.
- Precision Engineering: Optical device housings, measuring instrument spindles, electrical motor shafts, appliance pins.
STEEL MART ADVANTAGE
WHY CHOOSE STEEL MART
Over 40 years of engineering supply chain leadership in industrial steel and free-cutting material stockholding.
40+ YEARS EXPERIENCE
Decades of metallurgical expertise providing premium metals and forgings since 1986.
READY STOCK
Huge warehouse inventory of standard configurations and diameters for immediate loading.
WORLDWIDE EXPORT
Trusted supplier shipping material batches across European, Middle Eastern, and Asian markets.
FAST DELIVERY
Optimized logistics networks ensuring secure and rapid material transit across India and globally.
NEED HELP SELECTING THE RIGHT FREE CUTTING STEEL GRADE?
Our metallurgical team is here to assist you in selecting the ideal free-cutting steel grade for your specific machining speed, tool life, and tolerance requirements.