Steel Grades Suitable for Induction Hardening and Their Achievable Hardness

1. S45C Carbon Steel
S45C is one of the most widely used medium-carbon steels for machinery components.

Typical Hardness After Induction Hardening:
• 50 – 58 HRC

Advantages:
• Excellent hardenability
• Cost-effective
• Suitable for general industrial applications

Typical Applications:
• Shafts
• Rollers
• Pins
• Sprockets


2. S50C Carbon Steel
S50C contains a higher carbon content than S45C, allowing greater hardness after heat treatment.

Typical Hardness After Induction Hardening:
• 55 – 62 HRC

Advantages:
• Improved wear resistance
• Higher surface hardness

Typical Applications:
• Gears
• Cams
• Machine components
• Drive shafts


3. SCM440 Alloy Steel
SCM440 is a chromium-molybdenum alloy steel known for its excellent strength and toughness.

Typical Hardness After Induction Hardening:
• 55 – 62 HRC

Advantages:
• High fatigue strength
• Excellent impact resistance
• Suitable for heavy-duty applications

Typical Applications:
• Drive shafts
• Axles
• Gears
• Industrial machinery components


4. SKD11 Tool Steel
SKD11 is a high-carbon, high-chromium tool steel commonly used in tooling and die applications.

Typical Hardness:
• 58 – 64 HRC

Advantages:
• Exceptional wear resistance
• Long service life

Typical Applications:
• Dies
• Punches
• Cutting tools

Note:
SKD11 is generally heat treated by vacuum hardening rather than induction hardening.


5. SUJ2 Bearing Steel
SUJ2 is a high-carbon chromium steel widely used in bearing applications.

Typical Hardness After Heat Treatment:
• 60 – 64 HRC

Advantages:
• Excellent wear resistance
• High fatigue strength
• Superior dimensional stability

Typical Applications:
• Bearing races
• Rollers
• Precision machine components


Conclusion
Selecting the appropriate steel grade is critical to achieving the desired hardness, wear resistance, and service life of industrial components.

For general industrial applications, S45C and S50C provide an excellent balance between cost and performance.

For heavy-duty applications requiring superior strength and toughness, SCM440 is often the preferred choice.

For applications demanding maximum wear resistance, SKD11 and SUJ2 offer outstanding performance.

At KD.HEAT TECHNOLOGY THAILAND, we provide professional induction hardening services, coil design and manufacturing, hardness testing, microstructure analysis, and heat treatment solutions tailored to your application requirements.

Contact our engineering team today for consultation and technical support.