P20 vs DIN 1.2311: What Actually Changes on the Shop Floor

Requests for P20 often arrive together with a request for the nearest equivalent grade. The two names are frequently treated as interchangeable, and in many applications they are. The differences appear when the part is large, the duty is severe or the surface finish matters.

The equivalent names

P20 is also sold as DIN 1.2311. Different standards bodies, different mills and different trade names describe the same family, so the first job is to agree which specification is actually being quoted.

Where the grades agree

Both descriptions share the same general character: typical core hardness 28 to 32 HRC with good through-section consistency. For mould base plates and cavity plates for general injection moulds, a correctly made material to either name will normally perform the same way.

Where they differ

supplied pre-hardened in the 28 to 32 HRC range so that most moulds can be cut and put into service without a further hardening cycle. That is the property that separates a properly specified purchase from a purchase made on price alone, and it is the first thing to verify on the mill certificate.

Choosing for your application

If the part is blow mould tooling, the tighter specification is worth paying for. If the part is small, lightly loaded and replaceable, the difference will never be noticed in service.

Documentation to request

Specify the thickness, the flatness tolerance, the hardness range and the ultrasonic test level. Ask for the hardness to be measured at mid-thickness, not only on the surface. Put the requirement in the purchase order rather than in a covering email, because the order is the document that the mill and the inspection department will actually work to.

Hubei Keyspark Special Steel Co., Ltd. runs two 20-ton EAF furnaces, two 20-ton LF ladle furnaces, a 20-ton VD unit and a 5-ton ESR furnace, with open-die forging, 12 precision heat treatment furnaces, four vacuum annealing furnaces and over twenty machining centres. Annual capacity is about 15,000 tonnes.

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