FREE CUTTING STEELS

Free-Cutting Steel (Bright Steel Bars)

Free-cutting steels are high-quality specialty steels optimized specifically for machining processes, offering a wide range of grades depending on their carbon, manganese, sulfur, and lead content. Produced as hot-rolled by the world's leading crude steel manufacturers in compliance with the EN 683-4 standard, these grades vary according to application areas and customer demands.

Our Production & Stock Strength: The cold-drawn bright free-cutting steels produced in our plants are constantly kept ready in our stocks for immediate shipment and are delivered promptly without any delay based on your orders. Our core production primarily focuses on high-performance 11SMnPb30 and 11SMn30 grades.

Production Limits and Dimensional Standards

Free-Cutting Steel Grades We Produce & Supply

With our extensive ready-to-ship stock and advanced production capabilities, we offer the prime free-cutting steel grades required by the machining industry:

• Lead-Alloyed (Pb) Grades (Superior Machinability): 11SMnPb30 (1.0718) | 11SMnPb37 (1.0737) | 36SMnPb14 (1.0765) | 36SMnPb28 (1.0769)

• Lead-Free Grades (Eco-Friendly & Compliant): 11SMn30 (1.0715) | 11SMn37 (1.0736) | 44SMn28 (1.0762)

Classification by Carbon Content

Based on their carbon content, free-cutting steels are divided into three main groups:

• Low-Carbon Free-Cutting Steels: Grades that are directly machined without being suitable for heat treatment.

• Case-Hardening Free-Cutting Steels: Grades suitable for case hardening (carburizing) processes where surface hardness and core toughness are required.

• Quenched and Tempered Free-Cutting Steels: Grades suitable for quenching and tempering processes for applications requiring high mechanical strength.

An indispensable asset for machining and mass production, these steels gain superior mechanical properties in our facilities through the cold drawing method—the core of our bright steel manufacturing process. The mechanical properties of our cold-drawn free-cutting steels fully comply with the EN 10277 standard.

Production Process and Technical Features

The primary objective in producing free-cutting steels is to ensure high-speed machining on automatic lathes and CNC machine tools with minimum downtime and maximum efficiency.

• Controlled Alloying: During the production process, sulfur (S), phosphorus (P), and optionally lead (Pb) elements are added to the steel in a controlled manner. These elements ensure that chips break easily without elongating during machining.

• High Surface Quality and Tolerance: Thanks to our cold drawing process, our products achieve excellent surface quality, precise diameter tolerances, and internal structural homogeneity.

• Tool Friendly Structure: The brittle structure of the chips minimizes cutting tool wear, extending tool life and delivering outstanding results in drilling, cutting, and reaming operations.

Application and Usage Areas

As an essential material for the mass production of small, complex, and high-precision parts, free-cutting steels are the cornerstone of various industries:

• Automotive Industry: Spare parts for motor vehicles, gears, pistons, chassis, and shock absorber components.

• Defense and Machinery Manufacturing: Industrial machinery parts and technical equipment exposed to intense temperature, pressure, and friction.

• White Goods and Electronics: Precision mechanical components, fasteners, and shafts.

• Building and Construction: High-strength, specialized structural elements and connection parts.