A general-purpose, air-hardening, medium-alloy cold-work tool steel with excellent dimensional stability, good wear resistance, and the ease of heat treatment that has made it the workhorse of the cold-work category.
AISI A2 · UNS T30102 · Lindquist code TBA297
| C | Cr | Mo | Mn | V |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00 | 5.25 | 1.10 | 0.60 | 0.25 |
| Machinability | 65 (vs 1% C steel = 100) |
|---|---|
| Dimensional stability | +0.001 in/in expansion on air-quench |
| Critical points (heating) | Ac 1475–1540°F |
| Critical points (cooling) | Ar 1310–670°F |
| Forging | 2000–2050°F, stop at 1700°F, cool slowly |
|---|---|
| Normalizing | Do not normalize |
| Annealing | 1650°F, furnace-cool · BHN 212 max |
| Preheat | 1200°F |
| Hardening | 1775°F, air-quench to 150°F |
| Tempering | 350–400°F → HRC 60/61 |
| Temper °F | 1775° Air-quench HRC | 1750° Oil-quench HRC |
|---|---|---|
| None | 64 | 65 |
| 300 | 62 | 62.5 |
| 400 | 60 | 61 |
| 500 | 56 | 57.5 |
| 600 | 56 | 56 |
| 700 | 56 | 56 |
| 800 | 56 | 56 |
| 900 | 56 | 56 |
| 1000 | 56 | 55 |
| 1100 | 50 | 50 |
| 1200 | 43 | 45 |
| 1300 | 34 | 34 |
→ Specimens are 1″ square. Heavy sections may run several points lower than the table for a given temper.
Tempering: hold at temperature a minimum of 2 hours per inch of cross-section. Temper immediately after quench at ~150°F.
We stock A2 in plate, block, round, groundstock, drill rod. Tell us the size and quantity — we'll come back with a price and a date.
Datasheet content reproduced from Lindquist technical bulletin Lindquist code TBA297. Heat-treatment recommendations are typical — confirm specifics with your metallurgist for production work.