Carbide Grade Comparison
Cemented carbides are formed by bonding the hard, heat-resistant particles together with a metal, usually cobalt. Cemented carbides form a class of sintered product. Pure tungsten carbide (WC) is an extremely hard compound, but it is too brittle to be used in tools.
There are varying grades of carbide that depend on the percentage of cobalt in the compound, each with their own specific uses.
The lowest percentage of cobalt, indicated by industry codes C-2 or C-3, are extremely hard and durable, and equipped for light impact. This makes them useful for plug gages, wear parts, blades and other applications. |
On the other end of the scale is the C-17 designation, which has the highest percentage of cobalt and is built for extremely high impact. These tools can be used for swaging dies, heavy draw dies and extreme punch applications.
Industry Code |
% Cobalt Content |
Properties |
Applications |
C-2, C-3 |
6% |
Extremely Hard Excellent Wear Light Impact |
Wear Parts, Blades, Plug Gages, Ring Gages, Compacting Powder Metal, Small Dies, Mandrels, Tube and Wire Drawing, Burnishing Rollers |
C-9, C-10 |
9-10% |
Good Wear Light Impact |
|
C-11, C-12 |
11-13% |
Good Wear Medium Impact |
|
C-13 |
15% |
Good Wear Medium Impact |
|
C-14 |
20% |
High Impact Heavy Shock Average Wear |
|
C-17 |
25% |
Extreme High Impact |