Metallurgy Minute 012: Hardenability of Steels

Steel hardenability is a way of measuring how readily steel will “harden out” during the quenching process. A steel’s hardenability is important to consider when selecting material for your parts, as a steel with high hardenability will penetrate deeper into the cross-section of the part. Talk to your heat treater to ensure your design will perform as expected after heat treatment.

Different types of steel react differently to the Jominy end-quench test, which has been the standard test since 1937. This installment of Metallurgy Minute will walk you through the differences you can expect to see when testing the hardenability of three commonly-used materials: 1040, 4140, and 4340. 

The Paulo team prides itself on being experts in the hardening of steels. Get in touch with us for help with your steel parts.