Vietnam · 45-62 HRC · EXW
Hard steel CNC machining
Send one drawing and get matched with a Vietnamese shop that already cuts hardened and tool steel (D2, H13, SKD11, S7, 4140) at final hardness. A written quote within 24 business hours.
We are a sourcing desk, not a factory: here is exactly what that means and how we make money.
- Hardness machined
- 45-62 HRC
- First response
- 24 business hours
- Minimum order
- 1 piece
- Default terms
- EXW Vietnam
Why buyers send hard steel work here
It comes down to the match: shops that fit your part, from the first quote.
Matched by specialisation
Your RFQ goes to two or three shops that machine hardened steel regularly, picked for your grade, hardness and tolerance. Not a general directory.
Professional suppliers
Shops in the network quote to your drawing, communicate clearly and keep you updated while your parts are made.
You deal with the shop
Quotes, terms and delivery are agreed between you and the shop. Free for buyers.
The niche
What counts as hard steel work here
This site covers one thing: parts where the hardness of the steel is the constraint. If the job is aluminium brackets or mild steel weldments, we are the wrong desk.
Hard milling after heat treatment
3-axis and 5-axis finishing on parts already at 55-62 HRC. CBN and coated carbide, light depth of cut, air blast instead of flood coolant.
Hard turning
Bores, shafts and shoulders turned at final hardness, replacing a grinding setup where the tolerance allows it.
Tool steel machined soft, then hardened
The conventional route. The shop carries the distortion risk and leaves the right allowance for the finishing pass.
Die and mould components
Blanking dies, punches, stripper plates, die casting inserts, extrusion tooling: the parts tool steel exists for.
Wear parts
Guides, wear plates, bushings and knives where the specification is written in hardness rather than in geometry.
Wire EDM and grinding follow-on
Sharp internal corners and final flatness handled in the same shop instead of shipping the part across town.
Grades, hardness and finishing route for each part type: hardened steel parts by application.
Spec guide
What the shops in this network hold
Use this to sanity-check a drawing before you send it. Anything outside these ranges is still worth asking about. We will tell you straight if it is a grinding job instead.
| Grades routinely quoted | D2 / SKD11 / 1.2379, H13 / SKD61 / 1.2344, A2 / 1.2363, O1 / 1.2510, S7, M2 HSS, 4140 & 4340 PH, 440C, 420 |
|---|---|
| Hardness range | 45-62 HRC machined at final hardness; annealed stock also accepted |
| Typical tolerance held | ±0.01 mm general, ±0.005 mm on called-out features |
| Surface finish | Ra 0.8 as-milled, Ra 0.4 on finishing passes, mirror finish by grinding or polishing |
| Part envelope | Up to roughly 800 × 600 × 400 mm on 3-axis, smaller on 5-axis |
| Quantity | One-off tooling through repeat batches of a few hundred |
| Inspection | CMM report, hardness test, material certificate, on request, priced before the order |
| Incoterm | EXW by default; FOB and DAP arranged on request |
The line that moves the price most: whether the part is machined before or after heat treatment. Put it on the drawing and every quote you get back becomes comparable.
How it works
Three steps to a quote
- 01
Send the drawing
STEP file plus a dimensioned PDF. Tell us the grade, the target hardness, and whether the part is cut before or after heat treat.
- 02
We route it, not broadcast it
The RFQ goes to the two or three shops in our network whose machines and tooling actually fit the job, not to a mailing list.
- 03
You get a quote to compare
A written quote within 24 business hours, with lead time and the assumptions the shop priced against, so you can see what differs.
Send an RFQ
Upload the drawing
Attach a STEP file and a dimensioned PDF. The more of the grade, hardness and tolerance you fill in, the closer the first quote lands.
Prefer email? Write to with the files attached. It reaches the same desk.
Every RFQ gets a reply within 24 business hours.
FAQ
Questions buyers ask first
Are you a machine shop?
No. We are a sourcing desk for one narrow niche: hardened and tool steel machining in Vietnam. We hold the RFQ, match it to shops that already do this work, and stay on the job until the parts ship.
What hardness can actually be machined, rather than ground?
Up to about 62 HRC with CBN tooling on a rigid machine, as a finishing operation with 0.15-0.30 mm of stock left on a side. Above that, or where flatness is the controlling spec, grinding is still the right answer and we will say so.
Can you machine the part before heat treatment instead?
Yes, and for most tooling it is the cheaper route. It shifts the risk to distortion in the quench, so the shop plans the allowance for a finishing pass afterwards. Tell us which sequence you want on the RFQ. The two price differently.
Who supplies the material?
Usually the shop. D2, H13, SKD11 and 4140 are all stocked in Vietnamese service centres. If you need a specific mill or a certificate traced to a heat number, say so. It changes lead time more than it changes price.
What is the minimum order?
One piece. Tooling work is one-off by nature. Where a repeat order is likely, say so: it justifies fixturing that brings the per-piece price down.
How fast do you reply?
Within 24 business hours for the first response, with either a quote or the specific questions blocking one. Complete quotes on tooling typically take three to five working days once the shop has the drawing.
Which factory will make my parts?
We name the shop once the quote is accepted and an NDA is in place. Before that we describe capability (machines, inspection equipment, the grades they run) so you can judge fit without us handing over our network.
Free reference
Tables you can use without talking to us
Most of this data still lives in distributor PDF handbooks. Here it is as web pages: filterable, readable on a phone, free to reuse with a link back.
Notes
Written for people specifying these parts
Jig grinding hardened die plates: when hole position needs it
Jig grinding finishes holes in hardened steel to a few microns of position. When the tolerance justifies it, when wire EDM or hard milling will do, and what to specify.
Hardness testing tool steel parts: Rockwell, Vickers and where to test
Rockwell C, Vickers and portable testers read tool steel differently. How to pick the method, where to put the indent and what to write on the drawing.
Hardened injection mold inserts: cores, cavities and slides
How hardened mold inserts, cores, cavities and slides are made and specified: steel and hardness by function, fits, vents and the details that prevent flash.
Become a Partner
Machine shops: take these RFQs
We do not own machines. Every drawing that lands here goes out to shops that already cut hardened tool steel. If that is your work, ask to be on the list.
What we send
Scoped RFQs with drawings, grade, hardness and quantity attached, not a name scraped off a directory.
What we ask
Hard milling or hard turning in-house, CMM or height gauge on site, and a written quote back within 24 business hours.
What it costs
Nothing to join. We agree a referral fee per closed order before the first RFQ reaches you.
Send your capability list and machine list to , or read the full terms on the supplier page.