Last Updated on: March 18, 2022

As we all know,different hand tools usually use different materials. Let’s see as bellow:

Carbon steel(CS)

We can divide carbon steel into low carbon steel, medium carbon steel and high carbon steel, depending on the carbon content. The higher the carbon content, the greater the hardness and the lower the toughness. We usually manufacture hand tools via High-carbon steel because it has high hardness and high strength. But it is not suitable to manufacture screwdriver(easy to crack) since the poor toughness. Anyway,it is widely used in some general-purpose hand tool materials,such as wrenches.

Chromium-vanadium steel(Cr-V)

Chromium vanadium steel is an alloy tool steel with chromium (Cr) and vanadium (V) alloy elements. It has better strength and toughness than carbon steel, so it is a great material for high quality tools. Commonly used for wrenches, screwdrivers, manual sleeves generally use 50BV30 chrome vanadium steel. The material of most WAIT® Hand Tool Pliers  are Cr-V.

Chrome molybdenum steel(Cr-Mo)

It is an alloy tool steel with chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo) , iron (Fe) and carbon (C) alloy elements. It has excellent impact resistance, strength and toughness, in addition its performance is better than chromium vanadium steel. Suitable for top-grade screwdrivers and small hex wrenches. We generally use 35CrMo chrome-molybdenum steel to make pneumatic sleeves Overall, the material is more expensive than others.

S2 tool steel

It is an alloy tool steel with carbon (C), silicon (Si), manganese (Mn) ,chromium (Cr), molybdenum (MO) and vanadium (V). The advantage is as bellow:

  • Excellent impact-resistant tool steel
  • Excellent strength and toughness

Usually making high-strength screwdrivers and hex wrenches, etc. The comprehensive performance is better than chrome vanadium steel. For actual material selection, CR-V is more widely used than S2 because the import fator.

SVCM

SVCM is better than CR-V, CR-V  has sufficient hardness but the toughness is not very good. It shows that the wrench may break. The screw head will slide first,Forcibly screw with the afterburner. Especially when it is twisted, it will break. SCVM + has better torsional properties than CR-V.

Aluminum bronze (aluminum-copper alloy) and beryllium bronze (bismuth copper alloy)

Used to make explosion-proof tools. Explosion-proof tools are tools that do not detonate explosive gases in a flammable or explosive environment. Bronze bronze is harder, tensile, and has special anti-magnetic function, so it can work  in a working environment with magnetic fields.