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Heat Treating Stainless Steels Table Chart

Engineering Materials
Applications & Design

Stainless steels are heat-treated based on the stainless steel type and the target end item requirements. Heat treatment methods, such as stress relieving, hardening and annealing, strengthen the ductility and corrosion resistance properties of the metal that is modified during fabrication, or generate hard structures capable of tolerating abrasion and high mechanical stresses.

Heat Treating Stainless Steels Table Chart
SAE Steels
 
AISI
Treatment
Normalizing
Temp F
Subcritical Annealing
Temp F
Full Annealing1
Temp F
Hardening
Temp F
Quenching
Medium
 
Temper
S40900
409
1
-
-
1550-1650
-
Air
-
S41000
410
1
-
1300-13502
1550-1650
-
Oil or Air
To desired hardness
 
 
2
-
-
 
1750-1850
 
 
S41400
414
1
-
1200-12502
-
-
Oil or Air
To desired hardness
 
 
2
-
-
 
1750-1850
 
 
S41600
416
1
-
1300-13502
1550-1650
-
Oil or Air
To desired hardness
 
 
2
-
-
 
1750-1850
 
 
S42000
420
1
-
1350-14502
1550-1650
-
Oil or Air
To desired hardness
 
 
2
-
-
 
1800-1850
 
 
S42020
420F
1
-
1350-14502
1550-1650
-
Oil or Air
To desired hardness
 
 
2
-
-
 
1800-1850
 
 
S43000
430
1
-
1400-15004
-
-
-
-
S43020
430F
1
-
1250-15004
-
-
-
-
S43100
431
1
-
1150-12252
-
1800-1900
Oil or Air
To desired hardness
S43400
434
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S43600
436
1
-
1400-15004
-
-
-
-
S44002
440A
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S44003
440B
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S44004
440C3
 
-
1350-14402
1550-1650
1850-1950
Oil or Air
To desired hardness
S44200
442
1
-
1440-15004
-
-
-
-
S44600
446
1
-
1500-16502
-
-
-
-
51501
501
 
-
1325-13754
1525-1600
1600-1700
Oil or Air
To desired hardness
  1. Cool slowly in furnace.
  2. Usually air-cooled but may be furnace cooled.
  3. Suffixes A, B, and C denote three types of steel differing only in carbon content. Suffix F denotes a free machining steel
  4. Cool rapidly in air.

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