D2 belongs to high-carbon, high-chromium cold work tool steel, with a carbon content of about 1.5% and a chromium content of around 12%. It also contains alloy elements such as molybdenum and vanadium.
After heat treatment, the hardness can reach HRC58–62. D2 steel offers high hardness, excellent wear resistance, and a certain degree of hardenability. It is widely used in manufacturing cold stamping dies, cold heading dies, and cold extrusion dies.
However, the toughness of D2 steel is relatively low, so care must be taken to prevent mold cracking during use. Its toughness can be improved through appropriate heat treatment processes, such as multiple tempering cycles.
