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Steel Grade Cross-Reference

Look up any steel grade to find equivalents across DIN/EN, AISI/SAE, JIS, and GB standards. Chemical composition and applications included.

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Equivalent Grades

Chemical Composition

Typical Applications

All Grades at a Glance

Click any row to see full details. All grades available as precision heat-treated strip.

Our Grade DIN/EN AISI/SAE JIS GB Key Element HRC Range

Understanding Steel Grading Systems

Different countries and regions use different naming conventions for the same steel. This creates confusion when sourcing internationally. Here are the major systems you'll encounter:

DIN / EN (Europe)

Werkstoff Nr. (material number) like 1.7225. Also uses name-based designations like 42CrMo4 that encode composition: 42 = 0.42% C, Cr = chromium, Mo = molybdenum, 4 = multiplier. EN standards (e.g., EN 10132-4) are pan-European and supersede older DIN standards.

AISI / SAE (USA)

4-digit system: first two digits indicate alloy group (10xx = plain carbon, 41xx = Cr-Mo, 86xx = Ni-Cr-Mo), last two indicate carbon content in hundredths of a percent. AISI 4140 = Cr-Mo steel with 0.40% C. SAE and AISI systems are nearly identical.

JIS (Japan)

Letter prefix system: SK = carbon tool steel, SKS = special-purpose tool steel, SCM = Cr-Mo structural steel. SK85 means carbon tool steel with ~0.85% C. JIS standards (G 4401, G 4404) are widely used across Asia.

GB (China)

Direct composition encoding: 65Mn = 0.65% C with manganese. 3Cr13 = 0.3% C with 13% Cr. GB standards follow GB/T numbering (e.g., GB/T 1222 for spring steel). Often closely aligned with the Russian GOST system historically.

Industry Grades

Some grades like 15N20 and 8660 are trade or SAE designations that don't map cleanly to DIN or JIS. 15N20 is a nickel-alloy steel popular in bi-metal blade backing and Damascus steel — it has no direct DIN equivalent despite being similar to 75Ni8 in some properties.

Common Cross-Reference Questions

Is 75Ni8 the same as 15N20?

No, but they are similar. Both are nickel-alloy steels used for blade backing. 75Ni8 (DIN 1.5634) has Ni 1.8-2.1% with tighter chemistry control under EN standards. 15N20 has Ni ~2.0% but is an industry/trade designation without a formal DIN number. In practice, 15N20 is often used interchangeably with 75Ni8 for bi-metal band saw backing — but they are not officially equivalent. If your specification calls for 75Ni8, insist on EN 1.5634 certified material.

What is the AISI equivalent of 75Cr1?

There is no direct AISI equivalent. 75Cr1 (DIN 1.2003) is a European chromium-carbon tool steel with ~0.75% C and ~0.4% Cr. The closest AISI grade would be somewhere between 1075 and 1095, but none of the standard AISI carbon steels include the chromium addition that gives 75Cr1 its distinctive wear resistance. It's unique to the European bandsaw blade tradition.

Is 42CrMo4 the same as AISI 4140?

Essentially yes. 42CrMo4 (DIN 1.7225) and AISI 4140 are functional equivalents — both are Cr-Mo structural steels with ~0.40% C, ~1% Cr, and ~0.2% Mo. The JIS equivalent is SCM440. Minor differences exist in allowable ranges for Si and Mn, but for band saw blade applications these are interchangeable. Always verify the heat treatment specification matches, as the same base chemistry can yield very different properties (HRC 39 vs. HRC 55).

What's the difference between SK5 and SK85?

Almost none. Both are JIS carbon tool steels with ~0.85% C. The naming convention changed: older JIS used SK5 (numbering system where lower number = higher carbon), newer JIS uses SK85 (where the number indicates carbon content in hundredths of a percent). SK5 = SK85 in modern practice. Both harden to HRC 60-63 and are excellent for wood band saw blades.

Is C100S equivalent to AISI 1095?

Close but not identical. C100S (DIN 1.1274) has 0.95-1.05% C while AISI 1095 has 0.90-1.03% C. The overlap is significant. The JIS equivalent is SK95 (or the older SK4). For most blade and spring applications they are interchangeable, but C100S tends to be produced to tighter European tolerance standards (EN 10132-4).

What about Chinese 65Mn — is it the same as SAE 1065?

Similar but not the same. 65Mn (GB/T 1222) has 0.62-0.70% C with 0.90-1.20% Mn. SAE 1065 has 0.60-0.70% C with 0.60-0.90% Mn. The key difference is the higher manganese content in 65Mn, which improves hardenability and gives it spring-like properties. 65Mn is China's most common band saw blade steel — economical but less fatigue-resistant than 75Cr1 or 75Ni8.

Need Precision Steel Strip in These Grades?

Factory-direct, heat-treated to your hardness spec. 13 grades in stock.

Grades
13 alloys
Thickness
0.2–3.0 mm
Hardness
±0.5 HRC
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