Difference Between Carbide and High Speed Steel

The key difference between carbide and high speed steel is that the carbide is extremely hard and abrasion resistant and therfore, the tools made from carbide last longer than that made from high speed steel. However, the hardness and abrasion resistance of high speed steel is superior to that of common carbon steel and tool steel.

Carbide and high speed steel are important materials that are useful to make cutting tools. Both these materials have advantages and disadvantages to making these tools. However, the cost of carbide tools is considerably high when compared to the tools made of high speed steel due to the long-lasting life time of the tools made form carbide.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Carbide
3. What is High Speed Steel
4. Side by Side Comparison – Carbide vs High Speed Steel in Tabular Form
5. Summary

What is Carbide?

Carbide is a compound containing carbon and a less electronegative chemical element. There are several types of carbides such as salt-like carbide, covalent compounds and interstitial compounds of carbide.

Carbide is extremely hard and abrasion resistant. It is expensive than high speed steel. According to the chemical bonding in carbide compounds, there are several types as follows:

• Salt-like carbide
• Covalent compounds
• Interstitial compounds
• Intermediate transition metal carbides

What is High Speed Steel?

High speed steel is a form of steel that is important in making cutting tools. This steel form falls under the category of tool steels. This material can withstand high temperatures without losing its hardness. Therefore, this steel is useful in making faster cutting tools which leads to its name. Further, the hardness and abrasion resistance of this material is superior to that of common carbon and tool steels. This steel is an alloy or iron, tungsten and molybdenum.

Appropriate high-temperature treatments during the production of this steel give its specific properties. We can conduct these heat treatments using lasers and electron beams. When the tools made of this material is coated with a suitable compound such as titanium nitride, the life of the tool increases.

What is the Difference Between Carbide and High Speed Steel?

Carbide is a compound containing carbon and a less electronegative chemical element. Moreover, the tools made from carbide lasts a long time. High speed steel is a form of steel that is important in making cutting tools. The tools made of high speed steel does not last long unless otherwise it is coated with a suitable material such as titanium nitride.

Summary – Carbide vs High Speed Steel

Cutting tools are very important in construction fields. We can produce these tools using materials such as carbide and high speed steel. The difference between carbide and high speed steel is that the tools made from carbide last longer than the high speed steel.

Reference:

1. “Carbide.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 June 2018. Available here  
2. “High-Speed Steel.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 June 2018. Available here  

Image Courtesy:

1.’TiC-xtal-3D-vdW’By Ben Mills – Own work, (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia 
2.’569108′ (Public Domain) via Max Pixel