{"id":10720,"date":"2026-10-14T07:24:43","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T07:24:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ychltools.com\/resources\/iso-513-material-groups\/"},"modified":"2026-10-21T15:02:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T15:02:16","slug":"iso-513-material-groups","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ychltools.com\/zh\/resources\/iso-513-material-groups\/","title":{"rendered":"ISO 513 \u52a0\u5de5\u6750\u6599 Groups (P, M, K, N, S, H) Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>ISO 513 sorts the metals you cut into six groups, each with a colour code: <strong>P<\/strong> blue, <strong>M<\/strong> yellow, <strong>K<\/strong> red, <strong>N<\/strong> green, <strong>S<\/strong> orange, <strong>H<\/strong> grey. Every serious carbide grade is labelled with one or more of these letters, and catalogues quote cutting speeds per group. If you can read the group, you can read any insert catalogue in the world.<\/p>\n<h2>The six groups at a glance<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ychl-art-table\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Code<\/th>\n<th>Colour<\/th>\n<th>\u5de5\u4ef6\u6750\u6599s<\/th>\n<th>Typical grades in our range<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>P<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Blue<\/td>\n<td>Carbon steel, alloy steel, free-cutting steel, cast steel<\/td>\n<td>AT210A, AC152P, AC052P, AC252P<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>M<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Yellow<\/td>\n<td>Austenitic and duplex stainless, cast stainless<\/td>\n<td>AP200U, AC200M, AC100M, AP301M<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>K<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Red<\/td>\n<td>Grey cast iron, nodular (ductile) iron, malleable iron<\/td>\n<td>AT202, AC102K, AC202K, AP251K<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>N<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Green<\/td>\n<td>Aluminium, copper, brass, bronze, non-metallics<\/td>\n<td>PD20, HS6120, HS7125, HS8115<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>S<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Orange<\/td>\n<td>Nickel and cobalt based superalloys, titanium, Inconel<\/td>\n<td>AP100S, AP351M, AP403M, AC200M<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>H<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Grey<\/td>\n<td>\u6dec\u786c\u94a2, chilled cast iron, hard surfacing<\/td>\n<td>PB30, PB60, AP151H, AP153H<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Real cutting windows per group<\/h2>\n<p>The ranges below are not theory. They are the published manufacturer data of every insert in our catalogue, aggregated: 4526 cutting-data records across 586 insert models. &#8220;Typical&#8221; is the median of the manufacturer&#8217;s published window, which is where most shops actually run.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ychl-art-table\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Group<\/th>\n<th>Cutting speed vc (m\/min)<\/th>\n<th>Typical vc<\/th>\n<th>Feed fn (mm\/rev)<\/th>\n<th>Depth of cut ap (mm)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>P<\/strong> \u94a2<\/td>\n<td>45 \u2013 620<\/td>\n<td><strong>75 \u2013 250<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>0.10 \u2013 0.30<\/td>\n<td>0.5 \u2013 3.0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>M<\/strong> Stainless<\/td>\n<td>60 \u2013 250<\/td>\n<td><strong>85 \u2013 200<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>0.10 \u2013 0.30<\/td>\n<td>0.5 \u2013 3.1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>K<\/strong> \u94f8\u94c1<\/td>\n<td>50 \u2013 490<\/td>\n<td><strong>95 \u2013 400<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>0.10 \u2013 0.40<\/td>\n<td>0.7 \u2013 3.5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>N<\/strong> \u6709\u8272\u91d1\u5c5e<\/td>\n<td>300 \u2013 600<\/td>\n<td><strong>300 \u2013 600<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>0.10 \u2013 0.20<\/td>\n<td>0.3 \u2013 3.0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>S<\/strong> Heat-resistant<\/td>\n<td>20 \u2013 200<\/td>\n<td><strong>30 \u2013 90<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>0.10 \u2013 0.30<\/td>\n<td>0.6 \u2013 3.2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>H<\/strong> Hardened<\/td>\n<td>90 \u2013 180<\/td>\n<td><strong>120 \u2013 180<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>0.03 \u2013 0.30<\/td>\n<td>shallow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Why the gaps are so wide<\/h2>\n<p>P40 steel can be cut at 620 m\/min with a coated grade and a light finishing cut, while the same steel at 5 mm depth with a tough roughing grade runs at 80 m\/min. The group code tells you the <em>family<\/em>, not the number. What actually sets the number is:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Depth of cut and feed.<\/strong> Heavy cuts need lower speed. This is the single biggest lever.<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u724c\u53f7 and coating.<\/strong> CVD-coated grades tolerate more heat and run faster; PVD and uncoated fine-grain grades stay sharp at lower speed and are tougher.<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u5200\u5c16\u5706\u89d2.<\/strong> A larger radius spreads heat and allows higher speed, but raises cutting forces and can chatter on slender parts.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Coolant.<\/strong> Continuous flood lets you push speed; dry or MQL usually means 10\u201330% less.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Machine and setup rigidity.<\/strong> A worn spindle or long overhang forces you down.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Group-by-group practical notes<\/h2>\n<h3>P \u2013 \u94a2 (the default case)<\/h3>\n<p>\u94a2 is the most forgiving group. Chips should break into small &#8220;6&#8221; or &#8220;9&#8221; shapes, and the classic failure is crater wear on the rake face, which tells you the speed is too high or the grade too soft. If you see built-up edge at low speed, raise vc rather than lowering it. Start at the low end of the grade&#8217;s window and raise speed until flank wear reaches about 0.3 mm.<\/p>\n<h3>M \u2013 \u4e0d\u9508\u94a2<\/h3>\n<p>Austenitic stainless (304, 316) work-hardens and has poor thermal conductivity, so heat stays in the tool. The rules: keep the tool in the cut continuously, never dwell, use a sharp positive geometry, and always cut below the work-hardened skin left by a previous pass. Typical vc is 85\u2013200 m\/min. Duplex and super-duplex grades drop to the lower half of that.<\/p>\n<h3>K \u2013 \u94f8\u94c1<\/h3>\n<p>Grey cast iron breaks chips naturally and is easy on the tool, so speeds are high \u2014 95\u2013400 m\/min is normal. The enemy is abrasive wear from sand inclusions and the casting skin; reduce speed on the first pass over a skin. Ductile (nodular) iron is tougher and needs about 20\u201330% less speed than grey. Dry cutting is standard and often preferable.<\/p>\n<h3>N \u2013 Aluminium and non-ferrous<\/h3>\n<p>Aluminium can be cut at 300\u2013600 m\/min, often faster, and the tooling problem is not wear at all \u2014 it is built-up edge and chip evacuation. Use a polished, sharp, positive insert with a large rake, use sharp nose radii, and do not use a grade with a coating designed for steel. Silicon content above about 7% in cast aluminium makes it abrasive and pushes you towards PCD.<\/p>\n<h3>S \u2013 Heat-resistant superalloys<\/h3>\n<p>Inconel, Waspaloy and titanium keep their strength at cutting temperature, so all the heat lands in the tool. Speed is low (30\u201390 m\/min typical) and you must maintain a constant feed \u2014 never let the insert rub. Use a tough PVD grade and a positive geometry. Tool life is measured in minutes here, and the dominant failure is notch wear at the depth-of-cut line.<\/p>\n<h3>H \u2013 \u6dec\u786c\u94a2<\/h3>\n<p>Above roughly 45 HRC you stop cutting the conventional way and either use a dedicated hard-turning grade (PB30, PB60, AP151H, AP153H \u2014 120\u2013180 m\/min) or CBN. Hard turning only works with a rigid setup, a negative geometry with a honed edge, and shallow depth of cut. It will not fix a weak machine.<\/p>\n<h2>How to use the group code when choosing an insert<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Identify the workpiece group \u2014 this narrows the grade immediately.<\/li>\n<li>Pick the geometry from the operation: roughing wants a strong edge (large nose radius, negative rake); finishing wants light cutting forces (small radius, positive rake).<\/li>\n<li>Read the manufacturer&#8217;s window for that specific grade and insert, not the group average.<\/li>\n<li>Start at 60\u201370% of the window, then raise speed in 10% steps while watching flank wear.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The group averages on this page are a starting point. For a specific insert, the per-model page lists the actual published cutting data for every SKU we stock.<\/p>\n<h2>\u8df3\u8f6c deeper<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"\/zh\/resources\/iso-insert-code-decoder\/\">ISO insert code decoder<\/a> \u2014 read what CNMG 120408 actually means<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/zh\/resources\/cutting-parameters-calculator\/\">Cutting parameters calculator<\/a> \u2014 convert vc to rpm and feed to mm\/min<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/zh\/resources\/carbide-grades-explained\/\">Carbide grades explained<\/a> \u2014 how to read grade names<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/zh\/resources\/turning-insert-selection-guide\/\">Turning insert selection guide<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/zh\/resources\/milling-insert-selection-guide\/\">Milling insert selection guide<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Standards and further reading<\/h2>\n<p>The material group definitions used throughout this site follow ISO 513. The manufacturer links below are independent technical references.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iso.org\/standard\/59932.html\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ISO 513:2012 \u2013 Classification and application of hard cutting materials<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandvik.coromant.com\/en-gb\/knowledge\/materials\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sandvik Coromant \u2013 \u6750\u6599 knowledge<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kennametal.com\/us\/en\/resources\/technical-information.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kennametal \u2013 Technical information<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"ychl-art-src\">\u52a0\u5de5\u6750\u6599 group definitions follow <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iso.org\/standard\/59932.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ISO 513:2012<\/a>. Cutting ranges are aggregated from the published data of the manufacturers we distribute.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ISO 513 sorts the metals you cut into six groups, each with a colour code: P blue, M yellow, K red, N green, S orange, H grey. Every serious carbide grade is labelled with one or more of these letters, and catalogues quote cutting speeds per group. If you can read the group, you can [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":2220,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":"","_ychl_meta_desc":"What the ISO 513 P\/M\/K\/N\/S\/H codes mean: cutting speeds, feeds and depths of cut per group, and which carbide grade to use - from 5,422 stocked inserts.","_ychl_model_html":""},"class_list":["post-10720","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ychltools.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ychltools.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ychltools.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ychltools.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ychltools.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10720"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ychltools.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10731,"href":"https:\/\/ychltools.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10720\/revisions\/10731"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ychltools.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ychltools.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}