1.1730 / C45W / ČSN 19 191 – Carbon tool steel for cold work with good toughness

Steel 1.1730 (C45W) is an unalloyed carbon tool steel mainly used for cold work applications where extreme hardness or very high wear resistance is not required, but rather good toughness, simple heat treatment and cost-effective availability.

It is a very popular steel for standard tools, auxiliary fixtures, guides, holders and smaller shaped parts.

Properties of 1.1730

🔩 Good toughness and strength
Thanks to its medium carbon content, the steel offers good mechanical properties after quenching and tempering.

🔧 Easy machining
It machines very well before hardening, making it suitable for less demanding tools as well.

🔥 Simple heat treatment
Good hardenability, reaching approximately 50–54 HRC after hardening.

📏 Good dimensional stability
Stable during standard heat treatment processes.

💲 Economical choice
A more affordable alternative to alloyed tool steels.

Chemical composition of 1.1730 (C45W)

Element	Content (%)
C	0.45 – 0.50
Mn	0.50 – 0.80
Si	≤ 0.30
P	≤ 0.030
S	≤ 0.030

Typical applications of 1.1730

🧰 Tooling fixtures

• clamping and assembly fixtures
• stops and guide parts

🔩 Smaller cold work tools

• punches
• smaller forming parts
• simple cutting elements for light-duty applications

⚙️ Mechanical engineering components

• pins, shafts, holders
• lightly loaded parts

🔧 Auxiliary parts and general-purpose applications

• plates and inserts
• parts without extreme wear-resistance requirements

Heat treatment (guideline values)

Process	Temperature	Note
Hardening	800 – 820 °C	water / oil
Tempering	150 – 300 °C	target hardness approx. 50–54 HRC
Soft annealing	680 – 720 °C	hardness approx. 180 HB
Quenching and tempering	820 – 850 °C + 500 – 650 °C	improves toughness

Mechanical properties

• Hardness after hardening: approx. 50–54 HRC
• Hardness in annealed condition: approx. 180 HB
• Good toughness
• Simple heat treatment
• Economical choice for less demanding tools