Formingmethod - can be selected from two basic material types.

A)Hot-worked tool steel that withstands relatively high temperatures during diecasting, forging and extrusion.

B) Coldworking tool steel for blanking and shearing, cold forming, cold extrusion,cold forging and powder press forming.

Plastics -Some plastics produce corrosive by-products such as PVC plastic. Condensation,corrosive gases, acids, cooling/heating, water or storage conditions caused byprolonged shutdowns can also cause corrosion. In these cases, it is recommendedto use a stainless steel die steel.

Mold Size- Large size molds often use pre-hardened steel. Integral hardened steel isoften used in small size molds.

Mold usetimes - Long-term use (>1000000 times) of the mold should use high hardness steel, the hardness of 48-65HRC. For medium long-term use (100,000 to 1,000,000 times), pre-hardened steel should be used, and its hardness is 30-45HRC. For short-term use (<100000 times), the mold should be made of mild steel with a hardness of 160-250HB.

SurfaceRoughness - Many plastic mold manufacturers are interested in good surfaceroughness. When sulfur is added to improve metal cutting performance, thesurface quality is thus degraded. Steels with high sulfur content also becomemore brittle.