154CM • CPM 154 • CPM 154F

154CM
This cast stainless steel alloy has been around for decades. It was first developed for use in aerospace. It was popularized for knifemaking by Bob Loveless.

CPM154
In 2004 Crucible took their 154CM alloy and produced it using their CPM process. Using the particle metallurgy process resulted in finer carbides that are more evenly distributed in the finish steel. We refer to this alloy as CPM154

CPM154F
In 2022 Crucible made an upgrade to the alloy. They took the finest CPM154 powder and used it to make billets. The result is a steel that takes a mirror polish well. It also hand finishes well. We refer to this alloy as CPM154F.

Summary
There are three different iterations of the same alloy at three different price points. Choose the iteration that best suits your needs.

B/U: Bohler / Uddeholm

Bohler and Uddeholm are two large steel companies based in Europe. Both companies make high quality steel alloys and are subsidiaries of Voestalpine.

Cross Grain:

Steel is toughest when it is cut with the grain. However, we occasionally get pieces that were cut across the grain. We call this “cross grain”. The cross grain billets are discounted.

CRA: Cold Rolled Annealed

Cold rolled steel has a nice finish. The surface is bright and smooth. It can be darker on the edges of the sheet showing some heat coloring from annealing. Cold rolled alloys have minimal runout. The steel is annealed (soft).

CRHT: Cold Rolled Heat Treated

Cold rolled heat treated applies to only some 15N20. The steel is heat treated to approximately HRC 45. This alloy is used extensively for sawmill bandsaw blades. The sawmills require the steel be heat treated.

Even though this 15N20 is heat treated, it is not full hard. It is easy to work with metal working tools. When drilling this 15N20, It is important to keep constant pressure and use a lubricant.

ESR: Electroslag Remelt

Electroslag remelting is a process of remelting and refining a steel alloy to make it cleaner. The result is very clean steel. The steel is annealed (soft).

FG: Flat Ground

The AKS definition of flat ground is +- .001 inch runout across 12 inches. The surface of the steel is ground until it is bare steel with a uniform grind pattern. The front and back of the billet are parallel.

FGHT: Flat Ground Heat Treated

Flat ground heat treated applies to only some 15N20. The steel is heat treated to approximately HRC 45. This alloy is used extensively for sawmill bandsaw blades. The sawmills require the steel be heat treated.

Even though this 15N20 is heat treated, it is not full hard. It is easy to work with metal working tools. When drilling this 15N20, It is important to keep constant pressure and use a lubricant.

The AKS definition of flat ground is +- .001 inch runout across 12 inches. The surface of the steel is ground until it is bare steel with a uniform grind pattern. The front and back of the billet are parallel.

HRA: Hot Rolled Annealed

Hot rolled steel has mill scale and is dirty on the surface of the steel. The mill scale is easily removed by multiple processes such as pickling or sand blasting. The steel is annealed (soft).

HRDA: Hot Rolled Descaled Annealed

The steel is heated and run between rollers to achieve the desired thickness. As the steel cools, scale forms on the surface of the sheet. The scale is removed by sand blasting or shot blasting. After blasting, the surface of the sheet has a rough finish. The steel is annealed (soft).

HRPA: Hot Rolled Pickled Annealed

The steel is heated and run between rollers to achieve the desired thickness. As the steel cools, scale forms on the surface of the sheet. The scale is removed by immersing the sheet in a bath of acid. The process is called pickling. The acid removes the scale. After pickling, the surface of the sheet has a rough finish. The steel is annealed (soft).

PESR: Pressurized Electroslag Remelt

PG: Precision Ground

The AKS definition of precision ground is less than .001 inch runout across 12 inches.

PM: Particle Metallurgy

Alloys using particle metallurgy processes are made from powdered metal. The powder is put in a can and pressed into a solid billet in a hot isostatic press.

CPM: Crucible Particle Metallurgy

Crucible is a steel company based in USA. They produce multiple steel alloys. Some of the alloys are made using the Crucible Particle Metallurgy i.e. CPM process.

The first step in the CPM process is heating the steel until it is a liquid. The liquid is sprayed through a small nozzle and forms into a powder. The steel powder is packed into a steel container that is welded shut. The container containing the powder is placed into a hot isostatic press or HIP. The HIP heats the container and compresses the steel powder into a solid billet. After the billet cools the container is removed. The remaining billet has a consistent composition.

The major advantage of the CPM process is producing alloys that would not be possible using traditional steel production processes.

CG: Cross Grain

Steel is toughest when it is cut with the grain. However, we occasionally get pieces that were cut across the grain. We call this “cross grain”. The cross grain billets are discounted.