Tool Steel Processing
High Speed Steels Processing
& Global Supply
Operating from Singapore, ABCOM sources, processes, and supplies high speed steels (M series, T series, A series and tooling grades including drills and inserts) to industrial buyers and recyclers across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Our 25-year track record in specialty metal flows and deep tool steel expertise underpins every transaction.
Material Overview
What Are High Speed Steels?
High speed steels are highly alloyed tool steels containing tungsten, molybdenum, chromium, vanadium and cobalt additions that allow cutting tools to retain hardness and edge integrity at the temperatures generated during high-speed machining operations, where standard carbon steels would soften and fail. This property, known as red hardness or hot hardness, is the defining characteristic of the HSS family.
The alloying elements form stable carbide phases that resist dissolution at elevated temperatures, maintaining the hardness and wear resistance of the cutting edge even as heat builds at the tool-workpiece interface. This makes HSS the material of choice for a broad range of cutting tools across general engineering, aerospace, automotive, and precision manufacturing.
ABCOM trades and processes HSS scrap and primary forms including drills, inserts and tooling offcuts from manufacturing operations globally. Our technical grading capability ensures material is correctly identified by grade family before onward sale. See our full product range for available forms.
End Markets
Industries & Applications
Metal Cutting & Machining
Drills, end mills, taps, reamers and milling cutters for general and precision machining operations across engineering and job shop environments.
Tooling & Die Making
Punches, dies and form tools requiring wear resistance and toughness under impact loading in stamping and forming operations.
Aerospace Manufacturing
Precision cutting tools for machining titanium, nickel alloys and aluminium aerospace components where dimensional accuracy is critical.
Automotive Manufacturing
High-volume cutting tools for engine components, gearboxes and structural parts where tool life and consistency determine production economics.
Medical Device Manufacturing
Precision surgical instrument blanks and medical tooling where tight tolerances and surface finish requirements demand HSS grades.
General Industrial Manufacturing
Broaches, gear cutters and specialised tooling for production environments across general engineering and heavy industry.
Material Categories
Grades We Supply
M Series (Molybdenum HSS)
The most widely used HSS family globally. M2 is the industry standard grade offering an excellent balance of wear resistance, toughness and red hardness, suitable for the majority of cutting tool applications. Higher M series grades (M35, M42) add cobalt for improved heat resistance in demanding cutting applications on difficult-to-machine materials.
T Series (Tungsten HSS)
Tungsten-based high speed steels offering superior red hardness and wear resistance. T1 is the original high speed steel grade, the benchmark against which later alloys were measured. T15 adds cobalt and vanadium for the most demanding high-temperature cutting applications, particularly in aerospace and toolroom environments.
A Series (Air-Hardening Tool Steels)
Air-hardening grades offering dimensional stability during heat treatment, used in precision punches, dies and tooling where distortion must be minimised. The A series is valued in die making and precision forming applications where consistent dimensional accuracy after hardening is a production requirement.
Drills & Inserts
HSS drill blanks, twist drills, and indexable inserts recovered from tooling inventories and manufacturing scrap streams. These forms are processed separately due to the mixed-grade nature of tooling scrap, as a single tooling stream may contain M2, M35, and T-series material requiring careful sorting before onward sale.
Others
ABCOM handles additional HSS grades and tooling forms including specialty end mills, reamers, taps, and bespoke tooling offcuts on inquiry. Contact our team with details of the grade, form, and quantity available.
Our Capabilities
Processing & Recycling
ABCOM processes HSS scrap from manufacturing, tooling, and machining operations. Incoming material arrives in a range of forms including drill grindings, tooling offcuts, worn inserts, and end-of-life cutting tools, each requiring accurate grade identification before sorting and consolidation.
HSS scrap is valuable due to the high concentrations of tungsten, molybdenum, vanadium and cobalt locked into the alloy matrix. Recovering these elements through correct grading and supply to re-melters returns critical materials to the supply chain at substantially lower environmental cost than primary production. M series and T series scrap streams are handled separately: molybdenum-based M2 and cobalt-bearing M35 material is kept distinct from tungsten-dominant T series grades to preserve melt value.
Drill and insert scrap is processed separately due to the mixed-grade nature of tooling scrap streams. Our technical team evaluates and sorts material by composition before onward sale. Learn more about our operations on the about page.
Processing Capabilities
- Grade identification and compositional sorting
- Sorting by grade family: molybdenum series, tungsten series, cobalt-bearing grades
- Drill and insert scrap processed separately from bulk tooling streams
- Scrap processing from machining, tooling, and manufacturing operations
- Quality control and lot documentation
- Global sourcing and procurement across established supply networks
- Export preparation and international logistics coordination
Trading Network
Global Supply from Singapore
Singapore's position as a global trading hub gives ABCOM direct access to metal flows across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, and North America. Our operational network allows us to source HSS scrap and primary material from manufacturing operations globally and move it efficiently to downstream buyers.
Export markets for our high speed steel material include tool steel re-melters, carbide and HSS tooling manufacturers, and specialty steel producers across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Buyers receive consistently graded material with competitive pricing based on current tungsten, molybdenum, and cobalt market conditions.
For sourcing inquiries, logistics discussions, or pricing on specific HSS grades, contact our Singapore office directly via the contact page.
Why Choose ABCOM
Specialist Expertise, Global Reach
25+ Years Experience
Established in Singapore in 2000, ABCOM has operated through multiple commodity cycles with consistent focus on specialty non-ferrous and tool steel alloys.
International Operations
Offices in Singapore and Turkey, with active trading relationships across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Alloy Expertise
Deep technical knowledge of high speed steel grade families (M series, T series, A series) from identification and sorting through to final sale.
Sustainable Recycling
Recovering tungsten, molybdenum, vanadium and cobalt from HSS scrap reduces primary mining demand and supports circular supply chains.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What are high speed steels used for?
High speed steels are primarily used to manufacture cutting tools: drills, end mills, taps, reamers, milling cutters, gear cutters, broaches, and similar tooling. Their ability to retain hardness at elevated temperatures makes them essential wherever metal cutting operations generate significant heat at the cutting edge.
What is the difference between M series and T series high speed steel?
M series (molybdenum) and T series (tungsten) high speed steels both achieve similar performance levels but through different alloying approaches. M series grades, most commonly M2, use molybdenum as the primary hardening element and are more widely used globally due to lower raw material costs. T series grades rely on tungsten and generally offer slightly higher red hardness and wear resistance, with T15 being the most demanding grade in the series.
Why is HSS scrap valuable?
High speed steel scrap carries significant value because of its concentrated content of tungsten, molybdenum, vanadium, and cobalt, all of which are critical alloying elements with relatively constrained global supply. Recovering these elements from HSS tooling scrap and manufacturing offcuts is substantially more efficient than primary mining, making well-graded HSS scrap a consistent raw material for specialty steel re-melters.
What industries use high speed steels?
The principal industries are metal cutting and general machining, tooling and die making, aerospace manufacturing, automotive manufacturing, and medical device production. Any sector that relies on high-volume or precision cutting of metals will consume HSS tooling and generate HSS scrap.
What is red hardness in high speed steel?
Red hardness (also called hot hardness) is the ability of a steel to retain its hardness when the cutting edge heats up to temperatures at which ordinary steels would soften. High speed steels achieve this through tungsten, molybdenum, vanadium, and cobalt additions that form stable carbides and resist tempering at elevated temperatures. This property is what distinguishes HSS from carbon tool steels and enables higher cutting speeds.
Source or Sell High Speed Steels
Contact ABCOM for pricing, logistics, or technical discussions on M series, T series, drill and insert grades. We work with buyers and sellers across 30+ countries.