Thread: Steel question? SK5 vs. 1075

Good day folks,

We have some parts that we use here that are made of SK-5 steel. The part that we use is a planer spring which is either wire edm or laser cut. These springs that are wire edm are made for us in Korea and the SK-5 steel is pre-hardened. Is this true of all SK-5 steel? Is this part of its designation?

Supposedly this is steel is hard to get in the US. Is there an equivilant to SK-5 steel that is easily obtained domestically? I have been told that 1075 is its closest match but is hard to get in a pre-hardened condition?

However, a quick search on the google tells me that 1080 is the equal to SK-5?

Help me, im confused.

Please bear with me here. I am not a metal expert, just a machinist trying to solve some manufacturing problems that we have here.

thanks,
Joey

1075 and 1080 are for all practical purposes the same thing. SK-5 is a Japanese grade equal to ANSI 1080, a straight carbon steel. From what I can get from the net, its used heavily for knives.

Tom