Technical Datasheet
16MnCr5
16MnCr5 Case Hardening Alloy Bright Bar
Case Hardening Alloy Steel
Kalika Enterprises
Bright Bar Manufacturer
Plot No. 12/1, Gut No. 182, Jogeshwari, MIDC Waluj, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra 431136, India
+91 94229 27509 · kalikaent9@gmail.com
The standard carburising alloy — hard case, tough core, proven on gears. 16MnCr5 is the most widely used case hardening alloy steel in general gear and transmission work. The name describes it: roughly 0.16% carbon, manganese around 1.15% and chromium around 1% — Mn-Cr, hence 16MnCr5.
Also known as: 1.7131 · AISI 5115 · SCr415
Key advantage
Hard wearing surface over a shock-tolerant core
After carburising and quenching, the case reaches 58–62 HRC while the core retains toughness at 780–1080 MPa. That combination is exactly what a loaded gear tooth needs and is impossible to achieve with a single through-hardened steel.
Chemical composition
EN 10084 / DIN 1.7131, certified per mill test certificate
| Element | Min % | Max % |
|---|---|---|
| C Carbon | 0.140 | 0.190 |
| Si Silicon | — | 0.250 |
| Mn Manganese | 1.000 | 1.300 |
| P Phosphorus | — | 0.035 |
| S Sulphur | — | 0.035 |
| Cr Chromium | 0.800 | 1.100 |
Mechanical properties
Cold Drawn / Annealed (supplied soft for machining)
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Hardness as supplied | ≤ 220 HBAnnealed / soft, for machining |
| Case hardness after carburising | 58 – 62 HRC |
| Core Tensile Strength | 920 – 1150 MPaBlank carburised & hardened test, min per mill certificate |
| Core Yield Strength | 780 MPa minBlank carburised & hardened test |
| Elongation (A5) | 10 – 15%Core, blank carburised & hardened test |
| Core Hardness (quenched) | 29 – 43 HRCBlank carburised & hardened test — confirms through-hardening response |
Available sizes and tolerances
| Shape | Size range |
|---|---|
| Round | 8 – 65 mm |
| Hex (AF) | 10 – 46 mm |
| Tolerance | h9 / h10 / h11 |
| Standard lengths | 3, 4, 5, 6 metre or cut to size |
ISO 286 tolerance values (µm)
| Size (mm) | h9 | h10 | h11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| over 6 to 10 | −36 | −58 | −90 |
| over 10 to 18 | −43 | −70 | −110 |
| over 18 to 30 | −52 | −84 | −130 |
| over 30 to 50 | −62 | −100 | −160 |
| over 50 to 80 | −74 | −120 | −190 |
Typical applications
- Gears, gear blanks and pinions
- Transmission shafts and splined shafts
- Camshafts and rocker arms
- Bushes, pins and levers requiring wear resistance
- General automotive and machine tool components
International equivalents
| DIN / EN (Germany) | 16MnCr5 / 1.7131 |
| AISI / SAE (USA) | 5115 |
| JIS (Japan) | SCr415 |
| BS (UK) | 527M17 / En207 |
| IS (India) | 16Mn5Cr4 |
Heat treatment guidelines
| Operation | Parameters |
|---|---|
| Soft annealing | 650 – 700 °C, furnace cool — gives ≤ 207 HB for machining |
| Normalising | 880 – 920 °C, cool in still air |
| Carburising | 880 – 980 °C in a carburising atmosphere; case depth set by time and temperature |
| Hardening | Direct or reheat quench from 820 – 860 °C in oil |
| Tempering | 150 – 200 °C, air cool — relieves quenching stress |
Machinability index
58 Moderate
Relative to AISI 1212 = 100
Weldability
Limited
Supply condition
Cold Drawn / Annealed (supplied soft for machining)