
Table of Contents
An overview of drill bit material
So how do you pick the right drill bit?
First of all,We pick a drill need to understand what materials we will use our twist drill to process.
Then,we need to understand the current drill bit materials on the market.
They are mainly divided into HSS and carbide so you can find someone like us who specializes in tools in China to help you find the right drill bit with good quality.
If you need to purchase the right drill bit with good quality, then you need to know the name of the material below.
When you want to find some good quality products at the right price. You may turn your attention to China.
The better HSS materials are M2, M35, M42
HSS M2
Chemical composition:
HSS | C% | W% | Mo% | Cr% | V% | Co% | Si% | Mn% | P% | S% |
M2 | 0.8-0.9 | 5.5-6.75 | 4.5-5.5 | 3.8-4.4 | 1.75-2.2 | – | 0.2-0.4 | 0.2-0.4 | <=0.03 | <=0.03 |
M2 material: This material is suitable for drilling various metals, such as stainless steel, iron, copper, aluminum alloy and other low to medium hardness metals, as well as wood. In the applicable range, the quality is medium and the durability is very high.
HSS M35

HSS | C% | W% | Mo% | Cr% | V% | Co% | Si% | Mn% | P% | S% |
M35 | 0.9-0.95 | 5.5-6.5 | 4.5-5.5 | 3.8-4.4 | 1.75-2.2 | 4.5-5.5 | 0.2-0.4 | 0.2-0.4 | <=0.03 | <=0.03 |
HSSM42

HSS | C% | W% | Mo% | Cr% | V% | Co% | Si% | Mn% | P% | S% |
M42 | 1.05-1.15 | 1.15-1.85 | 9.0-10.0 | 3.5-4.25 | 0.95-1.25 | 7.75-8.75 | 0.15-0.65 | 0.15-0.4 | <=0.02 | <=0.025 |
An overview of carbide material
When it comes to cutting with higher hardness, we need to choose carbide as the raw material to make the drill bit.

Cemented carbide is an alloy made by powder metallurgy method with one or several refractory carbides (tungsten carbide, titanium carbide, etc.) as the main component and adding metal powder (cobalt, nickel, etc.) as the bonding agent.
It is very hard, very wear-resistant, has certain strength, suitable for high-speed cutting, cutting speed can be 4~7 times higher, but poor toughness, very brittle, in order to improve the performance of carbide, you can improve the performance of the drill by improving the special process.
Compared with HSS can drill more and have longer life. Also corrosion resistance, oxidation resistance, very high hardness, very wear resistant, generally good resistance to corrosion of the atmosphere, acid, alkali, etc., not easy to oxidation.