NI · superalloy
Nickel Superalloy Inconel 600 (UNS N06600)
The mildest of the common nickel alloys to machine - still awkward, but it work-hardens less aggressively than 625 and far less than 718. It is the entry point into superalloy work.
Quoting this material
- Typical lead time
- 18–30 working days
- Condition
- Annealed
- Achievable finish
- Ra 1.6 µm typical · Ra 0.8 µm best
Machined in-house to your drawing: see the precision CNC machining service and the machine and inspection capability it runs on.
Machinability
Our own 1–10 shop ranking, not a published index: 10 is free-cutting brass C360, 1 is Inconel 718. It ranks how a material behaves on the floor - cycle time, chip control and tool life together. Where a published index exists it is quoted in the note.
The mildest of the common nickel alloys to machine - still awkward, but it work-hardens less aggressively than 625 and far less than 718. It is the entry point into superalloy work.
Properties as supplied
| Parameter | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Tensile strength | 655 | MPa |
| Yield strength (0.2%) | 310 | MPa |
| Elongation | 40 | % |
| Hardness | ~175 | HB |
| Service temperature | To 1,100 | °C |
| Thermal conductivity | 14.9 | W/m·K |
Hardness, tensile and thermal figures are typical published values for the condition stated. Actual mill certificates govern; send the specification with the drawing and we confirm against the certificate before the material is cut.
Condition
Annealed
Heat treatment
Solid-solution strengthened; no ageing treatment. Annealing after cold work or welding is the only thermal operation, and it restores ductility rather than strength.
Achievable surface finish
Ra 1.6 µm
Ra 0.8 µm
Finishes adequately with sharp tooling; the galling tendency is lower than 625.
Tooling and cutting parameters
Cutting speed
- 30–60 m/min (carbide)
Feed
- 0.08–0.20 mm/rev turning · 0.05–0.12 mm/tooth milling
Tooling
- Fine-grain carbide, sharp positive rake
Coolant
- High-pressure flood
Starting points for carbide on a rigid setup, not a guarantee. The right numbers depend on the machine, the toolholder and the fixturing - ask and we will say what we would actually run.
Typical applications
- Furnace and heat treatment fixtures
- Thermocouple and instrument sheaths
- Chemical and nuclear process parts
- Heat exchanger components
- High-temperature fasteners
DFM notes for this grade
- Buy it for oxidation resistance at temperature and chloride stress-corrosion resistance, not for strength - 655 MPa is modest
- Very weldable, which is why furnace fixtures and sheaths are often fabrications rather than machined monoliths
- Its machinability relative to 718 is the reason it is a sensible first superalloy job: the rules are the same, the punishment is less
Questions buyers ask
- What is Inconel 600 used for most in practice?
- High-temperature fixtures and sheaths: furnace baskets, thermocouple protection tubes, heat treatment supports. It resists oxidation at 1,100 °C and chloride stress corrosion, and neither property is available in a stainless at that temperature.
- Is 600 a good substitute for 625?
- No. It is weaker, less corrosion resistant in severe media, and the two are specified for different service. Where a drawing names 625 the substitution is a downgrade; where the requirement is temperature resistance and chloride corrosion, 600 is often enough.
Grades we would quote instead
Incoloy 825
2/10A nickel-iron-chromium alloy with molybdenum and copper: easier to machine than the nickel-rich superalloys and still resistant to a wide range of corrosive media.
Inconel 625
2/10Harder to machine than the 600-series grades and easier than 718.
Inconel 718
1/10The bottom of our scale and the reason the scale exists.