Materials
Material Selector
Describe the service conditions and get a shortlist from the 100 grades the shop actually publishes, each with the reason it is on the list.
Result
3 grades shortlisted
Ranked from the 100 grades the shop publishes machining data for, using its own 1–10 machinability scale. Every entry below says why it is on the list.
Best match
Titanium Ti-6Al-4V (Grade 5)
Titanium Alloys
85
machinability 3/10
Why
- Corrosion resistance is a strength of this family (band 96/100).
- Machinability 3/10 on our own shop scale. Workable, but it drives cycle time and tooling cost: The alloy the whole titanium reputation comes from. Published index around 20–25% against B1112 = 100%; low thermal conductivity puts the heat in the tool edge, and it work-hardens the moment the cutter rubs.
- Already listed against aerospace applications in our material data.
- Keep the tool engaged: a dwell or a spring pass work-hardens the surface and the next cut has to get under a skin that is now much harder
Substitutes we would quote: Titanium Ti-6Al-4V ELI (Grade 23), Titanium Grade 4 (commercially pure, higher strength), Titanium Ti-5Al-2.5Sn (Grade 6)
Alternative 1
Titanium Ti-6Al-4V ELI (Grade 23)
Titanium Alloys
84
machinability 3/10
Why
- Corrosion resistance is a strength of this family (band 96/100).
- Machinability 3/10 on our own shop scale. Workable, but it drives cycle time and tooling cost: The same alloy as Grade 5 with tighter limits on oxygen, nitrogen and iron. Slightly softer and tougher, and it machines about the same - the premium is in the certification and the stock, not the cut.
- Already listed against aerospace applications in our material data.
- Tighter chemistry limits mean tighter material certification - do not substitute Grade 5 for a Grade 23 callout, however close the mechanical properties look
Substitutes we would quote: Titanium Ti-6Al-4V (Grade 5), Titanium Grade 4 (commercially pure, higher strength), Stainless Steel 17-4 PH (630)
Alternative 2
Titanium Ti-5Al-2.5Sn (Grade 6)
Titanium Alloys
82
machinability 3/10
Why
- Corrosion resistance is a strength of this family (band 96/100).
- Machinability 3/10 on our own shop scale. Workable, but it drives cycle time and tooling cost: An alpha alloy: similar machining behaviour to Ti-6Al-4V with slightly better weldability and lower strength. Used where the joint matters as much as the load.
- Already listed against aerospace applications in our material data.
- Chosen for weldability more than strength: it joins more readily than Ti-6Al-4V and still carries a useful load
Substitutes we would quote: Titanium Ti-6Al-4V (Grade 5), Titanium Grade 4 (commercially pure, higher strength), Titanium Grade 2 (commercially pure)
Before you specify
- Corrosion, temperature and relative cost are ranked from family-level engineering bands we use internally, not from a datasheet curve or a price list. Treat them as a shortlist to discuss, not a specification.
Corrosion, temperature and cost are ranked from family-level engineering bands we use internally, not from datasheet curves or a price list. Treat the result as a shortlist to discuss with an engineer, not as a specification.
What you provide
- Environment
- Load
- Temperature
- Weight priority
- Corrosion
- Cost sensitivity
- Industry
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