GRA · ISO 513
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Carbide grade comparison

Type your insert grade and Toolhelix shows where the makers' comparison tables place it in the ISO areas and which grades of the other brands are equivalent. Every equivalent says how many tables agree; where they do not, you see it.

Indicative equivalents, cross-checked on the comparison tables of Mitsubishi Materials, Tungaloy and Kyocera: none is approved by the companies named. The maker's catalogue is what counts.

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How the comparison works

Mitsubishi Materials, Tungaloy and Kyocera publish a table in their catalogues that places every brand's grades in the ISO areas: P for steel, M for stainless, K for cast iron, N for non-ferrous, S for superalloys and titanium, H for hardened materials, each with a number from 01 (harder, finishing) to 40 (tougher, roughing). Toolhelix cross-checks them: for each grade it looks at where each table puts it and which grades of the other brands sit in the same box.

Why the tables do not always agree

Each table is its publisher's estimate, made from the other makers' catalogues. The same grade can end up in different boxes: a cast iron grade in one table can show up under steel in another. And each maker tends to place its own grades in more boxes than the others do. That is why Toolhelix shows how many tables confirm each equivalent, and when they disagree it shows the tables one by one.

Before you switch grades

Two grades in the same box work in the same range, but they are not identical: substrate, coating and chipbreaker differ between brands. Use the equivalent to choose what to try, then check the maker's catalogue and run a test with the cutting data it gives.

Grade pages

One page for every grade placed by at least two comparison tables. Grades found in a single table stay in the tool above.

Sandvik

Kennametal

Seco

Iscar

Mitsubishi

Sumitomo

Tungaloy

Kyocera

Note: equivalents built by cross-checking the comparison tables published by Mitsubishi Materials (2025-2027 catalogue), Tungaloy (2023-2024) and Kyocera (2021). Each maker states its table is an estimate based on publications, not approved by the companies named; this one is not approved by them either. Equivalences are indicative: substrate, coating and geometry differ between brands. The catalogue of the grade you use is what counts. Grade names and trademarks belong to their owners.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Sandvik equivalent of Kennametal KCP25B?

GC4325: all three comparison tables place both at P20, CVD coated turning.

Do the equivalents cover milling too?

Yes, the tables have a milling section. The comparison keeps turning and milling apart, as well as coated, cermet and uncoated grades.

Are solid carbide end mills and drills included?

No: solid carbide tools are compared by series, not by grade, and the makers do not publish grade equivalence tables for them.

Are these equivalents approved by the makers?

No. Each maker presents its table as an estimate, and this comparison is not approved by the companies named either. The catalogue is what counts.

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