There are a number of excellent sources of this type of information. First and foremost is the definitive ASM HANDBOOK collection. The following are recommended reading:
ASM HANDBOOK Volume 14
Forming and Forging
specific articles to read:
Selection of Material for Blanking and Piercing Dies, p. 483
Selection of Material for Press-Forming Dies, p. 504
Selection of Material for Deep-Drawing Dies, p. 508
ASM HANDBOOK Volume 1
Properties and Selection: Irons, Steels, and High-Performance Alloys
specific articles to read:
Wrought Tool Steels, p. 757
P/M Tool Steels, p. 780
ASM HANDBOOK Volume 2
Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys and Special-Purpose Materials
specific articles to read:Cemented Carbides, p. 950
Cermets, p. 978
Structural Ceramics, p. 1019
There is some excellent information available online regarding material selection for tooling. The following are some recommended sites to visit:
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Carpenter Technologies is a leading supplier of tooling materials, and has a number of excellent articles on their website. You must register with them in order to view the articles, but registration is free. The following articles can be accessed by clicking on
Technical Information and then
Technical Articles from the cartech homepage:
New Powder Metal Die Steel for Cold Work Tooling Applications
A New Guide for Selecting Ferrous Alloys, Tungsten Carbides and Ceramics for Tooling
A Three-Point Program for Improving the Performance of Cold Work Tooling
Coated Tools of High Strength, High Tough Steel Produce up to Just Added 100 Times More Powder Metal Parts
Additional information on various tooling materials can be found at the following websites (search using