Abstract: The invention relates to a precipitation-hardenable tool steel intended for plastic forming tools manufactured therefrom. The tool steel at the manufacturing of the tool and prior to hardening through ageing treatment but after solution heat treatment and cooling to room temperature has a hardness less than 40 HRC, but after the manufacturing of the tool and the subsequent age hardening treatment, i.e. in the precipitation hardened condition, is harder than 45 HRC and has a high corrosion resistance and a toughness sufficient for plastic forming tools. The steel contains in weight-%:______________________________________ max 0.08 C, max 1 Si, max 2 Mn, 9-13 Cr, 7-11 Ni, max 1 Mo, 1.4-2.2 Al, and ______________________________________balance being essentially only iron, impurities and accessory elements in normal amounts.

Abstract: A hot work steel with very high resistance to tempering and a very high strength at elevated temperatures, a good ductility and a comparatively low content of expensive alloying elements; the steel contains in weight percent: 0.30-0.45 C, 0.2-1.0 Si, 0.3-2.0 Mn, 2.0-3.5 Cr, 1.5-2.5 (W/2+Mo), 0.8-1.5 V, 0-0.01 B, balance essentially only iron and impurities in normal quantities; for a further embodiment the steel contains a maximum of 1.0, preferably a maximum of 0.5 and suitably a maximum of 0.3% cobalt; in the hardened and tempered condition the steel has a fine grain lath-martensitic or partly bainitic microstructure which is free from retained austenite, and which contains a very finely dispersed intergranular precipitation of carbides, among which vanadium carbides are the dominating carbide phase.