Case Hardening Guide: Carburizing, Nitriding & Carbonitriding Compared

Case Hardening Guide: Carburizing, Nitriding & Carbonitriding Compared

Short answer: Case hardening builds a hard, wear-resistant surface on a tough metal core — by diffusing carbon, nitrogen or both into the surface layer. Carburizing, nitriding and carbonitriding are the workhorses, chosen by the depth, distortion and core toughness each part needs.

At a Glance

Case Hardening Guide: Carburizing, Nitriding & Carbonitriding Compared chart
Figure 1 – Case Hardening Guide: Carburizing, Nitriding & Carbonitriding Compared overview.

Picking the Process

Compare Nitriding Vs Carburizing for depth and distortion; tie to Metal Heat Treatment Guide, Annealing Vs Normalizing и Stress Relieving Vs Annealing. Refine structure via Metal Grain Size Guide.

Wear & Machining

A hard case fights Metal Wear Mechanisms Guide but is machined before hardening; plan with Metal Machinability Guide and inspect via Metal Ndt Guide.

QA & Supply

Document the process per Mill Test Certificate Guide and protect stock via How To Prevent Metal Rust. HXSCO supplies case-hardenable grades.

Get a Quote

Tell HXSCO your requirements and we will respond with a competitive quote and lead time.

Часто задаваемые вопросы

What is case hardening?

Diffusing carbon/nitrogen into the surface to make it hard while keeping a tough core.

Carburizing vs nitriding?

Carburizing gives a deeper, tougher case; nitriding is lower-temp with less distortion.

What is carbonitriding?

A combined C+N process for shallow, distortion-sensitive cases.

Which is least distorting?

Nitriding and ferritic nitrocarburizing run below the transformation temperature.

Do you supply case-hardenable steel?

HXSCO supplies carburizing and nitriding grades with certificates.

Source Case-Hardenable Steel from HXSCO

HXSCO supplies case-hardenable steels selected for the surface hardness and core toughness your part needs. Send your grade and quantity for a quote.

Request a Quote