Drill Rod is a round metal bar stock made from tool steel that has been ground and polished to tight tolerances. It is generally supplied unhardened and is therefore readily machine workable making it an ideal product to use to manufacture tools.

Drill Rod is finished within very tight tolerances to ensure there are no defects, allowing for a final product that can withstand shock, is hard wearing, resists deformation, and can keep an edge while at elevated temperatures. Tools made from Drill Rod are particularly well suited for working other materials.

What is Drill Rod used for?

Drill Rod is used to manufacture a multitude of tools used for working other materials. The specifications of the initial Drill Rod required will be determined by the final use of the product and can be broadly defined into the following three categories:

• Water Hardened Drill Rod is the most common type and is easily machinable due to the low alloy content. Drill Rod that has been water hardened is hard and durable but not suitable for welding, with typical applications including the manufacturing of hammers and files, machine parts, chisels, drills and razor blades.
• Oil Hardened Drill Rod can be both machined and welded and is typically tough and durable. Typical applications include general woodworking and machining tools, knives, punches, and dies.
• Air Hardened Drill Rod contains the highest alloy content making it hard and resistant/ It is commonly used to create specialized tools including gauges, punches, and shears.

Further specialized applications include shock resistant Drill Rod for the manufacturing of high impact tools such as jackhammer bits, hot working Drill Rod for high temperature applications and high speed Drill Rod for applications such as power saw blades.

How is Drill Rod made?

Drill Rod is made by machining tool grade steel into rods. The rod is precision ground to a specific tolerance and then polished to have a clean and smooth surface. The polishing process helps ensure the specific tolerance is maintained.

Drill Rod is often tempered prior to machining to relieve the hardness and increase the machinability of the steel. The tempering process involves heating the rod up until it glows red, and then cooled, or quenched in water, oil, or air depending on the Drill Rod grade. The rods are then coated with a rust preventing oil for storage to ensure the polished finish remains untarnished.