CNC machining: Hardness of insert coating materials

Written By Dasarathi G V

November 10, 2025

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CNC – Hardness of various insert coating materials

Here’s a comparison of the hardness of various coating materials used on cutting tools and inserts.

Colours of various coating materials.

By the way, coated inserts today account for 90 % of all inserts used, worldwide.

See this earlier post for what exactly coated carbide is Text and pics. source: CADEM NCyclopedia multimedia CNC training software.

Author

Dasarathi G V

cadem

Dasarathi has extensive experience in CNC programming, tooling, and managing shop floors. His expertise extends to the architecture, testing, and support of CAD/CAM, DNC, and Industry 4.0 systems.

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