Forging Temperature Ranges by Material (Reference Chart)
Forge engineers and planners often need a quick sanity check on how hot to take a billet and how cool it can get before the last blow. This reference lists typical hot forging start and finish temperatures for common steels, aluminum, titanium and copper alloys in both Celsius and Fahrenheit.
| Material | Family | Typical start (deg C) | Min finish (deg C) | Typical start (deg F) | Min finish (deg F) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Low carbon steel (1018) | Carbon steel | 1150-1260 | 870 | 2100-2300 | 1600 | Wide forging window |
Medium carbon steel (1045) | Carbon steel | 1150-1230 | 850 | 2100-2250 | 1560 | Common for shafts and flanges |
High carbon steel (1095) | Carbon steel | 1050-1150 | 800 | 1920-2100 | 1470 | Lower start to avoid burning and decarburization |
Alloy steel (4140) | Alloy steel | 1150-1230 | 870 | 2100-2250 | 1600 | Slow cool or anneal after forging |
Alloy steel (4340) | Alloy steel | 1150-1230 | 850 | 2100-2250 | 1560 | Air hardening tendency, control cooling |
Stainless 304 | Austenitic stainless | 1150-1260 | 925 | 2100-2300 | 1700 | Stiffer than carbon steel, needs more force |
Stainless 316 | Austenitic stainless | 1120-1230 | 925 | 2050-2250 | 1700 | Solution anneal after forging |
Aluminum 6061 | Aluminum | 430-480 | 340 | 810-900 | 650 | Narrow window, preheat dies |
Aluminum 2014 | Aluminum | 420-460 | 340 | 790-860 | 650 | Aerospace structural forgings |
Aluminum 7075 | Aluminum | 370-440 | 320 | 700-820 | 610 | Very narrow window, hot short risk |
Titanium Ti-6Al-4V | Titanium | 900-980 | 800 | 1650-1800 | 1470 | Beta transus near 995 deg C, alpha-beta forging stays below it |
Copper (C11000) | Copper alloy | 750-900 | 600 | 1380-1650 | 1110 | Fast cooling in dies |
Brass forging alloy (C37700) | Copper alloy | 650-760 | 480 | 1200-1400 | 900 | Common for fittings and valve parts |
Nickel superalloy (Inconel 718) | Nickel alloy | 980-1120 | 900 | 1800-2050 | 1650 | Very narrow window, often isothermal or hot die |
These are typical handbook-style guide ranges, not process specifications. Actual start and finish temperatures depend on alloy chemistry, section size, reduction ratio, die temperature and the customer specification. Confirm against your qualified forging procedure.
Structured routing data for forge heating practice
Optional: we can review how heating setpoints and soak limits are stored in your routings and suggest a structure.
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How to use the chart
Search for the alloy or family and read the typical start range and the minimum finish temperature. The start range is the heating target for the furnace or induction heater. The finish temperature is the lowest metal temperature at which the last significant deformation should still happen. Below it, the material work hardens, cracks or forges with excessive force. Use the table to compare a work instruction against a typical guide, and export to Excel to build a furnace setpoint list per part family.
- Start range is the heating target before the first blow
- Finish is the lowest temperature for final deformation
- Use both units to match shop floor pyrometers
Why the windows differ so much
Steels forge across a wide window because they stay plastic from around 1250 deg C down to about 850 deg C. Aluminum alloys such as 7075 have a window of perhaps 100 deg C, so billet heating, die temperature and press speed must be tightly controlled. Titanium and nickel alloys are also narrow, and heat loss to cold dies is fast. That is why aerospace forgings often use preheated dies or isothermal tooling. A wide window means forgiving schedules, a narrow one means more reheats and tighter scheduling.
- Steel: wide window, mostly limited by scale and grain growth
- Aluminum: narrow, hot short risk at the top end
- Titanium and nickel: narrow, die chill is critical
Common mistakes
Overheating is the most expensive error. Carbon steel held near its upper limit grows coarse grain, and close to the solidus it can burn, which is irreversible scrap. Another frequent error is measuring surface temperature with an uncalibrated pyrometer on scaled steel, which reads low and invites overheating. Finally, forging below the finish temperature to save a reheat leads to laps and cracks that only show up at final inspection. Tie your furnace setpoint and a maximum soak time to the part routing so every lot follows the same heating practice.
- Do not exceed the maximum soak time at temperature
- Check pyrometer emissivity settings on scaled billets
- Reheat rather than forge below the finish temperature
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the typical forging temperature of 4140 steel?
Typical hot forging starts around 1150 to 1230 deg C and should finish above roughly 870 deg C. After forging, 4140 is normally cooled in a controlled way or annealed or normalized, depending on the next machining and heat treatment step.
Why is aluminum forging temperature so tight?
Aluminum alloys have a narrow plastic window between insufficient ductility at low temperature and hot shortness or incipient melting at high temperature. Alloys like 7075 may only allow about 70 to 100 deg C of working range, so dies are preheated and billets are held tightly.
Do these numbers replace a forging specification?
No. They are guide values. Customer specifications, aerospace material specs and your qualified forging procedure set the real limits for heating temperature, soak time, reduction ratio and cooling. Use the table as a first check only.
What happens if I forge below the finish temperature?
The metal loses ductility, flow stress rises and surface or internal cracking, laps and cold shuts become likely. In steel it may also leave residual stress and unwanted grain structure. The usual fix is to reheat the part before further deformation.
If your forging routings keep heating temperatures in free text notes, we can help pull setpoints and soak times into structured routing data in your ERP. The chart above is free to use without any contact.
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