Stellite Saw Tips vs Tungsten Carbide Saw Tips: Performance Comparison, Application Scenarios, and Selection Guide

Stellite saw tips (cobalt-based alloy saw tips) and carbide saw tips (Wolframkarbid-Sägespitzen) are core cutting tool materials in the industrial cutting field. The former uses cobalt as the matrix combined with elements such as chromium and tungsten, while the latter uses tungsten carbide as the hard phase and cobalt as the binder. Due to differences in composition and manufacturing process, they exhibit complementary properties, adapting to different working conditions.

I. Stellite saw tips (Cobalt-based Alloy Saw tips)

The core material of Stellite saw tips is Stellite alloy, formed through powder metallurgy or casting processes. The carbide hard phase is uniformly dispersed in the cobalt-based alloy matrix, making it a high-performance choice for extreme working conditions.

Key Advantages

Outstanding high temperature resistance and stability; maintains over 70% of room temperature hardness even at temperatures of 600-1100℃, and does not easily soften during cutting friction and heat generation.

Excellent toughness and impact resistance; can withstand impacts from nails and metal impurities hidden in wood, is not prone to chipping, and has good weldability, bonding firmly to the tool body. It offers comprehensive corrosion resistance, resisting corrosion from wet materials and chemical media, while also possessing good grindability and repairability, extending its service life.

It maintains stable cutting accuracy, preserving its sharpness even during long-term high-temperature cutting, reducing machining errors.

Main disadvantages: High cost; cobalt-based alloy raw materials are significantly more expensive than cemented carbide, resulting in substantial cost pressures for large-scale applications.

Low hardness at room temperature (HRC48-58); its wear resistance in cutting conventional materials is inferior to cemented carbide, leading to insufficient cost-effectiveness.

High-carbon models are difficult to machine, requiring specialized equipment for machining and grinding, resulting in higher maintenance costs.

Anwendungsbereiche:

Woodworking: Primarily used for sawing wet, frozen, and hardwood (such as black walnut and rosewood) and wood containing impurities, preventing corrosion and impact damage.

High-temperature conditions: Cutting high-temperature components in the aerospace industry, machining gas turbine parts, and withstanding extreme high-temperature environments.

Machining of special materials: Cutting new composite materials such as graphite, plastic fibers, and titanium alloys, as well as machining corrosive materials in the petrochemical industry.

Heavy-duty cutting scenarios: The main cutting edge of large band saws and circular saws in sawmills, handling high-intensity, continuous cutting demands.

II. carbide saw tips (Tungsten carbide saw tips)

Carbide saw tips are manufactured using powder metallurgy. Performance can be optimized by adjusting the Hartmetallbuchsen grain size and cobalt content. Commonly used tungsten-cobalt series (YG series) are widely applied in woodworking.

Core advantages: Extremely high hardness (HRA89-94), excellent edge retention, wear resistance several times that of ordinary steel, and long tool life.

Very wide applicability: Can cut various materials such as wood, metal, stone, and plastic. Model adjustments allow for adaptation to workpieces of different hardness.

High cutting efficiency: The dense and sharp hard phase allows for rapid material removal with high machining accuracy and a smooth cut.

Outstanding cost-effectiveness: Raw material costs are lower than Stellite alloys, making it suitable for large-scale, routine applications.

Main disadvantages: Poor toughness and weak impact resistance; prone to chipping and breakage under intermittent cutting, impact loads, or when machining materials containing impurities.

Sensitive to operating conditions; excessive feed rate, insufficient cooling, or inadequate equipment precision will accelerate damage.

Repair is difficult; after tooth breakage, the entire saw often needs to be replaced, unlike Stellite saw tips which can be easily reground and reused.

Corrosion resistance is moderate; it can only withstand some neutral media and is easily worn in wet or corrosive environments.

Application Areas:

General Wood Processing: Sawing of conventional materials such as solid wood, engineered wood, MDF, and plywood; it is the mainstream cutting tool in woodworking machinery.

Metal Cutting: Cutting and grooving of metal materials such as aluminum profiles, stainless steel, and carbon steel, including precision machining in aerospace manufacturing.

Non-metal Hard Material Processing: Cutting of materials such as stone, ceramic tiles, PVC pipes, and acrylic; suitable for home decoration and industrial production.

Fine Processing Scenarios: Sawing of veneered plywood, fireproof boards, and melamine boards; using trapezoidal flat teeth can reduce edge chipping.

III. Core Performance Comparison Table

Performance Dimensions	Stellite saw tip	Tungsten carbide saw tips
Härte	HRC48-58（Medium-high hardness）.	HRA89-94（Extremely high hardness）.
Temperature Resistance Range	600-1100℃（Excellent）.	>1100℃（Good).
Toughness and Impact Resistance	Excellent (Resistant to impurity impact).	Poor (Prone to tooth chipping).
Corrosion Resistance	Excellent (Resistant to wet materials/chemical corrosion).	Average (Resistant to neutral media only).
Cost Level	High.	Medium-high(Higher cost-effectiveness).
Maintenance Characteristics	Resharpenable, good reusability.	Difficult to repair, often requires complete replacement.
Suitable Scenarios	High temperature, corrosive, impurity-containing working conditions.	Conventional cutting, high-hardness material machining.

IV. Selection Decision Guide

Core Selection Logic: Match “Material Characteristics – Working Conditions – Cost Budget,” prioritizing the core requirements to determine the saw tooth type, then optimizing detailed parameters.

1.Selection by Processed Material

Processing wet, frozen, hardwood, or wood containing metallic impurities: Select Stellite saw tips, whose toughness and corrosion resistance prevent tooth chipping and passivation.

Processing conventional solid wood, engineered wood, metal, stone, and other pure materials: Select carbide saw tips, balancing high hardness and cost-effectiveness.

Processing titanium alloys, graphite, composite materials, and other special materials: Prioritize Stellite saw tips; if the material has extremely high hardness and no impact, a high-hardness carbide model can be selected.

2.Selection by Working Conditions

High temperature, continuous cutting, or corrosive environments: Stellite saw tips can maintain stable cutting performance and are not easily softened or corroded.

Intermittent cutting, high-speed cutting, or automated production lines: carbide saw tips are more efficient, but if there is an impact risk, a vibration damping design is required.

3.Selection Based on Cost and Maintenance:For small equipment or manual operation: carbide saw tips are easy to replace and have low maintenance costs; for heavy equipment operating continuously, Stellite saw tips can be used to reduce downtime.

For Sufficient Budget, Long Lifespan, and Low Replacement Frequency:While Stellite saw tips have a higher initial cost, they can be reground and reused, resulting in a superior long-term overall cost.

For Mass Production, Regular Operating Conditions, or Limited Budget:carbide saw tips offer better cost-effectiveness and a wider range of models to suit different machining precision requirements.

For Lack of Professional Regrinding Equipment:Prioritize carbide saw tips to avoid resource waste caused by the inconvenience of Stellite saw tooth regrinding.

4. Optimization of Detailed Parameters:

For carbide saw tips: Select the YG8-YG15 series (higher cobalt content results in better toughness) for wood processing; use coarse teeth for fast cutting of soft materials and fine teeth for hard/precision machining; select the corresponding dedicated grade for metal processing and use with coolant.

Stellite saw tips: Select the appropriate model based on the temperature conditions (e.g., Stellite 12 is suitable for regular hardwoods, Stellite 1 is suitable for ultra-high hardness materials) to ensure a firm weld between the saw teeth and the blade body.

Our company is among China’s top tungsten carbide saw tips manufacturers and Stellite saw tips suppliers. Should you require cemented carbide products, please Kontaktieren Sie uns.