Cutting Conditions Reference for Lathe Turning and HSS Drilling

Overview

This article covering three common planning scenarios: lathe turning defaults, cutting speed and feed by workpiece strength/hardness class, and standard cutting conditions for high-speed steel (HSS) drills.

Use these values as baseline process references for rough planning, operator handbooks, and quick shop-floor checks. Actual production parameters should still be adjusted for machine rigidity, coolant strategy, tool geometry/coating, vibration, and target surface quality.

Notation in the tables follows machining convention: cutting speed is denoted as $v$ (m/min), feed as $s$ (mm/rev), and drill diameter as $D$ (mm). Hardness marks such as $H_B$ are written in LaTeX where they appear in symbol-like fields.

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Turning Conditions (Lathe)

Tool Material	Operation	Workpiece Material	Cutting Speed $v$ (m/min)	Depth of Cut (mm)	Feed $s$ (mm/rev)
High-speed tool steel	Rough turning	Steel	35–45	2–3	0.2–0.3
High-speed tool steel	Rough turning	Cast iron	18–25	2–3	0.2–0.3
High-speed tool steel	Rough turning	Aluminum	150–200	2–3	0.2–0.3
High-speed tool steel	Finish turning	Steel	50–70	0.025–0.075	1/3 of tool width
High-speed tool steel	Finish turning	Cast iron	30–35	0.025–0.075	1/3 of tool width
High-speed tool steel	Finish turning	Aluminum	200–250	0.025–0.075	1/3 of tool width
Cemented carbide	Rough turning	Steel	150–200	2	0.2–0.3
Cemented carbide	Rough turning	Cast iron	60–90	2	0.2–0.3
Cemented carbide	Rough turning	Aluminum	600–800	2	0.2–0.3
Cemented carbide	Finish turning	Steel	220–300	0.05	0.05–0.1
Cemented carbide	Finish turning	Cast iron	90–130	0.05	0.05–0.1
Cemented carbide	Finish turning	Aluminum	800–1000	0.05	0.05–0.1

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Cutting Speed and Feed by Material Class

Workpiece Material	Tensile Strength / Hardness (MPa)	Tool Material	Roughing: $v$ (m/min)	Roughing: $s$ (mm/rev)	Finishing: $v$ (m/min)	Finishing: $s$ (mm/rev)
Steel	<500	P25	100–160	0.3–0.5	120–180	0.1
Steel	500–700	P25	80–120	0.3–0.4	100–120	0.1
Steel	700–1000	P40	60–100	0.15–0.4	80–100	0.1
Steel	700–1000	Cermet	100–200	0.15–0.4	150–250	0.05–0.1
Quenched and tempered steel	700–1000	P40	60–100	0.15–0.4	80–100	0.1
Quenched and tempered steel	1000–1500	P40	30–60	0.1–0.3	45–80	0.1
Cast steel	700	P40	70–100	0.15–0.4	100–120	0.1
Cast iron	$H_B$ 200–300	K20	60–90	0.3–0.5	60–90	0.1
Cast iron	$H_B$ 200–300	Ceramic	—	—	300–500	0.05–0.1
Brass	$H_B$ 80–120	K20	150–220	0.15–0.4	170–300	0.1
Bronze	$H_B$ 60–100	K20	100–180	0.15–0.4	140–250	0.1
Aluminum	$H_B$ 60–100	K20	300–600	0.15–0.4	500–800	0.1

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Standard Cutting Conditions for HSS Drills

Workpiece Material	Tensile Strength (MPa)	$D$ = 2–5 mm: $v$	$D$ = 2–5 mm: $s$	$D$ = 6–11 mm: $v$	$D$ = 6–11 mm: $s$	$D$ = 12–18 mm: $v$	$D$ = 12–18 mm: $s$	$D$ = 19–25 mm: $v$	$D$ = 19–25 mm: $s$	$D$ = 26–50 mm: $v$	$D$ = 26–50 mm: $s$
Steel	Below 500	20–25	0.1	20–25	0.2	30–35	0.2	30–35	0.3	25–30	0.4
Steel	500–700	20–25	0.1	20–25	0.2	20–25	0.2	25–30	0.2	25	0.2
Steel	700–900	15–18	0.05	15–18	0.1	15–18	0.2	18–22	0.3	15–20	0.35
Steel	900–1000	10–14	0.05	10–14	0.1	12–18	0.15	16–20	0.2	14–16	0.3
Cast iron	120–180	25–30	0.1	30–40	0.2	25–30	0.35	20	0.6	20	1.0
Cast iron	180–300	12–18	0.1	14–18	0.15	16–20	0.2	16–20	0.3	16–18	0.4
Brass (soft)	Below 50	Below 50	0.05	Below 50	0.15	Below 50	0.3	Below 50	0.45	Below 50	—
Bronze (hard)	Below 35	Below 35	0.05	Below 35	0.1	Below 35	0.2	Below 35	0.35	Below 35	—

Notes: $v$ is cutting speed in m/min; $s$ is feed in mm/rev.

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Try the Calculators

The following calculators on this site use these machining symbols and conditions:

• Cutting Speed Calculator — uses $v$, $D$, and spindle speed conversion.