In Russia’s machinery, steel construction and energy sectors, drilling in carbon steel, alloy steel and structural steel is a daily core operation. Yet many shops share the same frustration: with identical drawings and CNC programs, simply switching to a new batch of drills can drastically change tool life, hole quality and stability. Under such conditions, building a truly repeatable drilling process becomes almost impossible.

1. Why does tool life vary so much in the same steel drilling job?

From a technical point of view, the root cause often lies not in the operator, but in the tooling system itself:

• Fragmented sourcing
  Multiple brands, origins and standards (DIN, GOST, non-standard) coexist in the same tool crib. On paper, two drills may both be “10 mm”, but steel grade, heat treatment and grinding quality can be completely different.

• Mismatched tool grade and material
  A large number of basic HSS drills are used on higher-strength structural and alloy steels. To avoid burning and chipping, shops are forced to run very conservative cutting parameters, sacrificing both efficiency and life.

• No common standard, no copy-paste process
  One set of cutting data works reasonably well with Brand A, but burns or chips quickly with Brand B. As a result, it is extremely difficult to lock down a “standard drilling recipe” that can be copied across machines and shifts.

The outcome is predictable: even within the same plant, different shifts, batches and suppliers lead to totally unpredictable tool life, hole quality and downtime.

2. Giving steel drilling a “common language”: DIN338 + HSS-M35

To break this cycle, more and more players are moving away from “trial-and-error brand switching” and towards unifying the technical language first. Three elements are usually considered core:

1. Unify the standard: use DIN338 as the geometric and shank reference
   DIN338 defines overall length, flute length, shank style and tolerances for jobber-length twist drills. For the shop, this means:

   • Different batches and suppliers at least share the same geometric baseline;

   • Proven cutting data can be reused more easily across machines.

2. Upgrade the material: from basic HSS to HSS-M35 cobalt HSS
   HSS-M35 contains about 5% cobalt, offering higher hot hardness and wear resistance. It is much better suited for:

   • Continuous drilling in structural and alloy steels;

   • Running more productive cutting parameters without excessive risk.

3. Improve the surface: steam-tempered Black & Gold oxide finish
   This characteristic black-and-gold finish can:

   • Improve surface lubricity and reduce friction heat;

   • Assist chip evacuation and reduce built-up edge and scoring on the hole wall.

In practice, the combination “DIN338 + HSS-M35 + Black & Gold” has become a de facto baseline for many steel structure and general machining applications.

3. A typical DIN338 cobalt HSS drill platform for steel

The table below shows a typical technical configuration for a steel-oriented drilling platform (which can be supplied by different manufacturers). It is intended as an internal standardization reference for distributors and factories:

This platform concept does not depend on a single brand. The idea is to lock down the three key axes – standard, material, surface – and then select one or more manufacturers who can supply consistently within that framework.

4. How can Russian distributors and factories implement such a platform?

For Russian distributors and end users, a smooth transition can follow four practical steps:

1. Audit and segment current drilling usage

   • Map the most frequently used diameters, materials and machine types;

   • Flag critical applications in higher-strength steels as priority upgrade targets.

2. Replace “multi-brand, multi-standard” with a unified platform

   • For steel-related drilling, gradually introduce a DIN338 + HSS-M35 + Black & Gold line and phase out miscellaneous low-end HSS drills;

   • Retain legacy sources only for very low-volume or special sizes.

3. Recalibrate cutting data on a smaller test scope

   • Select a few representative diameters and workpiece materials, re-validate spindle speed, feed rate and coolant strategy;

   • Turn successful combinations into standard process sheets and share them across the shop floor.

4. Communicate a “platform product”, not just a single drill size

   • Instead of selling “some 10 mm drill”, distributors can now position a steel-oriented DIN338 cobalt HSS drilling platform, with life, hole quality and batch consistency evaluated and discussed as a system.

5. From “luck-driven” drilling to standard-based drilling

As Russian steel fabricators and machining shops gradually move from “buying whatever is cheap” to “managing drilling with a unified platform”, tool life is no longer a matter of pure luck. It becomes a controllable engineering variable that can be optimized with standardization and platform thinking.

The DIN338 + HSS-M35 + Black & Gold configuration is not the only answer, but it is a well-balanced path between performance and cost for steel drilling today. Once this baseline is in place, further upgrades – different brands, advanced point geometries or higher-end coatings – can all be developed within a clear coordinate system, helping Russia’s drilling operations truly move beyond the fragmented era.