Materials
Material Options For Machining
Compare 23 machinable materials on the alloys and subtypes each page actually publishes, the tolerance it holds and the price band — then go straight to the spec data or the comparison that answers your question.
Searches material names, grades, properties and our comparison articles.
23
machinable materials documented
7 metals · 14 plastics · 2 composites
44
grades and subtypes listed
counted from the source tables
430
material articles and guides
material-machining category
ISO 9001
SGS-certified quality system
CN24/00004900
Step 1 — start from the constraint
What is your part actually up against?
Most selection problems are decided by one dominant constraint rather than by a material family. Pick the one that applies and you get the materials that answer it, plus the reading that explains the trade-off.
01Weight
I need the part lighter
Strength-to-weight ratio decides it. Aluminum carries most of this work, titanium when the load is high, steel only where stiffness must come from section.
Machine it as
Read the comparison
See the matching machining service→ 02Heat & chemicals
It must survive heat and chemicals
Continuous service temperature plus whatever media it touches. Commodity plastics are out; PEEK, PEI, PPS and PTFE are in.
Read the comparison
See the matching machining service→ 03Wear & impact
It slides, rubs or takes impact
Friction coefficient, wear rate and impact toughness matter more than raw tensile strength. POM, PA and PC are the usual answers.
Machine it as
Read the comparison
See the matching machining service→ 04Electrical
It has to insulate or hold dimensions
Dielectric strength, dimensional stability under load and moisture uptake. Glass laminates plus PEI and PVC take this role.
Machine it as
Read the comparison
See the matching machining service→ Not sure which constraint wins?
Send the duty cycle, the environment and the loads. An engineer will come back with a recommended material and the trade-offs — you do not need a finished drawing to ask.
Step 2 — compare
23 materials, side by side
Every column below is taken from the specification table already published on that material’s own page. Nothing here is estimated.
Source: the <table> on each of the 23 material pages, extracted in bulk.
Last extracted 2026-09-20.
Last extracted 2026-09-20.
Stated once, not 23 times. Build envelope 200 × 80 × 100 cm is identical on all 23 pages, and minimum wall is 0.80 mm on 19 of them (0.75 mm on Alloy Steel, Brass, Cast Iron and Titanium). Those values are the table's floor line rather than a column that repeats the same number in every row — so the row keeps only what actually differs.
Material
Grades or subtypes · tolerance · price band
Specification
ABSPlastic
Tough, low cost, good impact and abrasion resistance
not specified by grade
Grades—
Tolerance±0.25 mm
Price band$$
Acrylic (PMMA)Plastic
Optical clarity and rigidity at low cost
not specified by grade
Grades—
Tolerance±0.25 mm
Price band$
Alloy Steel
High strength and toughness for loaded structural parts
413043404140 Alloy1018 Low CarbonA2m2d220GRZinc-Galvanized Low-Carbon Steel1045
Grades10
Tolerance±0.125 mm
Price band$$$
Aluminum
Lightweight, corrosion resistant, the default choice for most machined parts
MIC620245052508360826061-T660637075-T6
Grades8
Tolerance±0.125 mm
Price band$
Brass
Free machining, good conductivity, takes a decorative finish
C360C230C220
Grades3
Tolerance±0.125 mm
Price band$$
Cast Iron
Vibration damping and high compression strength
not specified by grade
Grades—
Tolerance±0.125 mm
Price band$$$
Copper
Best electrical and thermal conductivity of the machinable metals
101110
Grades2
Tolerance±0.125 mm
Price band$$
Delrin (POM)Plastic
Low friction and wear for moving parts
30% Glass-Filled
Subtypes1
Tolerance±0.25 mm
Price band$$
FR4Composite
Glass reinforced epoxy for circuit substrates
not specified by grade
Grades—
Tolerance±0.125 mm
Price band$$
Garolite G-10Composite
Glass-epoxy laminate used as an electrical insulator
not specified by grade
Grades—
Tolerance±0.125 mm
Price band$$$
PTFE (Teflon)Plastic
Lowest friction, very wide chemical and thermal range
not specified by grade
Grades—
Tolerance±0.25 mm
Price band$$
Nylon (PA)Plastic
Resilient and fatigue resistant with a good bearing surface
30% Glass-Filled
Subtypes1
Tolerance±0.25 mm
Price band$$
PEEKPlastic
Continuous high temperature and chemical resistance
30% Glass-Filled
Subtypes1
Tolerance±0.25 mm
Price band$$
PMMA (Acrylic)Plastic
Alternate entry for the same polymer as the Acrylic page
not specified by grade
Grades—
Tolerance±0.25 mm
Price band$
Polycarbonate (PC)Plastic
Outstanding impact resistance and toughness
not specified by grade
Grades—
Tolerance±0.25 mm
Price band$$$
Polyetherimide (PEI / ULTEM)Plastic
Thermal stability with electrical insulation
not specified by grade
Grades—
Tolerance±0.25 mm
Price band$
Polyethylene (PE)Plastic
Impact strength, food and pharma compatible
UHMW-PEHDPE
Subtypes2
Tolerance±0.125 mm
Price band$$
Polypropylene (PP)Plastic
Chemical stability and stiffness for fluid handling parts
not specified by grade
Grades—
Tolerance±0.13 mm
Price band—
PPS (Polyphenylene Sulfide)Plastic
High temperature rigidity, chemically inert
not specified by grade
Grades—
Tolerance±0.25 mm
Price band$$
PPSUPlastic
Tough, heat and chemical resistant, sterilizable
not specified by grade
Grades—
Tolerance±0.25 mm
Price band$$
PVCPlastic
Stiff, chemical resistant, electrically insulating
Rigid (uPVC)High ImpactCPVCFlexible
Subtypes4
Tolerance±0.125 mm
Price band$
Stainless Steel
Corrosion resistance combined with high mechanical strength
201301303304L316L410420440C17-4 PH
Grades9
Tolerance±0.125 mm
Price band$$$$
Titanium
Highest strength-to-weight ratio, biologically inert
Grade 1Grade 2Grade 5
Grades3
Tolerance±0.13 mm
Price band—
Values are reproduced, not reconciled. Every figure in this table is taken from the specification table already published on that material's own page; nothing here is estimated. Two notations appear in this column: 10 pages write ±0.125 mm and 2 (Polypropylene, Titanium) write ±0.13 mm — the same capability written two ways. Both are printed exactly as published on the source page, so what you compare here is what you will be quoted.
Why some rows are empty here. 11 of the 23 pages publish a type column — Alloys on the metals, Subtypes on the plastics. The other 12 publish a single specification with no type breakdown, so the column is empty rather than withheld; ask on the quote and we confirm what is in stock.
Why some rows are empty here. 11 of the 23 pages publish a type column — Alloys on the metals, Subtypes on the plastics. The other 12 publish a single specification with no type breakdown, so the column is empty rather than withheld; ask on the quote and we confirm what is in stock.
Step 3 — open a material
All 23 materials
Each page carries the type list where one is published, the achievable tolerance, the minimum wall, the price band for that material and the applications it is normally chosen for.
Metals 7
- Alloy Steel 10 grades High strength and toughness for loaded structural parts
- Aluminum 8 grades Lightweight, corrosion resistant, the default choice for most machined parts
- Brass 3 grades Free machining, good conductivity, takes a decorative finish
- Cast Iron not specified by grade Vibration damping and high compression strength
- Copper 2 grades Best electrical and thermal conductivity of the machinable metals
- Stainless Steel 9 grades Corrosion resistance combined with high mechanical strength
- Titanium 3 grades Highest strength-to-weight ratio, biologically inert
Plastics 14
- ABS not specified by grade Tough, low cost, good impact and abrasion resistance
- Acrylic (PMMA) not specified by grade Optical clarity and rigidity at low cost
- Delrin (POM) 1 subtype Low friction and wear for moving parts
- PTFE (Teflon) not specified by grade Lowest friction, very wide chemical and thermal range
- Nylon (PA) 1 subtype Resilient and fatigue resistant with a good bearing surface
- PEEK 1 subtype Continuous high temperature and chemical resistance
- PMMA (Acrylic) not specified by grade Alternate entry for the same polymer as the Acrylic page
- Polycarbonate (PC) not specified by grade Outstanding impact resistance and toughness
- Polyetherimide (PEI / ULTEM) not specified by grade Thermal stability with electrical insulation
- Polyethylene (PE) 2 subtypes Impact strength, food and pharma compatible
- Polypropylene (PP) not specified by grade Chemical stability and stiffness for fluid handling parts
- PPS (Polyphenylene Sulfide) not specified by grade High temperature rigidity, chemically inert
- PPSU not specified by grade Tough, heat and chemical resistant, sterilizable
- PVC 4 subtypes Stiff, chemical resistant, electrically insulating
Reading the counts: 11 of the 23 pages publish a type column — Alloys on the metals, Subtypes on the plastics. The other 12 publish a single specification with no type breakdown, so not specified by grade means the field does not exist on that page — it is not a value being withheld. If your drawing names a grade or a subtype for one of those materials, say so on the RFQ and we quote against it. Turnaround figures on each page are the published ones; complex geometry sits at the far end of the band.
Step 4 — verify
The material you approve is the material that ships
Grade substitution is the most common way a good design fails late. Every incoming lot is matched to its mill certificate before release, and alloy identity is confirmed on the instrument rather than on the paperwork.
XRF · LIBS
alloy identity verified on receipt
ISO 9001:2015
SGS certified · CN24/00004900
FAI
first article inspection on new parts
Or read it in order
Three ways through the material library
If you would rather be told what to read than search for it, pick the line that matches what you already know.
Material first
You already know the family
Property first
You know the requirement, not the material
Process first
The method is fixed, the material is open
Assurance
What backs the numbers on this page
SGS · ISO 9001:2015 · certificate ID CN24/00004900
Documentation
Mill certificates and traceability
Material ships with its certificate and a traceable heat number. If your drawing calls out AMS, ASTM, EN or ASME, the quote is written against that specification — not against a generic equivalent.
How material certification works →
Alloy identity confirmed on the analyser at goods-in, not at final inspection
See our inspection standards →
See our inspection standards →
Conformance
Tolerance held to ISO 2768 unless stated
Standard tolerance is ISO 2768 m unless the drawing specifies otherwise. Tighten it and the achievable band is quoted per material — the figures in the table above are the published capability of that material.
Read the ISO 2768 guide →FAQ
Material questions we get most
Are your materials certified?
Yes. Material ships with a mill certificate and full traceability to the heat number on request. Our quality system is certified to ISO 9001:2015 by SGS (certificate CN24/00004900). If your drawing calls out AMS, ASTM, EN or ASME grades, tell us on the RFQ and we will quote against that specification rather than a generic equivalent.
What if the material I need is not on the list?
The 23 pages here cover what we run most, not the limit of what we can machine. If your grade is machinable, we can usually source it as a special order. Send the specification and the quantity and we will confirm availability and lead time rather than guessing.
How is the material actually verified?
Incoming stock is checked against the certificate, and alloy identity is confirmed with a handheld XRF/LIBS analyser before the part is released to machining. Hardness and, where the drawing requires it, mechanical properties are checked on the finished part.
Which is the best metal for CNC machining?
Aluminium 6061-T6 for the majority of parts, because it machines fast, holds tolerance well and does not need a finish to resist corrosion. Move to 7075 when you need strength, to 304/316L when corrosion or hygiene dominates, and to titanium only when the strength-to-weight ratio or biocompatibility justifies the cost.
Which is the best plastic for CNC machining?
Delrin (POM) for anything that slides or wears, because it has low friction and holds a tight tolerance. ABS when cost leads, PEEK when temperature or chemical exposure is the constraint, and polycarbonate when impact resistance matters more than stiffness.
Do you help with the selection?
Yes, and it is a normal step rather than an exception. Send the duty cycle, the environment and the loads, and an engineer will come back with a recommended material plus the trade-offs. You do not need a finished drawing to ask.