Free-Cutting Steel Bars in Round, Hex, Square and Flat Shapes

Short Answer for International Buyers

Junxiong Metal supplies cold-drawn free-cutting steel bars in round, hexagonal, square and flat sections for CNC turning, Swiss-type machining, automatic-lathe parts and drawing-defined industrial components. Common enquiry terms include Y12, Y20, 1215, 12L14, 11SMn30, 11SMnPb30, 1.0715, 1.0718, SUM23, SUM24L and EN1A. These names help buyers search and compare, but they are not automatic equivalents. A quotation must identify the governing standard, bar shape, dimensions, tolerances, length, quantity, destination and inspection requirements.

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Junxiong Product-Shape Evidence

Junxiong cold drawn round steel bars for free-cutting steel enquiries
Round bar: for turned parts and bar-fed machining. Confirm diameter, tolerance, straightness, surface and fixed or random length.
Junxiong cold drawn hexagonal steel bars with visible six-sided sections
Hexagonal bar: for fittings, nuts and machined hardware. State across-flats size, corner condition, twist and length requirements.
Junxiong cold drawn square steel bars with visible square cross sections
Square bar: for machining stock and industrial parts. Confirm side dimension, corner radius, twist, straightness and surface.
Junxiong 10 by 40 millimetre cold drawn flat steel production line
Flat bar: for machining stock and application-specific profiles. State width, thickness, edge condition, flatness and length.

Evidence boundary: the photographs show Junxiong product forms and manufacturing or handling capability. Appearance does not prove a specific grade or heat. The approved purchase standard, heat number, MTC and agreed inspection records establish batch conformity.

Technical Facts Buyers Must Put in the RFQ

RFQ decision What to state Why it affects supply
Grade and standard One governing SAE/AISI, EN/DIN, JIS, BS or customer specification Similar trade names can have different chemistry, lead restrictions, properties and certificate wording.
Shape Round, across-flats hex, square, width-by-thickness flat, or a section drawing Tooling, dimensional controls and usable machining allowance differ by section.
Dimensions Finished size, tolerance class, corner or edge requirement and machining allowance A nominal size alone does not define an acceptable cold-drawn bar.
Geometry Straightness, twist, flatness and measurement method where applicable Bar-feeder stability, workholding and downstream machining depend on measurable geometry.
Surface and ends Cold drawn, bright, ground or agreed finish; cut, chamfered or other end condition Surface condition and ends affect feeding, machining and inspection.
Length and volume Random or fixed length, length tolerance, quantity per size and repeat forecast Production route, packing and freight planning depend on the actual order mix.
Documents MTC, heat traceability, chemistry, mechanical tests and third-party inspection if required Required documents must be agreed before production, not requested after shipment.

Cross-Market Designations Require Engineering Confirmation

Buyer market Common search terms Confirmation before quotation
China Y12 steel, Y20 steel, GB/T free-cutting structural steel Exact GB/T 8731 edition, designation, product form, dimensions, delivery condition, machining route and heat-specific MTC. Do not replace the ordered Chinese grade with a foreign comparison name.
United States and Canada 1215, 12L14, free-machining steel bar, cold-drawn bright bar Exact SAE/AISI or customer standard, including whether a leaded grade is permitted.
Germany and continental Europe 11SMn30, 11SMnPb30, 1.0715, 1.0718, Automatenstahl Applicable EN/DIN designation, delivery condition, restricted-substance and end-use requirements.
United Kingdom EN1A, EN1A leaded, 230M07, 230M07Pb, bright steel bar Buyer-approved grade reference and the certificate wording required by the drawing or purchase order.
Japan and Asian supply chains SUM22, SUM23, SUM24L, JIS free-cutting steel bar Exact JIS grade, chemistry, properties, shape and application requirement.
Australia and New Zealand 1215 bright bar, 12L14 bright bar, free-machining round, hex, square or flat bar Purchase standard, product form, dimensions, quantity, destination and import documentation.

Important: this table maps buyer search language. It does not certify equivalence and must not be used to approve a substitution. Junxiong reviews the exact specification before confirming feasibility.

Y12 Steel and Y20 Steel RFQs under GB/T 8731-2025

Short answer: buyers searching for Y12 steel or Y20 steel can submit a separate Chinese-standard RFQ under GB/T 8731-2025. The official national-standard record identifies GB/T 8731-2025 as the current free-cutting structural-steel product standard, effective from 1 May 2026 and replacing GB/T 8731-2008.

RFQ control What the buyer must state Boundary before quotation
Designation and edition Write Y12 or Y20 and the exact GB/T 8731 edition on the enquiry and purchase order. Y12 and Y20 are separate designations. Do not collapse them into one generic free-cutting grade.
Product form Round, flat, square, hexagonal or drawing-based section, plus all size and geometry controls. The GB/T material route does not by itself promise every cold-drawn shape or size. Junxiong must review grade, section and tooling together.
Condition and application Incoming delivery condition, machining route, downstream treatment, surface, decarburization or other application-specific limits. A grade name alone does not define cold-drawn finish, mechanical properties, machinability on the buyer’s equipment or finished-part performance.
Inspection and documents Heat identity, chemistry, mechanical tests, MTC wording, restricted-substance requirements, quantity, destination and packing. This page does not claim current Y12 or Y20 stock, a matching Junxiong heat, grade-specific photographs or a public batch MTC.

Cross-market boundary: the official public drafting material for the current standard lists Y12 and Y20 and labels its foreign-designation appendix as an approximate comparison. Its entries such as Y12 with ISO 10S20 and Y20 with JIS SUM32 are sourcing context, not automatic equivalence or substitution approval. The published 2025 edition, the buyer’s purchase order and the heat-specific MTC control supply.

Producer-reference boundary: Baosteel’s public special-steel directory lists Y12 as a free-cutting steel route and shows a SUM comparison. That supports market terminology only; it does not prove Junxiong Y12 or Y20 availability, establish a Y20 producer program, or approve relabelling.

Send a Y12 or Y20 free-cutting steel RFQ for factory review.

Select the Free-Cutting Grade Before Selecting the Shape

Grade route Procurement distinction RFQ evidence
Y12 / Y20 Separate GB/T 8731 Chinese free-cutting-steel routes. Foreign names in comparison tables are not automatic purchase equivalents. Exact GB/T edition and designation, product form, dimensions, condition, machining route, restricted-substance requirements and heat-specific MTC.
SAE 1215 Resulfurized free-machining carbon-steel route. Do not treat it as leaded 12L14. SAE or customer standard, shape, dimensions, delivery condition, restricted-substance declaration if required and heat-specific MTC.
SAE 1117 A separate free-cutting carbon-steel route; do not treat 11L17, 1141, 1144, 1215 or 12L14 as automatic substitutes. Exact SAE or AMS standard, shape, dimensions, delivery condition, machining route, downstream operations, restricted-substance requirements and heat-specific MTC.
SAE 1141 A separate resulfurized carbon-steel route. It is not an automatic substitute for SAE 1117, SAE 1144, SAE 1215 or SAE 12L14. Exact SAE or customer standard, shape, dimensions, delivery condition, required properties, machining route, inspection plan and heat-specific MTC.
SAE 12L14 Leaded free-machining route. Destination, end-use and buyer compliance requirements must permit the ordered grade. Exact standard and chemistry, lead restrictions, shape, dimensions, machining use and traceable batch documents.
11SMn30 / 1.0715 and 11SMnPb30 / 1.0718 EN/DIN search and purchase routes. They are compared with SAE terms during sourcing but are not automatically interchangeable. EN product and grade standard, delivery condition, dimensions, properties, compliance and MTC wording.
SUM23 and SUM24L JIS free-cutting search routes; the exact JIS designation controls the order. JIS grade, product form, dimensions, chemistry and mechanical-property requirements, inspection and certificate.
SAE 1144 A separate resulfurized medium-carbon grade route, often searched for machining and strength. It is not a substitute for 1215 or 12L14. Exact SAE or customer standard, delivery condition, mechanical-property route, shape, size, straightness and MTC.

After the grade route is fixed, choose round, hex, square or flat and state every dimensional control needed by the finished part.

Choose the Bar Shape from the Finished Part

Round Free-Cutting Steel Bar

Use round bar when the finished part is predominantly rotational and produced by turning. Include bar-feeder requirements, finished diameter range, concentricity-sensitive operations and repeat quantity.

Review the dedicated 1215 and 12L14 round-bar page.

Hexagonal Free-Cutting Steel Bar

Hex bar can reduce machining stock for fittings, nuts, plugs and hardware that retain wrench flats. Specify across-flats dimension, corner form, twist, length and any automatic-feeding limit.

Review cold-drawn hexagonal steel bar capability.

Square Free-Cutting Steel Bar

Square bar suits parts that retain four working faces or require a rectangular machining datum. State side size, corner radius, twist, straightness, surface and cutting allowance.

Review cold-drawn square steel bar capability.

Flat Free-Cutting Steel Bar

Flat bar suits plates, keys, brackets and application-specific machining stock. State width, thickness, edge condition, flatness, straightness and whether cut-to-length service is required.

Review cold-drawn flat steel bar capability.

Free-Cutting Grade and Product-Form Standards

  • GB/T 8731-2025 official record: the current Chinese national product-standard route for free-cutting structural steels, effective 1 May 2026 and replacing GB/T 8731-2008.
  • SAE J403_202402: the SAE chemistry-designation route for carbon steels such as 1215 and 12L14 when ordered to SAE requirements.
  • ASTM A108-24: the active ASTM product specification for carbon and alloy cold-finished steel bars.
  • BS EN 10277:2018: technical delivery conditions for bright steel products, including EN free-cutting routes.
  • JIS G 4804:2021: the Japanese free-cutting-steel route used when a SUM designation is ordered.
  • ASTM A582/A582M-22: a separate ASTM route for free-machining stainless steel bars; it does not apply to carbon-steel 1215 or 12L14 orders.

Grade and shape boundary: SAE, EN, JIS and stainless search terms are not automatic equivalents, and a chemistry designation alone does not define round, hex, square or flat-bar tolerances. The purchase order must identify the governing grade and product standard, section, dimensions, delivery condition, restricted-substance limits where applicable, inspection and heat-specific MTC.

Buyer Checklist Before Requesting a Quote

  • Exact grade designation and one governing standard.
  • Round, hexagonal, square, flat or drawing-based section.
  • Finished size, tolerance, corner or edge condition and machining allowance.
  • Straightness, twist or flatness limit and inspection method.
  • Surface, end condition, random or fixed length and length tolerance.
  • Finished part, machining route and bar-feeder information where relevant.
  • Quantity per size, repeat forecast, destination country and delivery schedule.
  • MTC, heat traceability, testing, packing and marking requirements.

Factory and Order-Document Verification

Junxiong Metal is the export brand for cold-drawn steel products manufactured by Wuxi Dishang Profile Steel Technology Co., Ltd. Review the current company identity, ISO 9001 certificate, production evidence and quality controls on the Factory and Quality Verification page. Company certificates establish supplier identity and management-system scope; the actual order still requires the agreed grade, heat number, MTC and batch inspection records.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Junxiong supply 1215 and 12L14 in shapes other than round?

Hexagonal, square, flat and drawing-based sections can be reviewed. Send the grade standard, section dimensions, tolerances, quantity and end use because availability depends on the complete grade-size-shape combination.

Are 1215, 11SMn30, 1.0715 and SUM23 the same material?

No automatic equivalence should be assumed. Buyers use these names while comparing supply markets, but chemistry, properties, delivery condition and governing standards must be checked before quotation or substitution.

Are Y12 or Y20 automatically equivalent to 10S20, SUM32 or a US grade?

No. The official GB/T drafting material labels the foreign-grade table as an approximate comparison and marks some entries as not fully identical. Quote and approve Y12 or Y20 against the exact published GB/T edition, order requirements and heat-specific MTC; use a foreign designation only after a documented comparison and written buyer approval.

Can 12L14 be supplied to every destination country?

Do not assume so. 12L14 is commonly associated with leaded free-machining steel. The buyer must confirm product, end-use and destination-market restrictions and state the applicable compliance requirements in the RFQ.

Which dimension is used for hexagonal bar?

Hex bar is normally ordered by the across-flats dimension, but the purchase order should also state tolerance, corner condition, twist, straightness, length and inspection method.

Can Junxiong provide cut-to-length free-cutting steel blanks?

Cut-to-length service can be reviewed by order. State bar shape, size, length tolerance, end condition, quantity, packing and downstream process so the manufacturing scope is clear.

What proves the delivered material grade?

Product photographs do not prove grade. The approved purchase specification, heat identification, MTC and any agreed chemistry, mechanical or third-party inspection records provide the batch evidence.

Related Procurement Guides

Request a Factory Review

For a useful response, send the grade standard, bar shape, dimensions, tolerance, length, quantity, destination, finished application and inspection requirements. Submit the RFQ through the Junxiong contact page or send it by WhatsApp.

Market Terminology and Product-Form References

The following producer and distributor pages are referenced only to show how international markets describe free-cutting grades and bar forms. They do not replace the buyer’s governing standard or Junxiong’s batch documents.

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