The balls manufactured with this material presents a high resistance to wear and load. Used mainly for bearings production.
Chrome steel is the most used material for precision steel balls.
Due to their chemical composition, balls manufactured with this kind of material can be only case-hardened (surface heat treatment) and it means that nucleus of the ball is soft regarding the surface.
The balls manufactured in this material are adapted for applications with low load where a high precision is not required, like guides for drawers, toys, locks. These steel balls are the most economic.
This type of balls presents the advantage of offering a bigger resistance to load regarding the balls manufactured with low carbon because the internal part of the ball is able to be hardened.
Their cost is smaller than the balls manufactured in Chrome steel AISI 52100. They are used in applications like bicycles, bearings for furniture.
