A2 Tool Steel Rectangular Bar, Air Hardened/Annealed/Precision Ground, Precision Tolerance, ASTM A681, 3/8" Thickness, 3/8" Width, 36" Length

What received was definitely Starrett precision ground a2 tool steel. The package was beaten up, and there are a couple of nicks, but I'm not trying to use a a straight edge.

I know that there are a lot of bad comments about the scale but those are from three years ago and I will tell you that it is now it is legit a2 steal that hardens in air

This is exactly what I had been looking for, and the size and quality are just perfect. And the price can't be beat, at least not anywhere else I looked. Definitely a steal for a steel.

It very convenient and fortunate this size and exact dimensions are available in this particular steel. Thanks.

My choice in steel for knifemaking. No problems at all with anything. Packed well, fast shipping. I will buy this again.

Exactly as described. Hardens well.

This material is not A2 tool steel because:1. Starrett brand precision ground steel is clearly identified "Starrett" "Air Hardening" and with a distinctive parallelogram logo in blue ink stenciling and packaged in color coded and labeled plastic wrap. Granted it was not presented by Amazon to be Starrett or any other brand.2. The material was wrapped in brown paper with a faded xerox label stating "Starrett A2 steel". No other identification found. Should have heeded my gut instinct at this point.3. The most damming evidence that this material is not A2 because when it is quenched in OIL from 1750 F could be CUT with a file which means it is LESS THAN Rc58-Rc60.4. A2 quenched in still air, a less rigorous method than oil quench, yields a Rc63.5-Rc65hardness. A file will 'skate' across this degree of hardness.Too late to return it because the 'steel' has been fabricated to the point of hardening. Material for the metal recyclers.Please demand an explanation for this discrepancy from the vendor.

I bought this bar to make a mortar tool i.e. to chip mortar out between bricks. I tried several times to harden the end but no luck. Heated the end to 1000 degC with a propylene flame, quenched in WATER. This brutal quench should cause A2 steel to become glass-hard and brittle due to formation of martensite. However this metal seemed to be essentially unchanged by the quench. I was able to file it near the end: however the file should "skip" over the surface of a truly hardened steel. My guess is that this steel is a medium or even a low carbon alloy steel being sold as a 1%C steel.Amazon - suggest you have a reputable metallurgical lab test some of this product before you sell any more of it. All steels look the same from the outside. Suggest that this kind of testing become a part of normal quality control for hardenable steels since clearly the suppliers cannot be trusted.