What are combination pliers made of?

28th February 2020


What are combination pliers made of?


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		The quality of the materials used to make combination pliers is usually reflected in their price, and depends on the manufacturer. The specifications should give you an idea of the quality of the tool: stronger and tougher pliers are likely to be specified for regular or professional use. The quality of the tool will be affected by the manufacturing and hardening process, as well as the material it’s made of.

		Steel
		Combination pliers are made from steel, due to its strength and versatility. Pliers are usually formed by drop forging the steel. This process involves hot metal being hammered into the require form within a mould. The heating process also increases the strength of the steel. The cutters of pliers usually go through an additional hardening process.

		High carbon steel The higher the carbon content of steel, the harder it will be. However, it will be slightly more brittle than steel with a lower carbon content. For this, the high carbon steel is heat treated, which reduces its hardness but increases its toughness. Separate localised heat treatment of the cutting edges ensures that they are particularly hard and long lasting.

		Chrome molybdenum steel The addition of the elements chromium and molybdenum to steel improves the hardenability of the alloy; they also increase its strength when being used in high-temperature applications. The steel will also gain extra resistance to corrosion, impact, and wear. Adding these elements usually makes the steel more expensive.

		Chrome vanadium steel Adding chromium and vanadium to steel also adds strength, toughness and corrosion resistance, and increases steel’s ability to work in high temperatures. Generally, vanadium is stronger than molybdenum but more brittle. These steels will also be more expensive than carbon steel.

		Chrome nickel steel Steel with added chromium and nickel also has increased strength, toughness and corrosion resistance. The addition of nickel to steel makes it less likely to have its strength affected by increased temperatures. Chrome nickel steel is likely to be the most expensive but the most resistant to wear.

		Which steel? For occasional, light use, cheap carbon steel pliers should suffice. However, for more heavy-duty and more frequent use it’s best to buy pliers made from a higher quality steel. These will be more expensive but will last much longer.

		Plastic
		For a comfortable grip, most combination pliers, and most types of pliers generally, have plastic-coated handles. This should make the tool more comfortable to use and help prevent slipping. Some plastic handles are specifically designed for use with high voltage electricity cables. These will have VDE markings on the handles, along with the maximum rated voltage they can be used with.

		For extra comfort, many pliers have handles described as being bi-material. This is where two different plastics are used, often characterised by their different colours. These generally consist of a harder plastic near the core of the handles and a softer plastic where your hand touches the handles.