For high-strength steel drilling, a widely adopted technical path globally is to move to a cobalt-alloyed high-speed steel platform (e.g. HSS-M35 / HSS-Co5), combined with appropriate geometry and a robust surface treatment.

Key elements of such a platform are:

• Cobalt-alloyed HSS substrate (HSS-M35 / HSS-Co)
  With around 5% cobalt, these steels offer significantly better hot hardness and wear resistance than conventional HSS. They maintain cutting performance at higher temperatures, making them more suitable for drilling 900–1100 MPa structural and alloy steels.

• Optimized point and flute geometry
  Proper web thinning, point angle and relief geometry reduce thrust force and cutting load, lowering the risk of edge chipping and improving hole quality.

• Steam-tempered “Black & Gold” oxide layer
  This treated surface improves lubricity and wear resistance, helps chip flow and reduces built-up edge and dry friction, which are common causes of burning and premature failure.

For Russian distributors and end users, it is often more effective to build a unified cobalt HSS drill platform around these principles than to endlessly test low-cost, general-purpose HSS drills in demanding high-strength steel applications.

Example of a Cobalt HSS Drill Platform for Russian High-Strength Steel Work

Below is a typical configuration that can serve as a reference when defining a drilling platform specifically targeted at high-strength steels in the Russian market:

This is not a fixed “one and only” recipe, but a platform template that makes drilling behavior more predictable and repeatable. Once the technical definition is clear, it becomes much easier to control performance from batch to batch and from supplier to supplier.

How Russian Users Can Actually Benefit from Cobalt HSS Drills

To make cobalt HSS twist drills truly solve high-strength steel drilling problems—rather than just being “more expensive drills”—Russian distributors and plants can focus on three practical steps:

1. Apply cobalt drills where they matter most
   Reserve cobalt HSS drills for high-strength structural steels, alloy steels and heat-affected zones where ordinary HSS clearly struggles. For low-carbon steel and thin sheet, more economical HSS can still be used to control total cost.

2. Rebuild cutting data around the cobalt platform
   Because HSS-M35 offers better hot hardness, cutting speeds and feeds can often be increased compared with ordinary HSS—but they must be re-validated. Building a new parameter table tied to the cobalt platform (not to random brands) is key to unlocking both tool life and productivity.

3. Evaluate cost per hole, not just drill price
   By tracking holes per drill, failure modes and regrind times, users can compare cost per hole and per shift between cobalt and non-cobalt drills. In many high-strength steel applications, the higher unit price of cobalt drills is offset by longer life, fewer stoppages and less rework.

Conclusion: From Firefighting to Predictable High-Strength Steel Drilling

Burning and chipping when drilling alloy and high-strength steels is not simply a “Russian operator problem” – it is often a sign that the tooling platform itself has reached its limits. By building a cobalt HSS drill platform based on a clear combination of DIN338 standard, HSS-M35 substrate and Black & Gold steam-tempered finish, Russian distributors and end users can move from “hoping this batch will behave” to a predictable, data-driven drilling process.

In a market that is steadily shifting toward higher-strength structures and more demanding applications, those who first complete the transition from “buying drills ad hoc” to “managing a platform-based drilling solution” will be in the strongest position to lead the Russian high-strength steel machining segment.