HSS Cold Saw Blade Tooth Count & Speed (RPM) Chart: Tubes vs Solid Bar
Updated: October 29, 2026 · LIZEN Sawing Knowledge
Short answer: Choose tooth pitch from the section in the cut. Thin-wall tube needs a fine pitch (more teeth); thick wall and solid bar need a coarser pitch (fewer teeth). Published charts aim for about 3–6 teeth in the cut. Then set RPM from the material’s surface speed and your blade diameter. Treat every value on this page as a starting point and confirm it with your machine builder.
Not sure which tooth count fits your job? Send your tube OD × wall (or bar diameter), material and saw model. LIZEN will confirm a tooth count and blade spec.
Ask for a tooth count · WhatsApp +86 131 7575 3620
Quick rules: teeth in the cut, pitch and tooth form
- Teeth in the cut: published charts target about 3–6 teeth engaged in the section. Too few teeth on thin wall causes tooth shock and chipping. Too many teeth on a solid bar packs the gullets with chips.
- Pitch formula: pitch (mm) = π × blade diameter (mm) ÷ number of teeth. Example: a 350 mm blade with 180 teeth has a pitch of about 6.1 mm.
- Tooth form: BW (alternate bevel) teeth are the usual choice for thin-wall tube and profiles. C (HZ, roughing and finishing) teeth are the usual choice for heavier wall and solid bar.
This page covers HSS blades on low-speed cold saws only. To decide between blade technologies first, see HSS vs TCT circular saw blades for metal.
Tooth pitch chart for steel tube (by OD and wall)
A short excerpt from published industry charts. Wall thickness drives the pitch: as the wall gets thicker, the tooth count drops.
| Tube OD | Wall thickness | Pitch / tooth count | Tooth form | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 mm (1″) | 0.8–1.5 mm (0.030–0.060″) | 300 teeth on a 300 mm blade; 280 teeth (pitch about 3 mm) on a 315 mm blade | BW | Two published charts |
| 50 mm (2″) | 1.2 mm (0.049″) | Pitch about 4 mm | BW | Pitch-by-wall chart |
| 50 mm (2″) | 1.5–2.3 mm (0.060–0.090″) | 240 teeth on a 300 mm blade (pitch about 3.9 mm) | BW | Published chart |
| 50 mm (2″) | 2.3–4.6 mm (0.090–0.180″) | 200 teeth on a 300 mm blade (pitch about 4.7 mm) | C | Published chart |
| 50 mm (2″) | 3.2 mm (0.125″) | Pitch about 5.5 mm | C | Pitch-by-wall chart |
| 50 mm (2″) | 6.4 mm (0.250″) | Pitch about 8 mm | C | Pitch-by-wall chart |
| 50 mm (2″) | 7.6–12.7 mm (0.300–0.500″) | 140 teeth on a 300 mm blade (pitch about 6.7 mm) | C | Published chart |
Published starting values from industry charts. Not LIZEN test data. Confirm with your machine builder and a trial cut.
Tooth pitch chart for solid bar (by diameter)
Solid bar needs chip room, so the pitch is coarser than for tube. Harder alloys and stainless take a slightly finer pitch; aluminium and copper take a coarser one.
| Bar diameter | Pitch – mild steel | Pitch – alloy / stainless | Pitch – aluminium / copper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 mm (1″) | 7 mm | 6 mm | 8 mm |
| 50 mm (2″) | 9 mm | 8.5 mm | 11 mm |
| 76 mm (3″) | 12 mm | 11.5 mm | 14 mm |
Another published chart gives about 7 mm pitch for 20 mm bar, 11 mm for 50 mm bar and 16 mm for 100 mm bar, and one maker lists 120 teeth (C form) on a 300 mm blade for 44–57 mm (1¾–2¼″) solid bar. Charts differ, so start from one chart and adjust after the first cuts.
Published starting values from industry charts. Not LIZEN test data. Confirm with your machine builder and a trial cut.
Adjusting for stainless, alloy, aluminium and square tube
- Stainless steel and hard alloys: published rules of thumb add about 20% more teeth (a factor of about 1.2), with lower surface speed and flood coolant.
- Aluminium and other non-ferrous metals: use fewer teeth, about 0.75 × the steel count, for more chip room.
- Square and rectangular tube: one chart suggests stepping the pitch up by one size compared with round tube of the same wall, because the corners put more wall in the cut.
Surface speed chart (m/min and ft/min) by material and profile
Use the lower end of each range for solid bar and thick wall, and the higher end for thin-wall tube. Published sources differ, so start low and increase gradually.
| Material | Wall / solid | Tooth pitch / count | Surface speed m/min (ft/min) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structural / mild steel | Thin-wall tube, about 10–150 mm OD | 4–9 mm pitch, rising with OD | 50–120 (≈165–395) | ft/min converted from m/min |
| Structural / mild steel | Thick-wall tube | 5–11 mm | 40–80 (≈130–260) | |
| Structural / mild steel | Solid round / square, 10–150 mm | 5–20 mm | 30–60 (≈100–195) | |
| Mild steel (general) | — | — | ≈49 (160 SFPM); 50–79 (165–260 ft/min) | Two charts; start low |
| Medium-hard steel | — | — | ≈30 (100 SFPM) | |
| Hard steel / stainless | — | About +20% teeth | ≈20 (66 SFPM); stainless 5–30 solid, 10–50 thin-wall tube | Flood coolant |
| Aluminium | — | About 0.75 × steel count | 80–1,800 solid; 250–1,800 thin-wall tube | Very wide range; many HSS cold saws cannot reach these speeds |
Published starting values from industry charts. Not LIZEN test data. Confirm with your machine builder and a trial cut.
How to convert surface speed to RPM (with worked example)
- Metric: RPM = (surface speed in m/min × 1,000) ÷ (π × blade diameter in mm)
- Imperial: RPM = (SFPM × 3.82) ÷ blade diameter in inches
Example from a published chart: a 350 mm blade on mild steel at 165–260 ft/min runs at about 45–70 RPM. A bigger blade turns slower at the same surface speed.
The table below is calculated from the metric formula by LIZEN. It is arithmetic, not test data; pick the surface speed from the chart above first.
| Blade diameter | 20 m/min | 30 m/min | 50 m/min | 80 m/min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 250 mm | 25 RPM | 38 RPM | 64 RPM | 102 RPM |
| 275 mm | 23 RPM | 35 RPM | 58 RPM | 93 RPM |
| 300 mm | 21 RPM | 32 RPM | 53 RPM | 85 RPM |
| 315 mm | 20 RPM | 30 RPM | 51 RPM | 81 RPM |
| 350 mm | 18 RPM | 27 RPM | 45 RPM | 73 RPM |
| 400 mm | 16 RPM | 24 RPM | 40 RPM | 64 RPM |
Calculated from the formula. Always stay inside your machine’s speed range.
Feed, chips, coolant and break-in
- Chip load: published charts cap feed at about 0.1 mm (0.004″) per tooth. Bright, curled chips usually mean the feed is right.
- Coolant: flood coolant is recommended for HSS cold sawing.
- Break-in: one chart suggests the first 5–10 cuts at about 25% of normal feed on a new blade.
Want the speed checked for your saw? Send the saw model and its RPM steps with your section. Send RFQ · WhatsApp +86 131 7575 3620
Worked example: 50 mm (2″) steel tube on a 300 mm blade
Take the tube chart above and keep the blade at 300 mm:
- Thin wall, 1.5–2.3 mm: 240 teeth, BW form (pitch about 3.9 mm).
- Medium wall, 2.3–4.6 mm: 200 teeth, C form (pitch about 4.7 mm).
- Heavy wall, 7.6–12.7 mm: 140 teeth, C form (pitch about 6.7 mm).
Same OD, same blade diameter: as the wall gets thicker, the tooth count drops and the tooth form changes from BW to C. Then pick the surface speed for the material and convert it to RPM for your blade diameter.
Troubleshooting by symptom
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Chipped or broken teeth | Too few teeth in the cut on thin wall; loose clamping | Finer pitch; clamp close to the cut; check vise and stock support |
| Clogged gullets | Too many teeth on a solid section | Coarser pitch; check coolant flow |
| Blue or discoloured chips | Speed too high or not enough coolant | Lower surface speed; check coolant supply |
| Burr on thin-wall tube | Pitch too coarse or wrong tooth form | Finer pitch; BW tooth form for thin wall |
| Rough finish on solid bar | Feed too heavy for the pitch | Reduce feed per tooth; confirm pitch for the diameter |
Using this chart with a LIZEN HSS blade
LIZEN supplies metal circular saw blades in all common HSS grades and coatings, chosen for your material and machine. To get a matching blade, send:
- Blade diameter × bore × pin holes
- Current tooth count or blade marking
- Material grade and section (tube OD × wall, or bar diameter)
- Machine model and its RPM range
- Quantity and destination country
For every field and why it matters, see the full circular saw blade spec checklist.
Buying from LIZEN
- LIZEN’s own factory in Shunde, Foshan, China, since 2011; ISO 9001:2015
- MOQ: 50 pieces per specification on the first order
- Lead time: stock items 5–10 days; custom blades 20–30 days
- Trade term: FOB Ningbo
- Samples available.
FAQ
How many teeth should an HSS cold saw blade have for thin-wall tube?
Use a fine pitch and keep about 3–6 teeth in the cut. In one published chart, 50 mm (2″) tube with a 1.5–2.3 mm wall takes 240 teeth (BW form) on a 300 mm blade. Thinner walls need even more teeth; confirm with a trial cut.
What tooth pitch should I use for solid steel bar?
Use a coarser pitch so the gullets have room for chips. One published chart gives about 7 mm pitch for 25 mm (1″) mild steel bar and about 9 mm for 50 mm (2″) bar. Alloy and stainless bar take a slightly finer pitch.
What RPM should I run a cold saw blade at?
Pick the surface speed for your material, then convert: RPM = (m/min × 1,000) ÷ (π × blade diameter in mm), or RPM = SFPM × 3.82 ÷ blade diameter in inches. One published example: a 350 mm blade on mild steel runs at about 45–70 RPM. Start low.
What is the difference between surface speed and RPM?
Surface speed is how fast the tooth tips travel, in m/min or ft/min. RPM is how many turns the blade makes per minute. At the same surface speed, a bigger blade turns at a lower RPM, so always convert using your own blade diameter.
Do I need more teeth for stainless steel?
Usually yes. Published rules of thumb add about 20% more teeth for stainless steel and hard alloys, with a lower surface speed and flood coolant. Keep the feed steady so the teeth cut instead of rubbing.
Can I use this chart for carbide (TCT) or cermet blades?
No. These values are for HSS blades on low-speed cold saws. TCT and cermet blades run on different machines at different speeds. See the HSS vs TCT circular saw blades for metal page, and follow the blade and machine builder’s guidance.
Send your section, we confirm the spec
Send your tube OD × wall (or bar diameter), material and saw model, and we will confirm a tooth count and blade spec.