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Materials / Related reference

Annealing and normalising

Annealing describes several heat treatments, so the required type must be stated. Full annealing of suitable steels commonly involves slow cooling. Normalising of carbon and low-alloy steels uses austenitising followed by air or controlled-atmosphere cooling to refine the structure. The two delivery conditions are not interchangeable.

State check

Record the grade, product form, starting condition and the exact treatment designation. Solution annealing of stainless steel follows a different route and can require rapid cooling. “Annealed” alone does not establish a hardness or a machining recommendation.

Next step

Find the material record and confirm the specified delivery condition with the supplier.

Carry the final condition into the material record

A process name does not supply a universal hardness, strength, temperature, dimensional allowance or cutting parameter.

Record the known material condition →Find a grade →

Sources and scope

Reviewed 23 October 2026. Process explanations and public standard summaries do not establish a treatment recipe or certify a supplied part.

Bodycote Normalising

Process definition and stated condition boundaries; public standard abstracts only where applicable.

Open source ↗
Bodycote technical glossary

Process definition and stated condition boundaries; public standard abstracts only where applicable.

Open source ↗
Outokumpu post-fabrication treatment

Process definition and stated condition boundaries; public standard abstracts only where applicable.

Open source ↗
Bodycote soft annealing

Process definition and stated condition boundaries; public standard abstracts only where applicable.

Open source ↗