Alternate title: case hardening

surface hardening,  treatment of steel by heat or mechanical means to increase the hardness of the outer surface while the core remains relatively soft. The combination of a hard surface and a soft interior is greatly valued in modern engineering because it can withstand very high stress and fatigue, a property that is required in such items as gears and anti-friction bearings. Surface-hardened steel is also valued for its low cost and superior flexibility in manufacturing.

The oldest surface-hardening method is carburizing, in which steel is placed at a high temperature for several hours in a carbonaceous environment. The carbon diffuses into the surface of the steel, rendering it harder. Various techniques of carburizing have been developed to increase efficiency and reduce cost. The pack method involves packing into a steel box the parts to be hardened along with a compound of charcoal or coke to which carbonates have been added. The pack is then heated to a very high temperature, usually 1,700°–1,750° F (925°–955° C). The depth of the carbon penetration depends on the exposure time and temperature. In gas carburizing the parts are heated in contact with such carbon-bearing gases as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, or propane. This process is usually done in a large furnace into which the parts are fed at one end and from which they emerge at the other end in the hardened state. The same process is used in carbonitriding except that ammonia is added to the furnace atmosphere and it takes place at lower temperatures that produce less distortion in the steel. Gears, ball and roller bearings, and piston pins are among the products made by carburizing.

Another method of surface hardening, called nitriding, utilizes nitrogen and heat. Cam shafts, fuel injection pumps, and valve stems are typically hardened by this process. Flame hardening and induction hardening, in which high heat is applied for a short time (by gas flame or high-frequency electric current, respectively) and then the steel is immediately quenched, are used generally for larger implements.

Mechanical means of hardening the surface of steel parts include peening, which is the hammering of the heated surface, as by iron pellets shot onto the surface or by air blasting, and cold-working, which consists of rolling, hammering, or drawing at temperatures that do not affect the composition of the steel.

What made you want to look up surface hardening?
(Please limit to 900 characters)
Please select the sections you want to print
Select All
MLA style:
"surface hardening". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
APA style:
surface hardening. (2014). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from
Harvard style:
surface hardening. 2014. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 27 December, 2014, from
Chicago Manual of Style:
Encyclopædia Britannica Online, s. v. "surface hardening", accessed December 27, 2014,


Editing Tools:
We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles.

Or click Continue to submit anonymously: