1045 Steel Shafts

Medium-carbon steel, stronger than 12L14 (~77 ksi yield) and heat-treatable to your spec.

At a glance

Stocked condition	Cold finished
Machinability	Moderate — tougher on tooling than free-machining grades
Weldability	Weldable with care (preheat recommended)
Corrosion resistance	Low — protect it like any carbon steel
Hardening	Flame/induction or through-hardens (customer heat treat)
Density (nominal)	0.284 lb/in³
Food contact	No
Magnetic	Yes

1045 is the workhorse medium-carbon shafting steel. Cold finished it runs around 77 ksi yield — a real step up from the low-carbon grades — and its 0.45% carbon means it responds to flame, induction, or through heat treatment when a journal or the whole shaft needs to be harder still.

It machines slower than the free-machining grades, which shows up in price, so it earns its place when the strength is actually needed: keyed power-transmission shafts, gear and sprocket seats, and anything a customer will induction-harden after delivery.

Configure a 1045 part →

Any geometry in the configurator — diameters, threads, keyseats, grooves, holes, tapers — can be machined in 1045. Pick the material in the sidebar and the price updates live.

When to choose 1045

The shaft transmits real torque and 12L14-class strength is marginal.
A journal or keyseat area will be flame- or induction-hardened.
You want a common, spec-friendly grade your heat treater already knows.

Consider instead

1144 — for similar strength as-supplied with far better machinability and no heat treat.
4140 — when through-hardening or higher toughness is required.
12L14 — when the strength is not actually needed.

Typical applications

Keyed drive and power-transmission shafts
Gear and sprocket shafts
Induction-hardened journals
Hydraulic machinery shafts

Ready-made starting points in this material's wheelhouse: Gearbox plug-in output shafts · Mixer & agitator shafts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes — that is its main draw. With 0.45% carbon it flame- or induction-hardens locally (a journal, a keyseat area) or through-hardens in section, done by you or your heat treater after machining.

Around 77 ksi yield as supplied — roughly a third stronger than the low-carbon free-machining grades, before any heat treatment.

1144 gives comparable as-supplied strength, machines much faster, and stays straight because it skips heat treat. 1045 wins when you specifically plan to harden the part, which 1144 is not suited for.

Stocked as 1045 CF — cold finished. Material and condition are paired — each grade ships in one condition optimized for our process; see all grades on the materials page.