12L14 Steel Shafts

Free-machining carbon steel — the default for most custom shaft work. Lowest cost, fastest turnaround.

At a glance

Stocked condition	Cold finished
Machinability	Excellent — the benchmark among our steels
Weldability	Not weldable (lead content)
Corrosion resistance	Low — keep it dry, coated, or oiled
Hardening	Not intended for heat treating
Density (nominal)	0.284 lb/in³
Food contact	No
Magnetic	Yes

12L14 is a resulfurized, leaded low-carbon steel engineered for one thing: turning fast and clean. The lead and sulfur additions let it cut with low tool pressure and produce an excellent as-machined finish, which is why it is the price and lead-time baseline for turned parts across the industry — and the default material in our configurator.

The trade-offs are specific. The lead content makes it unweldable and rules out food contact, and like any plain carbon steel it will rust if left unprotected. For a shaft that lives indoors, runs in a dry mechanism, or gets plated or oiled, none of that usually matters.

Configure a 12L14 part →

Any geometry in the configurator — diameters, threads, keyseats, grooves, holes, tapers — can be machined in 12L14. Pick the material in the sidebar and the price updates live.

When to choose 12L14

The shaft runs dry or indoors and cost matters more than corrosion resistance.
You want the shortest lead time and lowest price for a one-off or a batch.
The part will be plated, black-oxided, or oiled anyway.

Consider instead

1018 — when you need to weld to the shaft or case-harden it.
1144 — when you need real strength without a heat-treat step.
303 stainless — when the environment is wet or washdown.

Typical applications

Idler and roller shafts
Motor and gearmotor shafts (dry duty)
Pins, spacers, and standoffs
Prototype shafts and fixture details

Ready-made starting points in this material's wheelhouse: Thread-mount idler shafts · NEMA-frame motor shafts.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. The lead that makes 12L14 machine so well also makes welds crack-prone, so it is considered unweldable. If you need to weld to the shaft, use 1018 instead.

Yes — it is a plain carbon steel with no corrosion alloying. Indoors and lightly oiled it holds up fine; for wet or washdown service step up to 303 or 316 stainless.

No. Its lead content rules it out for food, beverage, or potable-water contact. Use 304 or 316 stainless for those applications.

Stocked as 12L14 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.