1144 vs 1045 for Shafts: Strength Without Heat Treat, or With It
Comparable as-supplied strength, reached differently: 1144 is cold drawn and stress-relieved at the mill and meant to be used that way; 1045 is the grade you pick when a hardening step is part of the plan.
At a glance
| Property | 1144 | 1045 |
|---|---|---|
| Supplied condition | Cold finished, stress-relieved (ASTM A311 Class B) | Cold finished |
| Machinability | Very good (resulfurized) | Moderate, tougher on tooling than free-machining grades |
| Weldability | Not recommended (resulfurized) | Weldable with care (preheat recommended) |
| Corrosion resistance | Low, protect it like any carbon steel | Low, protect it like any carbon steel |
| Hardening | Use as-supplied; induction-hardenable but usually unnecessary | Flame/induction or through-hardens (customer heat treat) |
| Density (nominal) | 0.284 lb/in³ | 0.284 lb/in³ |
| Food contact | No | No |
| Magnetic | Yes | Yes |
Which to choose
We supply 1144 to ASTM A311 Class B, cold drawn and stress-relieved at the mill (the condition sold under the trade name Stressproof). Its strength comes from that mill process, not from a heat-treat step after machining, so there is no quench distortion, no post-hardening cleanup, and one less vendor in the chain. Because it is resulfurized it machines fast, and because the residual stresses are relieved it stays straight even under deep keyseats or long flats.
Cold-finished 1045 runs around 77 ksi yield as supplied, which the 1045 guide calls comparable to 1144, but it machines slower than the free-machining grades. Its draw is the 0.45% carbon: a journal or keyseat area can be flame- or induction-hardened, or the whole section through-hardened, after delivery. The 1144 guide treats hardening as usually unnecessary; the 1045 guide says 1144 is the pick for strength as supplied and 1045 wins when you specifically plan to harden the part.
Welding is the other fork. 1144 is not recommended for welding because its sulfur content makes welds brittle; its guide sends welded designs to 1018 or 1045. 1045 is weldable with care, with preheat recommended. Both are low on corrosion resistance, magnetic, and share a nominal 0.284 lb/in³ density, so neither of those separates them.
Any geometry in the configurator, diameters, threads, keyseats, grooves, holes, tapers, can be machined in 1144 or 1045. Pick the material in the sidebar and the price updates live, so the comparison can be run on your own part.
When to choose each grade
Choose 1144 when
- You need alloy-class strength but want to skip heat treating entirely.
- Deep keyseats or flats would warp ordinary cold-drawn bar.
- Strong shaft, fast turnaround, one vendor.
Choose 1045 when
- 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.
What each grade’s guide says about the other
- From the 1144 guide: 1045, when a hardened journal is part of the plan.
- From the 1045 guide: 1144, for similar strength as-supplied with far better machinability and no heat treat.
Typical applications
| 1144 | 1045 |
|---|---|
| Drive shafts that skip heat treat | Keyed drive and power-transmission shafts |
| Heavily keyseated shafts | Gear and sprocket shafts |
| Motion-control and actuator shafts | Induction-hardened journals |
| Splined shafts (as-supplied strength) | Hydraulic machinery shafts |
Read the full guides
Full guides: 1144 Steel Shafts · 1045 Steel Shafts.
Ready-made starting points where every grade here is a fit: Gearbox plug-in output shafts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Material and condition are paired. Each grade ships in one condition optimized for our process; see all grades on the materials page.