Written by Pankaj Sharma, Engineering Team, Maxwell Slitter Industries | Last updated: 21 October 2026
What is a slitting saw?
A slitting saw is a thin, circular milling cutter that cuts narrow slots, grooves, and cut-offs in metal with minimal material loss. Mounted on an arbor, it runs on milling and screw machines. Maxwell makes HSS, cobalt, and carbide slitting saws, 25–315 mm in diameter, ground to ±0.01 mm slot width.
Precision slitting saw blades in HSS, cobalt, and solid carbide. Custom manufactured for slotting, parting, and narrow grooving, burr-free, and shipped worldwide, including the USA.
Plain, staggered-tooth and side-and-face forms in M2, M35, powder-metal and carbide, ground to a ±0.01 mm slot-width tolerance, with HSS grades hardened to 63 to 66 HRC. Custom-made to drawing or sample to DIN 1837 / 1838 / IS:5031. Made in 4 weeks (2-week rush) and shipped to 30+ countries; 4 to 6 days by air to the USA.
Send a drawing or sample → reply in 1 working day · +91 82646-21011
A metal slitting saw is a thin, circular, toothed milling cutter mounted on an arbor to cut narrow slots, grooves, and cut-offs in metal with very little material loss. It runs on horizontal and vertical milling machines and screw machines, slicing through steel, stainless steel, aluminium, and alloys to leave a clean, burr-free edge where a wider tool would waste material or distort the part.
Maxwell manufactures slitting saws in plain (fine), staggered-tooth and side-and-face forms, in HSS M2, cobalt M35, powder-metal and solid carbide, custom-ground to your diameter, thickness, bore and tooth count. Every saw is hardened in-house and inspected before dispatch.
The names sound alike, but they are different tools. A slitting saw is a toothed milling cutter that cuts a narrow slot or cut-off in a solid workpiece. A slitter knife is a toothless circular knife that works with a mating knife on a coil slitting line to shear wide metal coil into narrower strips.
| Slitting saw | Slitter knife | |
|---|---|---|
| Tool type | toothed milling cutter | toothless circular knife |
| Cutting action | teeth cut chips from the material | paired knives shear the material |
| Runs on | milling machines, screw machines | coil and strip slitting lines |
| Typical job | slotting, grooving, parting-off | slitting coil into narrower strips |
Rule of thumb: cutting slots, grooves, or parts? You need a slitting saw. Slitting coil or strip on a line? You need slitter knives. Browse our rotary slitter blades & knives for coil-line tooling.
Most suppliers sell you a shelf size and hope it fits. We grind the saw to your slot width, your material and your machine, so the cut is right the first time and the tool lasts.
Every Maxwell slitting saw is made at our Rajpura facility, from billet selection through vacuum hardening, tooth grinding and final lapping, with no sub-contracting at any stage. In-house vacuum hardening gives uniform hardness across the whole disc, which is what kills the soft-spot chipping and edge breakdown that plagues low-cost saws.
The tooth form, not just the size, decides cut quality. Each form below is made to standard and to custom geometry. Not sure which you need? Send the slot width, depth and material and we will recommend it.
Straight peripheral teeth, hollow-ground for side clearance. The standard choice for thin, shallow, accurate slots and a fine surface finish.
Best for: narrow slots, screw slotting, electronics, shallow cuts in steel, brass and aluminium.
Teeth bevelled alternately left and right for true side clearance and free chip flow. Cuts deeper and wider with far less rubbing and heat.
Best for: deep or wide slots, tougher and stainless steels, heavier stock removal.
Cutting edges on the periphery and both sides, supplied with a keyed bore for positive drive. Handles deep and wide slot cutting under load.
Best for: deep slotting, keyed-arbor work, ganged setups, side-trim and grooving.
Fewer teeth and deep gullets for maximum chip room. The form to reach for on parting, cut-off and soft or gummy materials that load fine teeth.
Best for: parting and cut-off, aluminium, copper, plastics, deep single passes.
| Tooth form | Typical teeth | Slot depth | Finish | Best material |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plain / fine | 28-100+ | Shallow | Finest | Steel, brass, aluminium (thin) |
| Staggered | 18-40 | Medium to deep | Good | Stainless, alloy & tool steel |
| Side-and-face | 20-48 | Deep / wide | Good | Heavy slotting, keyed drive |
| Coarse | 18-28 | Deep (single pass) | Coarser | Aluminium, copper, plastics, cut-off |
Rule of thumb: keep at least two teeth engaged in the cut at all times. More teeth give a finer finish; fewer teeth give more chip room for deep cuts and soft metals.
Material and dimensional certificates are included with every shipment at no extra cost. Below are the grades we run, the dimensional envelope we hold, and the standard inch sizes we keep moving, all of it custom on request.
| Grade | DIN / spec | HRC | Best application | Edge life | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HSS M2 | 1.3343 | 63-65 | General purpose: mild steel, brass, aluminium | 1.0× (baseline) | 4 wks |
| HSS-Co M35 | 1.3243 | 64-66 | Stainless, alloy steel, high-speed & hot cuts | 1.6× | 4 wks |
| PM (ASP-type) | Powder metal | 65-67 | Abrasive alloys, long production runs, premium life | 2.5× | 6 wks |
| Solid carbide | K10 / K20 | n/a | Hardened steel, thin precise slots, max speed | 4-8× | 5-6 wks |
| HSS + TiN/TiAlN | Coated | 63-66 | Sticky/abrasive material, reduced friction & built-up edge | 1.4× | 5 wks |
Edge life is indicative versus M2 baseline on comparable cuts. Carbide is brittle, it needs a rigid machine, secure arbor and coolant; for flexible or interrupted setups, M35 is usually the safer high-performance choice.
| Outside diameter (OD) | 25 mm to 315 mm (1 in to 12.4 in) |
| Thickness / kerf | 0.3 mm to 6 mm (0.012 in to 0.250 in) |
| Bore (ID) | Ground to H7, custom diameter, keyway to DIN 6885 on request |
| Slot-width tolerance | ±0.01 mm standard, to ±0.005 mm on precision-ground orders |
| Flatness / dish | Within 0.02 mm |
| Concentricity / side runout | Within 0.02 mm TIR |
| Tooth count | 18 to 200+, selected for slot width, depth & material |
| Hardness | 63 to 66 HRC, multi-stage (triple) tempered |
| Surface finish | Bright ground; polished sides on request |
| Standards | DIN 1837 (fine), DIN 1838 (coarse/staggered), IS:5031, BS-122 Pt.1 |
| Marking | Laser-etched size, tooth count & brand on every saw |
| Treatments | Cryogenic treatment & PVD coatings (TiN, TiAlN) optional |
| Diameter | Thickness (kerf) | Bore | Teeth | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4" | 1/16" (0.0625") | 1" | 28T | Plain / fine |
| 3.5" | 1/8" (0.125") | 1" | 24-28T | Staggered |
| 3.5" | 3/16" (0.188") | 1" + keyway | 22-24T | Staggered / S&F |
| 2.5" | 1/32"-1/8" | 7/8" | 28T | Plain / fine |
| 2" | 1/16"-1/8" | 1/2" | 28T | Plain / fine |
| Custom | 0.3-6 mm | To spec | 18-200+ | Any form |
Sizes specified the way you buy them: diameter × thickness × bore (with keyway) × teeth. Need metric, a non-standard bore, or a tooth count we have not listed? It is a custom grind, not a problem, send the spec.
Use these as starting surface speeds for HSS, then tune to your machine, rigidity and finish. Slitting saws are thin: run light feed per tooth, flood with coolant and keep the setup rigid. For solid carbide, increase speed 2 to 3× on a rigid machine.
| Material | Surface speed (SFM) | Surface speed (m/min) | Coolant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminium & alloys | 250-400 | 75-120 | Flood / mist |
| Brass / bronze | 150-250 | 45-75 | Flood |
| Copper | 130-200 | 40-60 | Flood |
| Mild / low-carbon steel | 60-90 | 18-27 | Flood |
| Alloy / medium-carbon steel | 50-70 | 15-21 | Flood |
| Tool / hardened steel | 30-50 | 9-15 | Flood (carbide advised) |
| Stainless steel (304/316) | 40-60 | 12-18 | Flood, high volume |
| Cast iron | 50-80 | 15-24 | Dry / air |
| Titanium alloys | 30-50 | 9-15 | Flood, generous |
Feed per tooth runs roughly 0.0005" to 0.002" (0.013-0.05 mm) depending on diameter and thickness, use the lower end on thin or small-diameter saws. Climb-mill for finish on rigid, backlash-free machines; conventional-mill if the setup has play.
Give us these five things and we will come back within one working day with a grade recommendation, tooth count, price and delivery date.
What you are cutting and how thick, e.g. 304 stainless, 2 mm.
Finished kerf width (saw thickness) and depth of cut.
Required OD, arbor bore and keyway size, if any. Check your arbor first: our slitting saw arbor guide shows how to read the bore, key and flange.
Plain, staggered or side-and-face, or let us advise.
Machine type and spindle RPM, so geometry suits your setup.
Send a drawing, DXF or a used sample to sales@maxwellslitters.com and skip the back-and-forth. We reverse-engineer from a worn saw routinely.
Start your RFQ →Each card is a real application we supply, with the grade, tooth form and geometry we would recommend from production experience. Use "Quote this configuration" to pre-fill your enquiry.
Keep two teeth in the thin wall at all times; coolant clears chips from the kerf and prevents weld-back.
▸ Quote this configurationHigh tooth count and tight thickness tolerance give a clean, consistent slot on fasteners and small parts.
▸ Quote this configurationCuts narrow slots and cut-offs in thin sheet, strip, and stacked laminations on a milling machine. Flatness and runout drive edge quality; we hold both within 0.02 mm. Slitting coil on a production line? You need rotary slitter blades instead.
▸ Quote this configurationSide teeth and a keyed bore carry the load and resist dishing in deep, wide cuts.
▸ Quote this configurationLower SFM, rigid setup and chip clearance are essential; cobalt or carbide holds the edge under heat.
▸ Quote this configurationDeep gullets stop soft material packing the teeth; high speed gives a bright finish.
▸ Quote this configurationSix controlled stages at our Rajpura facility, with no sub-contracting. CNC turning, tooth grinding, in-house vacuum hardening and dimensional verification on every saw.
Imported M2 / M35 / PM billet, cut to size with mill certs retained per heat.
Blank faced and turned to near-net OD, ID and thickness on CNC.
Tooth form, count and side relief cut to DIN 1837 / 1838 or your drawing.
In-house vacuum furnace, multi-stage hardening & tempering to 63-66 HRC.
Sides and bore ground to final tolerance; teeth sharpened, edges honed.
CMM and hardness check, then size, teeth & brand laser-etched on every saw.
On a milling machine or screw machine, a slitting saw only performs if it runs flat and concentric and clears its chips. That is exactly what our grinding and heat-treatment control deliver: the difference between a clean parted tube and a dished, burred, wandering cut.
Five decades of slitting-tool manufacturing, behind every saw.
Founded as a pioneer slitting-line tools maker; five decades of metallurgy and grinding know-how in every saw.
Billet to finished saw under one roof in Rajpura, vacuum hardening, tooth grinding and inspection, no sub-contracting.
±0.01 mm slot width and 0.02 mm runout, verified on CMM with certificates supplied per shipment.
Any size, tooth form or bore to drawing or sample in 4 weeks, 2-week rush when you need it.
M2, M35, powder-metal or carbide chosen for your material, not whatever is on the shelf.
30+ countries served, export packaging, mill and inspection certs, REACH/RoHS on request.
Maxwell manufactures custom slitting saws for machine shops, tool distributors, and OEMs across the United States who need a size, tooth form, or grade that isn't sitting on a shelf. As a direct slitting saw manufacturer, not a reseller, we grind to your drawing, DXF, or worn sample in 4 weeks (2 weeks on rush), then air-ship to the US in 4 to 6 days.
US buyers typically reach out for:
The questions buyers and machinists ask us most. Need something specific? Just ask in your enquiry.
A metal slitting saw is a thin, circular, toothed milling cutter mounted on an arbor to cut narrow slots, grooves, and cut-offs in metal with very little material loss. It runs on milling machines and screw machines and leaves a clean, burr-free edge where a wider tool would waste material or distort the part.
A metal slitting saw is a thin circular toothed cutter for narrow slotting, grooving and cut-off. "Slitting cutter" is the broader term that also includes side-and-face cutters, slotting cutters and disc cutters. For thin, precise slots, the slitting saw is the preferred tool.
A plain (fine-tooth) saw has straight peripheral teeth and is used for thin, shallow, accurate slots and a fine finish. A staggered-tooth saw has teeth bevelled alternately left and right, giving side clearance and free chip flow, so it cuts deeper and wider with far less rubbing and heat. Use plain for thin shallow slots, staggered for deep or tough cuts.
HSS saws (M2, M35) are tough, re-sharpenable and cost-effective for mild steel, brass and aluminium. Solid-carbide saws hold an edge far longer at high speed and are best for stainless, hardened steel, abrasive alloys and high-volume production, but they need a rigid machine and coolant. Choose HSS for general work, carbide for speed, hard material and long runs.
Maxwell manufactures slitting saws from 25 mm to 315 mm (1 in to 12.4 in) outside diameter, 0.3 mm to 6 mm thick, with custom bores ground to H7 and keyways on request. Tooth count is selected to suit the cut. Inch and metric sizes, and fully custom geometry, are made to drawing or sample.
Thickness typically runs from about 0.3 mm to 6 mm. Thin saws cut narrow precision slots and lose less material; thicker saws suit deeper, heavier cut-off work. We grind custom thicknesses to a slot-width tolerance of ±0.01 mm standard, tighter on request.
Yes. With the right grade (M35 or solid carbide), the correct tooth form, a rigid setup, flood coolant and reduced speed, slitting saws cut stainless and hardened steel cleanly. We recommend M35 or carbide, lower SFM and a staggered tooth for chip clearance on tough material.
Wandering and dishing come from too much speed or feed, a flexible setup, or a saw that is too thin for the depth. Minimise arbor overhang, use a flanged arbor, keep the saw flat and concentric within 0.02 mm runout, reduce feed, flood with coolant, and step up to a staggered-tooth or thicker saw for deep cuts.
Climb milling gives a better finish and longer tool life on a rigid, backlash-free machine, the chip thins toward the exit and there is less rubbing. If the setup or table has any play, conventional-mill to avoid the saw grabbing. When in doubt on an older machine, conventional is the safer start.
Our saws are made to DIN 1837 (fine-tooth metal slitting saws), DIN 1838 (coarse and staggered tooth), and IS:5031 / BS-122 Part 1, in HSS M2 (1.3343), HSS-Co M35 (1.3243), powder-metal and solid carbide, and to your drawing where it differs from standard.
Standard sizes ship in about 4 weeks, with a 2-week rush available. There is no high minimum for custom orders, and volume pricing applies from 25 pieces per line item. Send a drawing, DXF or sample and we reply within one working day with grade, price and delivery.
Yes to both. We export to 30+ countries for OEMs, distributors and engineering companies with export packaging and full certificates. HSS slitting saws can also be re-sharpened several times: we re-grind the teeth to the original form, re-inspect dimensions and hardness, and return the saw to working tolerance at a fraction of new-tool cost.
A slitting saw is a toothed milling cutter used to cut narrow slots, grooves, and cut-offs on milling or screw machines. A slitter knife is a toothless circular blade used in pairs on a coil slitting line to shear metal coil into narrower strips. Use a slitting saw for slotting and parting; use slitter knives for coil slitting.
Send the material, slot width, depth and quantity, or attach a drawing or a worn sample. You will hear back within one working day with grade, tooth count, price and delivery.
No obligation. Your details are used only to prepare your quote.
Prefer to talk? Call +91 82646-21011 or message us on WhatsApp.