In the Chinese market, a variety of cutting tools are widely used, including high-speed steel (HSS) tools, carbide tools, cermet tools, and PCD/PCBN super-hard materials. Among these, HSS tools are predominantly found in low-end applications, especially for complex forming tools like end mills, gear hobs, broaches, and taps. These tools generally have lower volume and value, and with the rapid advancement of China’s manufacturing industry, their market share has been gradually shrinking. Currently, HSS tools account for less than 60% of the market. Meanwhile, cermet tools continue to hold an advantage in precision turning of steel and cast iron, with a market share of around 2%. Ceramic tools are increasingly used in high-speed milling, particularly for difficult-to-machine materials in aerospace applications, making up about 1% of the market. PCD/PCBN tools, on the other hand, occupy approximately 2% of the market, mainly used for non-ferrous and ferrous metal machining.
Drilling tools represent another key segment in the cutting tool industry. The drilling process is known for its challenging conditions, such as poor cooling and chip evacuation, which makes it technically demanding and adds significant value to the product. High-end drill bits are primarily used in sectors like automotive, aerospace, engineering machinery, high-speed rail, and power equipment, where precision and performance are critical. However, only a limited number of domestic tool manufacturers in China can compete with global first-tier brands in these high-end fields. For example, in automotive engine manufacturing, companies like Suzhou Arnold, Zhuzhou Diamond, and Shanghai Tool Factory are among the few domestic players that can be seen in this sector. Suzhou Arnold, in particular, has made notable progress, expanding from non-standard to standard hard drill bit production since 2011. In other precision manufacturing areas, only a handful of Chinese companies, such as Zhuzhou Diamond and Suzhou Arnold, manage to compete with international leaders.
According to rough estimates, the demand for high-end hard drill bits in China reached about 900 million yuan in 2010, but the localization rate was only around 15%. Most high-end drill products still come from developed countries like Europe, the US, and Japan, with major suppliers including Sandvik, Kennametal, Cobalt, Titek, Mapa, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, and Oshi. Many of these companies maintain large inventories in Singapore or mainland China, and some non-standard drills are even produced locally. Korean and Taiwanese drill products, however, are not as competitive and thus appear less frequently in the market.
The gap between Chinese tool manufacturers and global leaders in terms of drill technology lies in design philosophy, manufacturing precision, material selection, and coating technologies. Key areas where Chinese and foreign drill performance differ include steel machining drills, deep-hole twist drills, and tools for high-temperature alloys and high-hardness steels. Only a few Chinese companies have mastered the advanced techniques required in these areas.
Turning to end mills, the current state of the market can be divided into general-purpose and high-end types. General-purpose hard end mills have relatively lower technical complexity, and the quality gap between domestic and foreign products is not very significant. Most Chinese cemented carbide tool manufacturers, including private and state-owned companies, focus on producing hard end mills. These products dominate the low- to mid-end markets at competitive prices, leading to intense competition.
However, in high-end manufacturing sectors such as difficult-to-machine materials and high-speed milling, there is still a noticeable gap in the quality of Chinese hard end mills compared to top global brands. Products like high-hardness material cutters, high-speed milling cutters, titanium alloy cutters, graphite cutters, aerospace composite cutters, and precision cutters are dominated by international manufacturers such as Sandvik, Kennametal, Yanjie, Hitachi, Frasa, Prototyp, SGS, Jabro, OSG, Hanita, LMT, and others. According to incomplete statistics, the high-end hard end mill market in China was valued at around 1.5 billion yuan in 2010, with a localization rate of roughly 30%.
Current challenges include improving mechanical properties like hardness, strength, and wear resistance, as well as thermal and chemical properties such as heat resistance and insulation. Biological and electronic/optical properties also need further development.
Recently, (Ti, Al) coated cemented carbide tools have become dominant in high-performance applications, driven by special demands in certain industries. Luo Baihui, secretary-general of the International Model Association, emphasized the importance of acknowledging the technological gap between Chinese and foreign tool companies, including basic research, innovation, marketing, and service capabilities. He also highlighted the need for user demand to drive innovation and for leading enterprises to demonstrate technological leadership.
Despite the challenges, some key domestic enterprises and emerging private companies have made impressive progress in developing modern and efficient tools. Companies like Zhuzhou Diamond, Xiamen Golden Heron, and Arno Tools have focused on technological advancement and customer service, achieving remarkable results in various fields.
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