Heat Treatment Soak Time Calculator
Hold time at temperature by section thickness — the hour-per-inch family of rules.
The clock starts when the CORE reaches temperature, not the furnace — add lag for heavy sections or trust a buried thermocouple. Oversoaking austenite grows grain; see Hall-Petch for the price.
Formula
Heat Treatment Soak Time Calculator is a free soak time for design engineers, metallurgists and QA inspectors — instant, accurate and 100% client-side, with the governing formula and reference shown next to the result so the number can be defended, not just quoted.
About Heat Treatment Soak Time Calculator
Hold time at temperature by section thickness — the hour-per-inch family of rules. The calculation implements t_soak = thickness × rate (min 30 min) (ASM Heat Treater's Guide). The clock starts when the CORE reaches temperature, not the furnace — add lag for heavy sections or trust a buried thermocouple. Oversoaking austenite grows grain; see Hall-Petch for the price.
How to use Heat Treatment Soak Time Calculator
- 1Enter Ruling section thickness in mm.
- 2Enter Soak rate in min/mm (Austenitizing ~2.4 (1 h/in) · tempering 2.4–4.8 · stress relief 2.4 +).
- 3Read Soak time, Hours instantly — no submit button needed.
- 4Need US units? Flip the SI/Imperial toggle and every field converts.
Why use Heat Treatment Soak Time Calculator?
- ✓Implements the standard formula — t_soak = thickness × rate (min 30 min)
- ✓Reference cited on-page: ASM Heat Treater's Guide
- ✓One-click SI ⇄ Imperial toggle — values convert in place, physics stays in SI
- ✓Live worked example: the substitution recomputes from your numbers
- ✓Runs entirely in your browser — nothing uploaded, free forever
Frequently asked questions
What formula does the Heat Treatment Soak Time Calculator use?+
It computes t_soak = thickness × rate (min 30 min), per ASM Heat Treater's Guide. The formula is displayed under the result along with a worked example substituted with your own inputs.
What should I keep in mind when using this calculator?+
The clock starts when the CORE reaches temperature, not the furnace — add lag for heavy sections or trust a buried thermocouple. Oversoaking austenite grows grain; see Hall-Petch for the price.
Where do the material property defaults come from?+
Defaults are standard handbook values (ASM, manufacturer datasheets, the cited standard). Always substitute certified values from your material's test certificate for critical work.
Is the Heat Treatment Soak Time Calculator free to use?+
Yes — completely free, no sign-up, no limits. It runs client-side in your browser, so inputs stay private and results are instant even on slow connections.
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