cold-working

metalcraft

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June 24, 2026

Quick Summary

Cold working, also known as work hardening, is a metalworking process that increases a metal's hardness and strength through physical deformation without the use of heat. Processes like hammering, rolling, drawing, and extrusion, when performed below the metal's recrystallization temperature, fall under cold working.12345

During cold working, the metal's crystals slip against each other. Continued deformation causes these slips to obstruct further movement, leading to increased strength. While cold working enhances a metal's hardness, it also imposes a limit on the amount of strain it can withstand before cracking. This method is used to create products like beverage cans and rifle cartridges.134

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hand tool
Metalworking
…certain amount of hammering (cold-working), copper becomes brittle, a condition that can be removed as often as necessary by heating the material and plunging it into cold water (quenching). The softening operation is known as annealing, and repeated annealings are necessary if much hammering is required for shaping.
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…certain amount of hammering (cold-working), copper becomes brittle, a condition that can be removed as often as necessary by heating the material and plunging it into cold water (quenching). The softening operation is known as annealing, and repeated annealings are necessary if much hammering is required for shaping.
Read More

metallurgy
Processes
These are called cold working. Cold working hardens metal and makes the part stronger. However, there is a definite limit to the strain that can be put into a cold part before it cracks.
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These are called cold working. Cold working hardens metal and makes the part stronger. However, there is a definite limit to the strain that can be put into a cold part before it cracks.
Read More