What Is the Difference Between PCD, PCBN and Carbide Tooling?
Carbide tooling has been the standard in machining for decades because it balances cost, availability, and performance across a wide range of applications. PCD (polycrystalline diamond) tooling uses a synthetic diamond cutting edge to hold an edge far longer under the same cutting conditions for material applications including non-ferrous metals, composites, ceramics, plastics and wood. PCBN (polycrystalline cubic boron nitride) tooling is very similar to PCD, but chemically slightly different designed for longer tool life in ferrous metals application including hard alloys.
The tradeoff is upfront cost: PCD and PCBN tooling costs more per tool than standard carbide. The question worth asking isn't which tool is cheaper to buy in the moment, it is which one is cheaper to run in the long-term.
How Much Longer Does PCD or PCBN Tooling Actually Last?
The honest answer is: it depends on the application, and the range is wide. Rather than quote a single blended number, here's what our documented case studies actually show:
- In a non-ferrous metal application, switching to PCD tooling extended tool life from 25,000 to over 1,000,000 holes on the same job, roughly 40 times longer than standard carbide saving $1.3+ billion in operational savings over the last dozen years.
- In FT Precision's aluminum engine rocker arm production, switching to West Ohio Tool's EDGEX4® drills delivered roughly 114 times longer tool life, along with a 98% reduction in cost per hole with $24 million annually in operational savings.
Both are real, documented results, not a single average applied across every job. Tool life gains depend heavily on the material, the geometry, and the production environment, so any tooling partner quoting one number for every application is oversimplifying.
Brazed across Center vs. Outboard PCD tips: Why Construction Matters
Not all PCD and PCBN tooling is built the same way, and West Ohio Tool uses both approaches depending on the application. Outboard tipped are used for outside cutting in cored holes. The EDGEX4® is designed for drilling solid material that uses a solid one-piece tip allowing for the thickest and most robust material that allows geometries engineered for extensively longer tool life. This design is also able to be reground for additional tool life; the sameconstruction used in the FT Precision high-volume diecast aluminum drilling case above. The EDGEX4® uses a proprietary process that brazes solid PCD or PCBN without carbide backing to a carbide tool body. It's worth asking your tooling partner the type of construction a specific job calls for rather than assuming “PCD” means one standardized product. This is where we're happy to help step in and customize/engineer tooling made for your unique application.
How Does Longer Tool Life Lower Cost Per Hole?
Cost per hole isn't about the price tag on the tool. It's simple math:
Cost Per Hole = Tool Cost ÷ Total Holes Produced
A tool that costs more upfront but produces dramatically more holes before it wears out has a lower cost per hole than a cheaper tool that needs to be replaced far more often. Think about it: less frequent change-outs also equals more money saved. Longer tool life also means less frequent reordering and less dependency on carbide specifically, which matters given the tungsten supply chain volatility the industry has been navigating: China controls roughly 80% of global tungsten supply, and recent export controls have added real pricing and availability risk for carbide-dependent shops.
When Does Carbide Still Make Sense?
PCD or PCBN isn't the right answer for every job. Low-volume runs, less demanding materials like softer non-ferrous metals, the type of equipment, workholding, and coolant pressure (for PCD tooling) and applications where tool life isn't the limiting factor can still make standard carbide the more economical choice. The right answer depends on your specific application, your volume, and your cost-per-hole math, not a blanket rule in either direction.
Frequently Asked Questions
PCD (polycrystalline diamond) tooling uses a synthetic diamond cutting edge to hold an edge far longer than standard carbide under the same cutting conditions.
PCD tooling carries a higher upfront cost than standard carbide. The extended tool life it delivers often lowers the total cost per hole over the working life of the tool, even though the initial price is higher.
Cost per hole is the tool's purchase cost divided by the total number of holes it produces before it needs to be replaced. It's a more accurate way to compare tooling costs than unit price alone.
Want to see what longer tool life would mean for your specific application? Run the numbers with our tooling calculator, or read how we calculate cost per hole for aerospace applications.