| Process | Cold Heading | Hot Forging |
| Processing Grade | Up to 12.9 | Up to 12.9 |
| Mechanization | Fully mechanized | No |
| Minimum Order Quantity | 1 ton | None |
| Labor Cost | Low | High |
| Scope of Application | Mass production | Small batch production |
Cold heading is fully mechanized, so the defect rate is low, but the strength of the products produced by cold heading can only reach a maximum of 10.9. They need to be heat treated to reach higher strength levels. Heat treatment only changes the performance of the product and does not affect its shape.
Cold heading machines have a basic minimum order quantity of at least 1 ton, which is a minimum of 30,000 units.
Hot forging itself involves heating the raw material and then shaping it, so the finished product can be up to 12.9 in strength. For the production of hot forged bolts, workers manually place the cut raw materials into the machine one by one. The entire process is completed manually, which can lead to uneven standards and other issues.
Hot forging machines have no basic minimum order requirements, but labor costs are high.
Currently, almost no one in the market chooses the hot forging process for direct shaping because in mass production, the overall cost of hot forging is higher than that of cold heading. Additionally, by heat treating, cold heading bolts can also achieve the strength of hot forged bolts.
However, when the customer’s inquiry quantity is small and the appearance requirements are not high, the hot forging process can be used.
This article is about the production of products such as hex bolts and socket head cap screws. The production of eye bolts has a complete set of molds and does not encounter the above problems.