New milling grade supports predictable tool life in titanium machining

Sandvik Coromant combines EthaCore™ carbide and Zertivo® coating technologies in GC1250 to improve process security and reduce tooling carbon footprint.

October 2026 – Metal cutting tool and manufacturing solutions specialist Sandvik Coromant has created indexable milling grade GC1250, a new grade for titanium alloy machining. The grade combines its EthaCore™ carbide technology with a nano-multilayer physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating to improve resilience, tool life, process security and reduce environmental impact.

Titanium's poor thermal conductivity concentrates extreme heat at the cutting edge, increasing the risk of rapid wear, chipping and unexpected insert failure. GC1250 addresses these challenges with a completely new grade architecture combining Sandvik Coromant's patented EthaCore™ carbide platform and its Zertivo® nano-multilayer PVD coating technology.

The product's customer value is built around three pillars: innovation, performance and sustainability. Its resilient substrate is designed to adapt to changing thermal and mechanical loads, helping deliver more predictable tool life, fewer unexpected breakages and reduced production downtime.

"GC1250 sets a new benchmark for resilience and predictable performance in titanium milling," says Wayne Mason, Global Product Application Manager for Grades at Sandvik Coromant. "By reducing unexpected insert failures and interruptions, this grade can help customers increase machine utilization and achieve more cost-efficient machining."

Grade GC1250 also helps customers work toward their sustainability targets. EthaCore™ contributes to a substantially lower product carbon footprint than leading competitor grades that use ruthenium-based carbide in this application area.

"Performance and sustainability increasingly need to advance together," adds Mason. "GC1250 gives manufacturers a solution that supports secure, productive titanium machining while helping reduce the carbon footprint associated with their tooling."

Grade GC1250 is optimised for roughing to semi-finishing of titanium alloys. It is designed for wet machining and is available across a broad range of CoroMill® shoulder, face, groove, high-feed and profile milling concepts.

The introduction of grade GC1250 also completes the 1200-series grade chain, creating a comprehensive portfolio covering all major workpiece material groups. Customers can now access the latest substrate and coating technologies across a wide range of machining applications.