L605 Alloy
Gas turbine engine components face punishing conditions: sustained high temperatures, oxidizing combustion gases, and mechanical wear that break down conventional alloys over time. If you are sourcing wire for aerospace propulsion parts, industrial furnace hardware, or high-temperature springs and fasteners, you need a material that maintains its strength and resists degradation in these environments. L605 alloy is the cobalt-based superalloy engineered for this level of performance.
Stainless Steel Products manufactures cobalt alloy L605 (UNS R30605) in round wire, flat wire, and straight cut lengths for the most demanding high-temperature applications. Also known as Haynes 25, L605 combines high tensile and creep-rupture strength at temperatures up to 1500°F (816°C) with oxidation resistance in continuous service to 1800°F (982°C) and intermittent exposure to 2000°F (1093°C). It resists sulfidation and carburization in combustion gas environments up to 1600°F (871°C), and it provides outstanding resistance to metal galling and wear. L605 alloy is non-magnetic in all conditions.
Properties and Composition of Alloy L605
L605 is a cobalt-chromium-tungsten-nickel alloy. Its strength comes from solid-solution strengthening by tungsten combined with carbide precipitation. This gives the alloy excellent mechanical properties at elevated temperatures while maintaining good formability for wire drawing and cold working operations. Cold working increases creep strength up to 1800°F and stress-rupture strength up to 1500°F.
Applications
Wire made from L605 alloy has many uses across the aerospace, energy, industrial, and medical sectors. Today, alloy L605 wire is widely used in gas turbine engine components, industrial furnace parts, and high-temperature mechanical assemblies. Wire manufactured from L605 can be used for:
- Gas turbine combustion chambers and afterburners
- Turbine seal rings, blades, and nozzle guide vanes
- High-temperature ball bearings and bearing races
- Industrial furnace muffles, liners, and heating elements
- Springs and fasteners for elevated-temperature service
- Coronary stents and heart valves (medical devices)
Why Work With Stainless Steel Products for L605 Wire
Since 1995, Stainless Steel Products has developed and delivered high-performing, long-lasting drawn wire in specialty alloys for customers across the aviation, oil and gas, OEM, and general fabrication industries. Stainless Steel Products has the experience, expertise, and equipment to provide the L605 alloy round wire, flat wire, and cut-to-length product you require.
We offer application engineering assistance to help you select the right alloy, temper, and wire configuration for your specific operating conditions. Our in-house capabilities include wire drawing from 0.3125" down to 0.0080" in both ferrous and non-ferrous alloys. We draw L605 wire to standard or tight tolerances in the temper your specification calls for, and we package on spools, coils, or carriers to fit your production process.
We also offer warehousing and just-in-time delivery programs, spooling and coiling services, and straightening and cutting to specific lengths. Our quality systems are ISO 9001 certified, and we certify all products.
FAQs
L605 should be solution annealed at 2150 to 2250°F (1175 to 1230°C) for a minimum of 15 minutes, followed by rapid air cooling or water quenching, depending on section size. This treatment dissolves carbides and restores optimal ductility and corrosion resistance. Annealing at lower temperatures can promote unwanted carbide precipitation that degrades mechanical performance. L605 does not respond to conventional age hardening, though strain aging at 700 to 1100°F can improve creep and stress-rupture strength in cold-worked material.
Both are cobalt-based superalloys used in gas turbine hot sections, but they serve different priorities. L605 is the stronger of the two under short-term loading at elevated temperatures and offers superior galling and wear resistance, making it a better fit for bearing races, springs, and parts subject to mechanical contact. Haynes 188 contains a lanthanum addition that improves oxide scale adherence, giving it an advantage in long-term oxidation resistance and thermal cycling stability. Our application engineering team can help you evaluate both alloys against your operating conditions.
L605 work hardens rapidly and requires more power to cut than standard austenitic stainless steels like 304 or 302. The material produces stringy, tough chips and generates significant heat at the tool interface. Cobalt-grade high-speed steel or carbide tooling is recommended, along with rigid machine setups that minimize tool overhang and workpiece deflection. Lower feeds, speeds, and depths of cut will produce the best results.
When exposed to intermediate temperatures (approximately 1000 to 1400°F) for prolonged periods, L605 can experience a reduction in room-temperature ductility. This occurs due to precipitation of a Co2W Laves phase within the alloy's microstructure. The behavior is consistent with what is observed in other solid-solution-strengthened superalloys such as INCONEL® 625. For applications involving long-duration intermediate-temperature exposure, contact us to discuss whether L605 or an alternative alloy is the best fit.
Yes. Thanks to its biocompatibility, non-magnetic properties, and high radiopacity, L605 is used in the medical device industry for implantable components such as coronary stents and heart valves. Medical applications typically require precise microstructural control through specialized recrystallization processes to balance grain size, carbide density, and mechanical strength in very thin wire cross sections. Stainless Steel Products can supply L605 wire to the tight tolerances that medical device manufacturers need.