Rock Drill Rod Material Comparison:23CrNiMo vs Sanbar64 - RockHound

When sourcing  top hammer drill rods , one of the most frequent technical questions procurement engineers and drilling contractors ask is:

“Why don’t Chinese manufacturers use the same steel as Sandvik?”

It’s a fair question — and one worth answering with precision.

Sandvik’s  Sanbar 64  is the benchmark proprietary steel for extension rods and shank rods in top hammer drilling worldwide.  RockHound  uses  23CrNiMo  (designated ZK23CrNi3Mo under Chinese national standards), a Nickel-Chromium-Molybdenum carburizing steel from Guiyang Special Steel (RockHound’s Supplier). Both belong to the same alloy family. Both are designed for high-frequency impact loading. But they are not interchangeable — and the differences matter.

This article explains:

• Why Chinese drill rod manufacturers cannot simply use Sanbar 64
• The metallurgical difference between 23CrNiMo and Sanbar 64
• How heat treatment hardness profiles compare
• What real field test data from an iron mine says about 23CrNiMo rod performance