Maraging Steel

Maraging steels are ultra-high-strength iron-nickel alloys that gain their properties from precipitation of intermetallics during ageing, rather than from carbon martensite. The 18Ni grades used in motorsport are tough, dimensionally stable after heat treatment, and well suited to thin, highly loaded parts. Typical LVHV uses include gearbox shafts and selectors, upright and hub details, additive-manufactured tooling and conformal cooling inserts, and a handful of safety-critical fasteners. The alloy machines and welds more kindly than equivalent carbon martensitic steels of similar strength, which is why race shops keep it on the rack. It is a specialised, costly steel — not a body-in-white grade and not a substitute for the library's AHSS or UHSS sheets. Corrosion protection and the ageing cycle are part of the process specification.