- High-speed steel tools are good for most general purpose applications, offering a combination of hardness and toughness for wear resistance
- Black oxide treatment adds lubricity and creates small pockets on the surface of the tool that act to hold coolant near the cutting edge
- Round shanks allow use with a wide variety of toolholding systems
- When run in a counterclockwise direction (right-hand cut) spiral fluted tools evacuate chips up and out of the cut to reduce clogging
- Used for producing center holes in work pieces which require machining between centers
