OSG Cutting Tools — Complete Product Guide

osg · drill · end-mill · tap · thread-mill · insert

OSG Corporation is a Japanese cutting tool manufacturer founded in 1938, headquartered in Toyokawa, Aichi, Japan. They are one of the world's largest manufacturers of taps, drills, and end mills, with a particularly dominant position in threading tools. OSG operates 13 manufacturing plants worldwide across Japan, USA, Europe, China, India, and Southeast Asia. US headquarters: Schaumburg, IL (also Bensenville, IL manufacturing). OSG employs ~6,000 people globally with annual sales exceeding $1.5 billion USD.

OSG acquired MA Ford (US carbide end mill manufacturer) which strengthened their solid carbide milling line. They also own Belin (France, taps) and several Asian operations.

Key differentiators:

  • World leader in threading tools — taps are their heritage product
  • Proprietary coating technologies (EgiAs, DUROREY, WXS, KeptA) manufactured in-house
  • Strong in automotive, aerospace, and medical manufacturing
  • Full-line manufacturer: taps, drills, end mills, thread mills, dies, reamers, indexable tooling

Brand Architecture

OSG organizes products under five brand lines, each targeting different performance tiers and applications:

A BRAND (Premium — Best Performance)

The A Brand represents OSG's highest performance tier. Products carry the "A" prefix: A-Tap, A-Drill (AD/ADO), A-End Mill (AE). Designed for maximum productivity and tool life in demanding applications. Made in Japan.

EXOCARB (Specialty Carbide)

Solid carbide tools with specialized geometries for specific materials or applications. Series include WXL (long neck), WXS (nano coating), and SEP. Often targets high-hardness or exotic materials. Made in Japan.

EXOPRO (Professional Grade)

Professional-grade carbide tools for production environments. Includes WHO (drills for hardened steel/nickel), WDO (general purpose drills), and WTO (taps). Bridges A Brand and standard lines.

HY-PRO (High Productivity)

High-productivity carbide tools for general machining. The VGM variable geometry end mills are the flagship. Good balance of performance and cost. Includes USA-made products.

PHOENIX (Indexable)

OSG's indexable tooling platform: exchangeable drill heads, milling cutters, shoulder mills, and inserts.

Proprietary Coating Technologies

OSG manufactures their own coatings in-house, which is a significant competitive advantage:

EgiAs (Nano Periodical Layer + Wear Resistance Layer)

  • Color: Iridescent
  • Hardness: 3,200 Hv
  • Oxidation temp: 1,100°C
  • Structure: Periodic nano-layer over wear-resistant base layer
  • Used on: A Brand drills (AD, ADO, ADOX), premium end mills
  • Key advantage: Extreme wear resistance with toughness — outperforms standard AlTiN in most ferrous applications

DUROREY

  • Used on: EXOPRO WHO-NI drills for nickel alloys and hardened steels
  • Key advantage: Handles extreme heat from Inconel and high-HRC cutting
  • Pairs with: Low helix angles for rigidity in superalloy drilling

WXS (Nano Coating Technology)

  • Used on: EXOCARB and EXOPRO lines
  • Key advantage: High heat resistance for hardened steel machining

DUARISE (Multi-Layer Nano Coating)

  • Color: Dark gold/bronze
  • Used on: A Brand AE-VMSS-RA, AE-VTSS, AE-VMS series (319 products)
  • Key advantage: Latest-generation multi-layer coating for anti-vibration end mills. Higher hardness and heat resistance than EgiAs for interrupted cuts and vibration-prone setups. Paired with OSG's variable helix/index geometries.
  • Note: This is OSG's newest high-performance coating — supersedes EgiAs on select A Brand end mills

IchAda (Nano Multi-Layer Precision Coating)

  • Used on: ADO-MICRO series (67 products) — all depths from 2D through 30D
  • Key advantage: Engineered specifically for micro-diameter drilling (1.0–2.0mm). Higher adhesion and edge retention than KeptA at sub-2mm diameters. Smooth surface finish reduces built-up edge in small-hole drilling.
  • Replaces: KeptA on current ADO-MICRO production — KeptA still used on some older A Brand drills

EXO (Multi-Purpose Coating)

  • Used on: HY-PRO VGM5 end mills, PHOENIX PHX-DBT ball nose, various EXOCARB tools (1,420 products)
  • Key advantage: General-purpose high-performance coating. Good balance of hardness and lubricity for steel, stainless, and cast iron. Lower cost than EgiAs while still outperforming standard AlTiN.

KeptA

  • Used on: Some legacy A Brand drills (largely superseded by IchAda on ADO-MICRO)
  • Key advantage: Precision micro-drilling applications

Other Coatings

  • WXL Coating — For EXOCARB long-neck end mills (2,319 products)
  • WXS Coating — Nano coating for PHOENIX PHX-PC series and EXOCARB tools. Higher hardness than WXL.
  • Steam Oxide — Standard on many taps (traditional, reliable, low cost)
  • TiN, TiCN, TiAlN — Available on select products
  • V Coating — Multi-layer for general-purpose taps
  • Cr Composite Multilayer — Used on PXD exchangeable drill heads
  • Bright (Uncoated) — Aluminum-specific end mills (VGM3-AL series)
  • DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) — Used on AE-TL-N non-ferrous end mills (593 products). Extremely low friction for aluminum and copper.

Product Families — Drilling

A BRAND Drills (Premium)

AD Series — Premium solid carbide drills, 2xD and 4xD. EgiAs coating, wavy point edge for reduced thrust forces, ultra-fine micrograin carbide. Through-coolant. The foundation drill in A Brand.

ADO Series — Through-coolant carbide drills available in 3xD through 50xD lengths. The widest length-to-diameter range in the A Brand drill line. EgiAs coating standard. Internal coolant holes optimized for volume at the cutting edge.

ADOX-5D — High performance coolant-fed carbide drill for ferrous and non-ferrous materials. 5xD, EgiAs coating. Wavy form cutting edge design. Rated "Best" for steels, cast iron, and stainless including 17-4PH.

ADO-MICRO (67 products) — Small diameter carbide drills from 1.0mm to 2.0mm in 20xD and 30xD lengths. IchAda coating (nano multi-layer, replaced KeptA on current production). Through-coolant. Rated for carbon steel, alloy steel, stainless steel, cast iron, ductile cast iron, aluminum alloy, and titanium alloy. Key to success: use high-pressure coolant (1,000+ PSI), peck cycle with short pecks (1-2x diameter), and conservative feeds. Spindle runout must be under 5 microns for reliable micro-drilling at these diameters.

ADO-SUS — Carbide drills optimized for stainless steel (SUS = stainless in Japanese). Available in 3xD, 5xD, 8xD. Modified geometry to prevent work hardening.

ADO-TRS — Through-coolant drills for carbon steel and alloy steel. 3xD and 5xD.

ADF Series — Flat-bottom carbide drills (180° point angle). ADF 2xD, ADF-LS 2xD, ADFO 3xD. For flat-bottom holes, pocket milling start holes, and thin-plate drilling.

AD-LDS — Long drill stub, designed for deep hole applications with enhanced chip evacuation.

EXOPRO Drills (Professional)

WHO-NI — The ultimate drill for hardened steels (45-50 HRC) and nickel alloys (Inconel). DUROREY coating, low helix angle (12-20°) for rigidity, through-coolant. Available in 3xD and 5xD. Rated "Best" for Inconel and hardened steels 45-50 HRC.

WHO Series — General high-performance drills for hardened steels. DUROREY coating.

WDO Series — General purpose through-coolant carbide drills. Good value for production drilling.

EXOCARB Drills

WXL Drills — Long-neck carbide drills with WXL coating for deep-feature access.

Standard / V-Series Drills

V-Series — General purpose solid carbide drills. Good value option.

EX-SUS-GDS — Stainless steel specific drills in the standard line.

Drill Accessories

Countersinks & Spot Drills — Available in multiple point angles (60°, 82°, 90°, 120°).

Tap Extractors — Specialized tools for removing broken taps.

Reamers — Solid carbide and HSS reamers for precision hole finishing.

Product Families — Milling

A BRAND End Mills (Premium)

AE-VMS — Variable geometry square end mills. Premium A Brand line for steel and stainless. Center cutting, variable index geometry reduces chatter.

AE-VMS-RA — Corner radius version of AE-VMS.

AE-VMSS — Short flute version for increased rigidity.

AE-N Series — End mills optimized for non-ferrous materials (aluminum, copper). Bright or DLC finish, high helix for chip evacuation.

AE-H Series — End mills for hardened steel (HRc 45-70). Specialized geometry for die and mold work.

AE-MS Series — Multi-application square end mills. Versatile geometry for steel, stainless, and cast iron.

HY-PRO End Mills (High Productivity)

VGM Series — Variable Geometry Mills. OSG's most versatile end mill platform with 1,523 products in database:

  • VGM3 (308 products) — 3-flute for aluminum and non-ferrous. Variable helix, center cutting. Available in square, corner radius, and long neck.
  • VGM3-AL — 3-flute specifically for aluminum. Bright (uncoated) with polished flutes for chip evacuation. Available standard and long-neck (VGM3-AL-LN).
  • VGM5 (672 products) — 5-flute for high-performance finishing in steels. EXO coating standard. The highest-volume VGM series. Sizes from 1/8" to 1"+. Available standard and long-neck (VGM5-LN).
  • VGM8-NI (78 products) — 8-flute for nickel alloys (Inconel, Hastelloy, Waspaloy). DUROREY coating for extreme heat resistance. Sizes 0.375"–1.0". The high flute count enables very high feed rates at conservative depths in superalloys. This is OSG's answer to competing HEM tools for aerospace nickel work.
  • Various neck lengths: standard, long-neck (LN), extra-long.
  • Variable Geometry Design: Unequal flute spacing and variable helix angles break up harmonics to suppress chatter. Each flute has a slightly different pitch, which distributes cutting forces unevenly and prevents regenerative vibration — critical in long-reach and thin-wall applications.

VG534/VG541 — 4-flute and 5-flute general purpose carbide end mills.

HP Series — High-performance end mills:

  • HP410/HP411 — Roughing/finishing in steels
  • HP450/HP451 — High-efficiency milling
  • HP453 — Premium finishing

EXOCARB End Mills (Specialty)

WXL-LN-EMS — Long-neck square end mills with WXL coating. For deep pocket and tall wall machining with minimal deflection.

WXL-LN-EDS — Long-neck 2-flute end mills for deep slotting.

WXL-LN-EBS — Long-neck ball nose end mills for deep cavity finishing.

WXL-EBM — Ball nose end mills for mold finishing.

SEP-EL — Extra-long carbide end mills.

CBN-FB2 — Cubic boron nitride end mills for materials above HRc 60.

Standard End Mills

EDS — 2-flute standard end mills EMS — Multi-flute standard end mills EML — Long flute standard end mills

Indexable Milling (PHOENIX) — 334 Products

The PHOENIX platform covers solid carbide and exchangeable-head tooling for die/mold and production milling. Major sub-series identified from 334 products in database:

PHX-PC-DFR (75 products) — Phoenix Precise Cut Deep Feed Radius end mills. WXS nano coating. For high-feed roughing with corner radius geometry. Small axial depth, very high feed rates.

PHX-LN-CRE (33 products) — Phoenix Long Neck Corner Radius end mills. For deep-pocket finishing with controlled corner geometry. Extended reach without deflection.

PHX-LN-DFR (16 products) — Phoenix Long Neck Deep Feed Radius end mills. Combines long-neck reach with high-feed roughing capability.

PHX-LN-DBT / PHX-PC-DBT / PHX-DBT (15 products) — Phoenix Deep Feed Ball Nose end mills. 3-flute, WXS or EXO coating, sizes from 1.0mm to 20.0mm. For 3D surface finishing in die/mold cavities. The PC (Precise Cut) variants use WXS coating; standard DBT uses EXO coating.

PHX-DFR (6 products) — Phoenix Deep Feed Radius, standard reach.

PXD Exchangeable Heads — Screw-on carbide drill/mill heads with steel shanks. Cr Composite multilayer coating. Quick head changes without removing the holder from the spindle. Sizes to 25mm+. Ideal for large-diameter holes where solid carbide drills are cost-prohibitive.

PXDZ Drills — PHOENIX solid carbide drills in 3xD and 5xD lengths. Available in large diameters (up to 32mm+) for production drilling.

PXNH/PXNL End Mills — PHOENIX solid carbide shoulder mills for indexable-style performance in smaller diameters.

Product Families — Threading

OSG's heritage product line. They are among the world's largest tap manufacturers.

A BRAND Taps (Premium)

A-SFT — Spiral flute taps for blind holes. Premium A Brand performance. Available in standard and long shank (LT-SFT) and oil-hole (OIL-SFT) versions.

A-POT — Spiral point (gun) taps for through holes. Standard, long shank (LT-POT), and oil-hole (OIL-POT) versions.

A-CSF — Carbide spiral flute taps for high-hardness materials.

A-CHT — Carbide high-performance threading.

A-PIPE — Pipe taps: NPT, LT-NPT, BSPP, BSPT, NPS thread forms.

AT-1 — Thread mills for NPT and NPTF. Single-point thread milling with indexable inserts.

AT-2 — Solid carbide thread mills. Helical interpolation threading.

AT-2 R-SPEC — AT-2 variant with reinforced geometry.

EXOPRO Taps

WTO Series — Professional grade taps for production environments.

Standard Taps (HY-PRO DIN / OSG)

HY-PRO DIN Series — DIN-standard taps in HSS-E (cobalt). Spiral flute, spiral point, and straight flute. Steam oxide coating standard. Available in all common thread forms: UNC, UNF, metric coarse, metric fine.

Standard Spiral Flute — For blind holes in general materials.

Standard Spiral Point — For through holes, fast chip evacuation forward.

Standard Straight Flute — For short-chipping materials like cast iron, brass.

Forming Taps — Chipless thread forming (roll taps). For ductile materials like aluminum, copper, low-carbon steel. No chips, stronger threads.

STI Taps — Screw Thread Insert (Heli-Coil) taps. Oversize for wire thread inserts.

Pipe Taps — NPT, NPTF, BSPP, BSPT for pipe threads.

Round Dies — Threading dies for external threads.

Thread Mills

AT-1/AT-2 — See A Brand section above.

Standard Thread Mills — Solid carbide single-form and multi-form thread mills.

Product Families — Other

Thread Gages

OSG manufactures GO/NO-GO thread plug and ring gages for inspection.

Synchromaster Holders

Proprietary tapping holders with micro-length compensation. Collets and accessories for rigid and synchronous tapping.

Diameter Correction Tool

Specialized tool for correcting oversized tapped holes.

Material Application Guide

OSG rates tool performance for each workpiece material using ISO material groups:

Material Group Code Examples
Steel (P) Low carbon, medium carbon, alloy, die 1018, 1045, 4140, D2
Stainless (M) Austenitic, martensitic, PH 304, 316, 17-4PH, 400 series
Cast Iron (K) Grey, ductile, nodular Class 30, 65-45-12
Non-Ferrous (N) Aluminum, copper, brass 6061, 7075, C360
Superalloys (S) Nickel, titanium, cobalt Inconel 718, Ti-6Al-4V
Hardened (H) Hardened steel HRc 35-70

Best product choices by material:

  • Aluminum: VGM3-AL (milling), ADO with bright/KeptA (drilling), forming taps
  • Mild/Carbon Steel: AE-VMS (milling), ADO/ADOX (drilling), A-SFT/A-POT (tapping)
  • Stainless 304/316: AE-MS (milling), ADO-SUS (drilling), A-SFT (tapping)
  • 17-4PH Stainless: ADOX (drilling, rated Best), A-SFT (tapping)
  • Inconel/Nickel: WHO-NI (drilling — rated Best), VGM8-NI (milling — 8-flute DUROREY, purpose-built for nickel), AE-H (milling general)
  • Hardened Steel 45+ HRC: WHO-NI (drilling), AE-H (milling), EXOCARB CBN (>60 HRC)
  • Titanium Ti-6Al-4V: ADO (drilling, rated Good), AE-H (milling), ADO-MICRO (micro holes 1-2mm)
  • Cast Iron: ADOX (drilling, rated Best), standard taps with straight flute

Ordering and Identification

EDP Numbers: OSG uses EDP (Electronic Data Processing) numbers as their primary product identifier. These are numeric codes (e.g., 8734200) that uniquely identify each tool size/variant. When ordering from distributors or looking up tools on osgtool.com, use the EDP number.

List Numbers: Product families are grouped by List Number (e.g., 6705 for ADOX-5D, 5955NI for WHO-NI-5D, VGM3-AL-LN for VGM3 aluminum long neck). The list number identifies the product line; the EDP identifies the specific size.

Website: osgtool.com — search by EDP or browse by category. Each product page includes full specs, material ratings, speed/feed PDF downloads, catalog pages, and sometimes machining videos.

Key Competitors and Positioning

Competitor OSG Advantage Competitor Advantage
YG-1 Better coating tech (EgiAs), stronger in threading YG-1 has wider end mill range, better pricing
Kennametal Full-line manufacturer, strong in threading and drilling Kennametal stronger in indexable tooling
Sandvik/Walter Superior coating technology Sandvik/Walter stronger in turning and indexable
Emuge Both strong in threading — comparable quality Emuge has edge in thread forming
Guhring Both strong in drilling Guhring has deeper modular drilling systems
Harvey/Helical OSG broader product range Harvey/Helical better in micro end mills and specialty geometries

Tech Support and Resources

  • Website: osgtool.com
  • Bulk EDP Search: osgtool.com/bulk-search/
  • Product Literature: osgtool.com/literature/
  • Speed & Feed Data: Available as downloadable PDFs on each product page
  • US Customer Service: Contact through osgtool.com
  • Made in: Japan (A Brand, EXOCARB, EXOPRO), USA (some HY-PRO), Mexico (some standard taps)