Chipbreaker Code Index by Brand

218 distinct brand suffixes · 5 brands · 292 of 367 ISO 1832 models · 17,920 cited catalogue rows.

How to use this index

A chipbreaker code is the short fragment between geometry and grade — the -PM in CNMG120408-PM4325. It selects the groove that controls chip form, so two inserts with identical geometry and different suffixes cut very differently. This page lists the suffixes the catalogues actually cite, brand by brand.

The same letters do not travel between manufacturers. Kennametal's LF, Korloy's VF and Sandvik's MM are separate designations with their own groove geometry and cutting ranges. Use this index to find which codes exist on which models; use the chipbreaker codes guide to read the standard two-letter P/M/K/S families, and confirm any substitution against the catalogue row linked from the model page. For a worked example on one workpiece group, the stainless steel turning guide ranks the 56 suffixes that appear on ISO M rows.

Kennametal — 89 suffixes

208 models, 150 grades, 9197 cited rows. ISO 513 groups recorded on these rows: H / K / M / N / P / S.

Korloy — 36 suffixes

144 models, 30 grades, 4494 cited rows. ISO 513 groups recorded on these rows: —.

Sandvik Coromant — 30 suffixes

57 models, 31 grades, 3104 cited rows. ISO 513 groups recorded on these rows: K / M / N / P / S.

Mitsubishi Materials — 49 suffixes

133 models, 35 grades, 622 cited rows. ISO 513 groups recorded on these rows: —.

ISCAR — 14 suffixes

91 models, 36 grades, 503 cited rows. ISO 513 groups recorded on these rows: —.

Chipbreaker code questions

Is a chipbreaker code the same at every brand?

No. This index groups suffixes by manufacturer because the same letters are reused with different groove geometry and different cutting ranges. Kennametal cites 89 distinct suffixes, Korloy 36 and Sandvik 30, and they do not exchange one-for-one. Match the catalogue depth-of-cut and feed range of the exact code before substituting.

How many catalogue models carry a chipbreaker code?

292 of the 367 ISO 1832 models on InsertBase have at least one cited brand ordering code with a chipbreaker or geometry suffix — 17,920 rows in total. The rest are catalogued with a plain geometry code, or their brand rows do not publish a suffix.

Do the normal P/M/K/S letters still apply?

For the standard two-letter family (PF/PM/PR, MF/MM/MR, KF/KM/KR) the first letter tracks the workpiece group and the second tracks finishing, medium or roughing. Brands also use their own vocabulary — Kennametal LF/FP/MP, Korloy B25/VF/VL, Sandvik KM/WMX — which the catalogue defines per product family. The chipbreaker codes guide explains the standard letters; this page only lists what each brand actually cites.

What this index does and does not claim

Every suffix above comes from a manufacturer ordering code stored with a catalogue source, version and date. The table counts only rows that are already published on a model page; it does not decode the suffix or claim that two brands' grooves are interchangeable.

An ISO 513 column of “—” means the cited rows for that brand do not record a workpiece group, not that the grade covers no material. Shapes are the ISO 1832 first letter of the models the suffix appears on. For the ordering side — geometry, chipbreaker, grade assembled into one code — use the ISO 1832 decoder; for equivalents across brands, the cross-reference finder.

Need a suffix that is missing? The verification request returns the catalogue row an answer is based on. Sourcing rules are in the editorial policy.