MTS taps are available in either a special alloy high carbon tool steel or high speed steel. The heat treatment of high carbon, tungsten-vanadium tool steel provides for 25% to 30% greater torsion toughness than high-speed steel. They are effective and efficient even with some tough materials, but for high nickel and chromium alloys high-speed steel is recommended. Our standard taps are a 3 flute plug tap or a roll/form style. To prevent excessive breakage, careful alignment of the tap and the hole is essential. Extreme care must be exercised when using small taps, always rotating forward only a fraction of a turn and then backing off to break and clear the chip.