Surface Hardness:Usually maked by Victor Scale standard(HV).The higher,the harder and better for difficult machining steels and other hard metals.

Coefficient Friction Ratio:The lower number,the better for the chip ejection.

Max.service temperature:The higher,the better for environments which require machining in high temperature or long time.

Coating structure:Monolayer has a stable structure and better strength against cutting force.Multilayer has the benefits for dispersing the cutting  to prevent breakup and affect tool body.

Grain Size:Indicate the original grain size of tungsten carbide.The smaller grain size, the better it will bind together and will be harder and more resistant against friction.

Cobalt Percentage:As the binder for carbide rods.In general, the higher cobalt percentage will lead a poor hardness for the carbide rods but with better traverse rupture strength.

Hardness:For tungsten caride,it is usually marked by Rockwell scale standard A(HRA) to distinguish it's hardness.The higher,the harder it will be for the carbide rods.