An ever larger portion of high alloy tool steels are today made to fit customers’ applications. This requires the production of very clean material with very specific mechanical, physical and metallurgical properties. Metallographic inspection from the initial casting and first forming stages, to the final semifinished, heat treated product, is an essential tool for controlling manufacturing and heat treatment processes. The main challenges regarding metallographic preparation are managing the large sample volume, and producing consistently excellent surface finishes. As size, form and distribution of carbides and inclusion are the main quality indicators of tool steel, it is essential that they are retained during preparation. Automatic grinding and polishing, using diamond for fi ne grinding and polishing, gives good and reproducible results. Using one preparation method applicable for all the various types of tools steels makes the handling easy and efficient.