Made of solid carbide, these end mills are harder, stronger, and more wear resistant than high-speed steel and cobalt steel for the longest life and best finish on hard material. Their extreme hardness means they are brittle, so a highly rigid setup, such as a CNC machine, is necessary to prevent the end mill from breaking. Also known as taper degree end mills, they're often used to machine angled slots in dies and molds.

End mills with fewer flutes provide better chip clearance for high-volume, high-speed plunge, slotting, and roughing cuts; end mills with more flutes provide a finer finish and operate with less vibration when run at high speeds.

Use uncoated end mills for general purpose milling and short production runs. They stay sharper than coated end mills when used on soft materials like aluminum, leaving a better finish. Titanium-aluminum-nitride (TiAlN) coated end mills are better for demanding, high-speed jobs in hard material as well as for longer production runs. They dissipate heat better than other end mills, especially at high speeds. At high temperatures, the coating creates a layer of aluminum oxide that transfers heat to the chips, keeping the tool cool, even when used without lubrication. This makes these good for aggressive machining while roughing or making interrupted cuts.

Center-cutting end mills allow plunge cuts into a surface. Noncenter-cutting end mills are for operations where the peripheral teeth do most of the work, such as shoulder milling, contouring, and finishing. They cannot be used for plunge cuts.