Alloying of sintered steel with the aim of increasing its mechanical properties and enabling it to be heat treated has been dominated by the elements copper, nickel and molybdenum, individually or in combination. These elements pose no extra requirements on the oxygen potential control of the sintering atmosphere, but their effects on solution strengthening and increase in hardenability (with the exception of expensive molybdenum) are low, compared with the alloying elements manganese and chromium, commonly used in wrought steels