Cold forging is a common industrial process in which metal workpieces are plastically shaped by suitably contoured dies to form a final desired shape. The process itself is a predominantly compressive one in which the workpiece is squeezed between the dies. Important aspects in cold forging are: the die material and shape, the lubricant, the workpiece material, and the temperature.

Cold forging is generally understood to mean forging at room temperature or a temperature at which no microstructural changes occur as a result of the process. Warm forging is now gaining in popularity because ambient temperatures are elevated a little to decrease the required loads whilst maintaining good tolerances for the products.