Bolt dies are useful for cutting thicker tougher materials where there are internal cut out shapes or slits. The blade thickness typically runs between .084 and .112 inches. Serrated knives can be used for particularly strong materials like kevlar or fiberglass.

The Steel blades are held in place by high density plywood but without exterior wood as is found on heavy duty dies. This lack of exterior wood makes for easy registration of the die to the material to be cut.