Gas carbonitriding is similar to carburizing, except that small additions of nitrogen are added to the atmosphere and the temperature is slightly lower. Consequently, the case depth and therefore, the load carrying capability is not as high as with carburizing, but the wear resistance and dimensional control are often superior.
Carbonitriding has the further advantage that it can be performed on unalloyed steels, so that it can be used for small stampings or other types of machined parts to make a strong, wear resistant part economically.