As prices for steel products have fallen, interest in the research for novel cheaper basic materials for steels is rising. The aim is to achieve more cost-effective production without loss of performance. The outstanding properties of Al and its unlimited availability have brought this element into the center of current research and development. In this study we were investigating high speed steels (HSS) containing 1% aluminum by direct imaging secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Our aim was to reveal the influence of aluminum on the 3D-distribution of the metallic main and trace components.