Cutting tool

A cutting tool including a rake face, a flank face, and a cutting edge portion connecting the rake face and the flank face together,

• the cutting tool comprising a substrate and an AlTiN layer provided on the substrate,
• the AlTiN layer including cubic AlxTi1-xN crystal grains,
• an atomic ratio x of Al in the AlxTi1-xN being 0.7 or more and less than 0.95,
• the AlTiN layer including a central portion,
• the central portion being a region sandwiched between an imaginary plane D and an imaginary plane E, the imaginary plane D being an imaginary plane which passes through a point 1 μm away in a direction of thickness from a first interface located on a side of the substrate and is parallel to the first interface, the imaginary plane E being an imaginary plane which passes through a point 1 μm away from a second interface opposite to the side of the substrate in the direction of thickness and is parallel to the second interface,
• the first interface being parallel to the second interface,
• when a cross section of the AlTiN layer obtained when cut along a plane including a normal to the second interface at the rake face and a normal to the second interface at the flank face is subjected to an electron backscattering diffraction image analysis using a field emission scanning microscope to determine a crystal orientation of each of the AlxTi1-xN crystal grains and a color map is created based thereon,
• in the color map,
• the central portion at the rake face being occupied in area at a ratio of 50% or more and less than 80% by AlxTi1-xN crystal grains having a (111) plane with a normal thereto having a direction within ±15° with respect to the direction of the normal to the second interface at the rake face,
• the central portion at the cutting edge portion being occupied in area at a ratio of 80% or more by AlxTi1-xN crystal grains having the (111) plane with a normal thereto having a direction within ±15° with respect to a direction of a normal to the cutting edge portion,
• the direction of the normal to the cutting edge portion being a direction of a normal to an imaginary plane C including a boundary line on the substrate between the rake face and the cutting edge portion and a boundary line on the substrate between the flank face and the cutting edge portion.