We have developed a tool for simulating the press cycle and the sintering cycle of cemented carbides. A constitutive model for compaction and tensile fracture has been implemented in the explicit FE programme LS-DYNA2D, and it has been tuned to experiments of hydrostatic compression, uniaxial strain and conventional triaxial compression. The programme simulates the complete compaction cycle in a robust manner. Friction against the tooling is properly taken into account. We have further developed a constitutive model for the stress-free solid-state sintering to also account for a mechanical stress field. The sintering model is based on physical concepts, diffusion parameters, free surface energy, dimensions of carbide grains, etc. of the constituents, and was tuned to successfully simulate the unloaded and loaded sintering of simple specimens. The models of compaction and sintering have a common set of state variables, such that after the compaction cycle, and at raising the temperature the sintering starts out with proper account of the residual stress field. Finally, the potential of the model is demonstrated by simulating the production cycle of a simple WC–Co tool piece until sintering to 75% of full density. The final geometrical shape of the specimen is compared to experimental data. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.