THE METALWORKING COOLANT FIELD PROVIDES A WIDE ARRAY OF FLUIDS WHICH THE USER MAY SELECT. THE GENERAL CATEGORIES OF COOLANTS INCLUDE STRAIGHT OIL, SOLUBLE OIL, SEMI-SYNTHETIC, AND SYNTHETIC FLUIDS. THIS PAPER TAKES A CLOSER LOOK AT SEMI-SYNTHETIC COOLANTS--A LESS WIDELY USED CATEGORY--DETAILING THEIR APPLICATION CAPABILITIES, COMPOSITION, AND BENEFITS. THE PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SEMI-SYNTHETICS, THEIR ADVANTAGES AS WELL AS DISADVANTAGES, TECHNIQUES FOR EVALUATING AND SELECTING A PARTICULAR FLUID, AND COOLANT MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES ARE DISCUSSED.