The presented study was carried out in an industrial environment, using existing equipments, tools and materials. A set of tests was performed based on production demands and restrictions, aiming to achieve the lowest surface roughness and beneficial residual stress state. The experimental test surfaces were obtained using high-speed milling (HSM) and precision surface grinding on a DIN X 36 CrMo 17 steel work piece, widely used in injection moulding industry. The grinded surface was considered as a reference surface in order to evaluate the high-speed milling performance. For HSM tests, two types of tools were selected: tungsten carbide end mills with and without a TiAIN multilayer coating. The selected HSM main parameters ranged an upper, middle and lower limit value, considering the standard working values. The residual stress state at machined surfaces was evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Experimental results are discussed in order to achieve a procedure to select the optimal machining parameters that meet manufacturing specifications.