Types of Steel Materials

Steel is the backbone for heavy equipment, household items and tools. It plays a crucial part in manufacturing and construction. There are many different kinds of steel. The kind of steel you choose will have a dramatic impact on the durability and strength of your project.

While all steels start as carbon and iron however, the amount of impurities and additions determine how each is classified. This is what makes each kind unique for specific applications.

Low-carbon steels, available in many forms, are the most employed steels by metal fabricators. You can find them in beams, pipes and other structural components. They are also ideal for fabrications made of welded materials, since they can be easily cut and shaped without losing strength or quality.

The medium-carbon steels are famous for their hardness and have a carbon content of less than 1.75 percent. They are the most suitable choice for cookware and durable equipment. They’re also commonly employed to create parts for due diligence processes cars and other mechanical equipment.

High-carbon steels have more than 1.7% carbon and are often used for parts for machines that require extreme durability and resistance to corrosion. These include anchor bolts, rods, and tools.

Alloy steels come with a broad variety of properties that can be modified to suit the needs of the specific application. For instance, tungsten is able to improve the strength of temperature and wear-resistance of high strength alloy steels. Chromium improves the ductility and strength of stainless steels and increases their heat resistance. Molybdenum, on contrary, increases the toughness and hardness of alloy steels.