What’s an indicator of economic progress? Steel? Yes! The amount of steel production in a country says a lot about its progress and development. Why is that? Well, many things around us are constructed from steel. However, the steel that makes the stuff around us is not the same. The steel used to make fences differs from steel present in eating utensils. Interestingly,the construction industry uses four types of steel.
Carbon Steel:
Do you know what differentiates iron from steel? Carbon. Carbon is present in every steel out there. However, altering the concentration of carbon changes the characteristics of steel.
Hence, carbon’s concentration divides the carbon steel into further sub categories.
Low Carbon Steel: Contains about 0.3% carbon
Medium Carbon Steel: Contains up to 0.6% carbon.
High Carbon Steel: Ranges in between 0.6% to 1% of carbon concentration.
Ultra-High Carbon Steel: Contains more than one percent carbon.
Increasing the concentration of carbon makes the steel more sturdy. However, there is a trade-off, steel with high carbon percentages are more brittle (snaps more easily), and not used in construction of wiring or sheets.
Mild steel has various applications like car bodies, the roof of houses, fences, etc.
Alloy Steel:
Addition of other metals or nonmetals to carbon steel brings forth alloy steel. Hence, every new addition to the carbon steel benefits the steel with a unique property. Following are a few desirable properties alloying introduces in the steel :
- Hardness or increased strength.
- Corrosion Resistance.
- The ability to retain its durability and structure under high temperature or pressure (high tensile strength).
Furthermore, commonly used alloy metals are as follows:
- Chromium.
- Cobalt.
- Manganese.
- Molybdenum.
- Tungsten.
Stainless Steel:
Nobody likes to place a rusty metal fork in their mouth. Luckily, we have a solution for such a problem, stainless steel! Stainless steel is an exceptional kind of alloy steel about 200x more corrosion resistant than mild steel. It contains a high amount of chromium metal, about 10%-20%. Stainless steel has numerous applications, such as medical instruments, wristwatches, kitchen utensils, etc.
Tool steel:
Industrial machines and tools are made from tool steel. Since the special use of tool steel, it is specially treated to improve specific characteristics of the steel. For e.g., treated steel has enhanced hardness, tensile strength and makes it more resistant to the effects of extreme temperatures. Furthermore, tool steel makes up most of the cutting instrument and machine parts.
Conclusion:
Steel is the primary raw ingredient for any construction industry. Carbon steel accounts for about 80% of the world’s steel production. Furthermore, alloying turns out to be a beneficial process in the art of steel making.Thus, Three out of four types of steel are obtained through alloying carbon steel with a metal. Hence, often considered as a parent type carbon steel leads to the other three steel types.
One thing we know for sure; steel is here to stay for a long time. Hence, feel free through our collection of steel products for your next project through our website. You can also call us at 281-499-5800 and a competitive quote.