Types Of Steel – An Overview

By Author: Bluesteel Services
Total Articles: 25
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Carbon steel can be segregated according to the percentage of sulphur. There is alloy steel as well with the properties depending on the added elements. Objective of producing alloy steel is to obtain properties that are not present in plain carbon steel.

Steel can broadly be categorized into plain carbon steel and alloy steel. Plain carbon steel can be segregated into three main groups – high carbon steel, medium carbon steel and mild steel. There are several kinds of alloy steel as well with properties depending on the elements added.

Low carbon steel is manufactured in the basic oxygen and open hearth furnaces with .05 to .30% carbon. It is used in applications like automobile bodies, pipes, buildings, chains, rivers, screws, gears, shafts, bolts, nails, bridges, building, etc. Low carbon steel is cold rolled between the highly polished rollers improving its tensile strength and giving it a smooth finish.

Medium carbon steel contains .30 to .60% carbon and is more difficult to bend, weld and cut in comparison to low carbon steel. Applications include crank pins, connecting rods, drop forgings, axles, ...
... crankshafts, boilers, rails, screwdrivers, auger bits, sledges, hammers, etc.

High carbon steel used in making tools like taps, drills, dies, reamers, files, cold chisels, hammers and crowbars contains between .60% and 1.50% carbon. The more carbon is added to it, the harder it becomes. It is rolled to the desired shape and is ground to provide a smooth finish.

Re-sulfurized carbon steels having sulphur in amounts from .08% to .33% have much better machinability than plain carbon steels. Lead is also added to further improve the machinability of re-sulfurized steels. Free machining steels are used in automatic lathes for quick manufacturing of cylindrical and threaded parts.

For producing alloy steels, normal steels are combined with one or more other elements, usually metals. The objective is to obtain properties that are not present in plain carbon steels. These properties may include hardenability, machinability, strength as manufactured, strength through heat treatment, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and retention of hardness and strength at high temperatures. Steel alloys have to be heat-treated to develop their best properties.

Classes of alloy steel are constructional alloy steel, alloy tool steel and special alloy steel. Constructional alloy steels are used for parts like levers, gears, shafts, springs, bolts, connecting rods and piston pins. Alloy tool steels are used for high quality drills, threading tools, milli0ng cutters, plastic molds, punches, wrenches and punch press tooling. Alloy content in alloy tools steels ranges from .25% to over .38%. There are a large number of special alloy steels classified in different categories according to their basic properties.

Special alloy steel is produced for extreme service requirements. These steels are needed for power shovel teeth, rock crusher jaws and tractor lugs. There are also steels that get tougher and harder with use.

Applications like rigid steel conduit, standard pipes, fire sprinkler pipes, pipe piling and OCTG goods require certain kind of steel. It is important that you source these products from reputed suppliers who can provide you with an assurance about the quality of these goods.

Top suppliers like Bluesteelservices.com can be relied on for the quality of products. Having been around for decades, they are willing to walk an extra mile to ensure quality.

Author of this article is associated with BlueSteel Services LLC, which is engaged in OCTG sales, steel coils, electrical conduits, water well casing and pipes.