The Five Types of Steel
Date:2019-06-03 View(s):1153 Tag:The Five Types of Steel
Steel comes in different grades that are determined by the amount of carbon, impurities and alloy elements. To guide you through, here are the main types of steel:
Carbon steel
It accounts for over 90% of all steel produced. It contains only trace amounts of alloying elements and can be categorized into three groups that depend on the amount of carbon present. The main groups are:
Low carbon steel-contains 0.3% carbon
Medium carbon steel-0.3-0.6% carbon
High carbon steel-contains over 0.6% of carbon
Alloy steel
This steel contains alloying elements such as silicon, nickel, titanium, chromium, aluminum, manganese, and copper. To manipulate the metal's properties, the alloying elements are available in varying proportions. This steel is majorly applied in pipelines, transformers, electric motors, auto parts, and power generators.
Tool steel
This contains cobalt, molybdenum, vanadium, and tungsten which are available in varying amounts in order to increase heat resistance and durability. The steel is heavily applied in cutting and drilling equipment.
High speed steel
This is a subset superior subset of tool steel. One of the greatest features about it is that it can withstand high temperatures without losing its hardness. Due to this property, it's heavily used in cutting.
High speed steel also comes in different types which include: M2, M36, and M42.
Stainless steel
It contains between 10 and 20% of chromium as the main alloying element. Due to presence of high amounts of chromium, this metal is highly resistant to corrosion and rust.
Stainless steel can be divided into three main groups: austenitic, ferritic, and martensitic. Austenitic contains 18% chromium, 8% nickel, and less than 0.8% ofcarbon. It's used in making food processing equipment, piping systems, and kitchen utensils.
Ferritic contains 12-17% of chromium, less than 1% of carbon, and other alloying elements such as aluminum, titanium, and molybdenum. One of the unique things about this type is that it can't be hardened with heat treatment, but it can be strengthened by cold works.
Martensitic steel contains 11-17% chromium, less than 0.4% nickel and up to 1.2% of carbon. Unlike ferritic, this material is magnetic and heat-treatable. It's mainly used in knives, cutting tools, dental and surgical equipment.
