What types of steel are there?

Strictly speaking, we know that there are multiple types of steel. This being just another type of iron alloy, but with a much lower carbon content than wrought iron. Also, other metals are often added to give it additional properties. Steel is an amazing material and so useful. That’s why we tend to talk about it as if it were a stand-alone metal.

However, it is important to remember two things:

– first of all, steel is overwhelmingly made of iron;

– secondly, there are literally thousands of different types of steel, many of them precisely designed to have certain properties under very strict conditions.

Generally speaking, steels are divided into four groups:

1. Carbon steels;

2. Alloy steels;

3. Tool steels;

4. Stainless steels.

These names can be confusing because all alloy steels contain carbon (as do all other steels). And all carbon, tool and stainless steels are also alloys.

Types of steel

1. Carbon steels

The vast majority of steel produced every day (around 80-90 percent) is what we call carbon steel, although it contains only a small amount of carbon, sometimes much less than 1 percent.

They can be classified, in turn, according to the carbon content:

a) Steels with low carbon content, up to 0.3% carbon

b) Steels with medium carbon content, have between 0.3 and 0.6% carbon

c) Steels with a high carbon content, between 0.6 – 1 % carbon

d) Steels with a very high carbon content, 1 – 2%

A wide range of different elements that we use in everyday life are made of carbon steels, from car bodies to warship hulls.

2. Allied steels

Besides iron and carbon, alloy steels contain one or more other elements, such as chromium, copper, manganese, nickel, silicon, or vanadium. In alloy steels, these additional elements make the difference and provide some important additional or improved characteristics compared to ordinary carbon steels. Alloy steels are generally stronger, heavier, harder and more durable than carbon steels.

3. Tool steels

Tool steels are resistant alloys specially used for the manufacture of various tools used in the processing operations of metallic or non-metallic products, molds and machine parts. They are made of iron and carbon. And they have additional elements, such as nickel, molybdenum, or tungsten to give additional hardness and wear resistance. Tool steels are also subjected to the tempering process. When steel is first heated to a high temperature, then it cools very quickly, then it is heated again to a lower temperature.

4. Stainless steels

It is the steel you will probably see most often used for household cutlery, scissors and medical instruments. Inox (stainless steel) contains a large proportion of chromium and nickel, is very resistant to corrosion and other chemical reactions, and very easy to clean, polish and sterilize.

Stainless steel is divided into different classes and surface finishes. Depending on the environment it has to withstand, we choose a stainless steel:

– austenitic;

– ferritic;

– martensitic;

– duplex.

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