The Different Types of Steel

Steel is a material composed of iron and carbon. It typically contains a few tenths of a percent carbon, which helps increase its strength and fracture resistance. It can also contain a variety of other elements. For example, stainless structural steelwork contractors have up to 11% chromium in them, which helps prevent corrosion.

Carbon

According to the American Iron and Steel Institute, carbon steel is defined as steel with a carbon content ranging from 0.05 to 2.1 percent by weight.

Alloys

Steel alloys are materials that contain a variety of elements, which improves the mechanical properties of the metal. These materials are categorized into two general categories: low-alloy steels and high-alloy steels. However, there is some debate about the difference between the two types.

Carbon fiber

Carbon fiber is a material that is able to increase stiffness at a lower density than other materials. The material is also able to be thicker than other materials. This increased stiffness makes it possible to reduce the weight of the components while maintaining their strength. Compared to steel, carbon fiber can provide up to 8 times more rigidity than steel.

Low carbon

Steel with low carbon content is a form of carbon steel that contains less than 0.25% carbon. It is often used in engineering parts that do not require heat treatment, but still require high strength and wear resistance. This type of steel is easy to process and is commonly used for chain, rivets, bolts, and shafts.

High carbon

High carbon steel is steel that contains more than 0.05 percent carbon by weight. According to the American Iron and Steel Institute, the carbon content should range from 0.1 to 2.1 percent.

Duplex

Duplex steel is a type of stainless steel. This type of material contains roughly equal amounts of ferrite and austenite phases. Because of this, it is considered very strong and corrosion resistant.

Austenitic

Austenitic steel is one of the five main classes of stainless steel. This type of steel is non-magnetic and has a primary crystalline structure called austenite. This primary crystalline structure prevents the steel from being hardened through heat treatment.