Types Of Steel And Its Industrial Usage
                     Types Of Steel And Its Industrial 
Usage
David Bowie
Writes for Bowiedavid.info, creates 
content to attract and engage visitors to 
Bowie David’s Blog.
Steel is one of the hardest and most stable metals that are known to man. It is 
no wonder that steel finds usage in practically all facets of our day to day life. 
Over the years, more than 3500 grades of steel have been discovered which 
are characterized by different chemical, physical and environmental 
properties. Steel is mainly an alloy compound made up of combination of iron 
and carbon. The amounts of carbon, as well as other alloying elements and 
impurities, determine the physical and chemical properties of various grades 
of steel.
There are mainly four different types of steel that are used all over the world. 
Let’s have a closer look at them.
Carbon steels
Carbon steels are made of small amounts of different types of alloying 
elements. They are used for 90% of overall steel production. The carbon 
steels can also be further classified into three different groups according to 
their carbon content, namely, low carbon steels, medium carbon steels and 
high carbon steels.
The low carbon steels or mild steels are comprised of a maximum of 0.3% 
carbon. The medium carbon steels include carbon anywhere between 0.3% 
and 0.6%. All specimens of high carbon steels are known to contain carbon in 
excess of 0.6%. Carbon steels are often used for making structural 
components such as bridges, buildings, axles, shafts, rails, pipelines, gears, 
couplings, fridges, cars and washing machines. The high carbon steels 
typically have greater tensile strength and can be used for making cutting 
tools, high-strength wires, blades, dies, punches and springs.
Alloy steels
The alloy steels are comprised of numerous alloying elements such as silicon, 
manganese, nickel, copper, titanium, aluminum and chromium in diverse 
proportions which helps to manipulate and customize the properties of the 
steel, such as its corrosion resistance, robustness, strength, weldability, 
formability and ductility. Alloy steels find applications in numerous sectors 
and areas, such as in the manufacturing of pipelines, transformers, auto parts, 
electric motors and power generators.
Stainless steels
Stainless steels most contain copious amounts of chromium between 10% and 
20% as the primary alloying element. This form of steel is greatly valued for 
its high resistance to corrosion.
Stainless steel having more than 11% chromium is more than 200 times more 
resistant to rust and corrosion than the mild steel. Some of the items made 
with stainless steel include kitchen utensils, food processing equipment, 
knives, piping systems, cutting tools, surgical and dental care equipment.
Tool steels 
Tool steels are comprised of molybdenum, tungsten, vanadium and cobalt in 
different quantities which help in increasing the durability and heat resistance, 
thereby making them perfect for making drilling and cutting equipment. Some 
of the items that can be made with tool steels include long or tubular products 
like rails, rods and bars, angles, wires, shapes, pipes and sections. They also 
find usage in the production of flat items like include sheets, plates, strips and 
coils. They are primarily used in making automotive parts, packaging 
systems, appliances, construction products and shipbuilding. Other products 
that can be made with tool steels are fittings, valves, and flanges.
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