Steel is an important element in our day-to-day lives is an alloy of iron and other element particularly carbon which is widely used in construction and other applications. They’re widely used because of its high tensile strength & low price.

But did you know there are 4 types of steel available in the world?

Oh yes, there are 4 types of steel present in the world. They are as follows:

1. Carbon Steels
2. Alloy Steels
3. Stainless Steels
4. Tool Steels

1. Carbon Steels:

Carbon steels consists of trace amounts of alloying elements and make up 90% of total steel production.

These can be further divided into 3 groups based on their carbon content. They’re as follows

• Low Carbon Steels: Low Carbon Steels can also be termed Mild Steels and they consists of up to 0.3% carbon

• Medium Carbon Steels: Medium Carbon Steels consists from 0.3 – 0.6% carbon

• High Carbon Steel: High Carbon Steels consists of more than 0.6% carbon

Carbon Steel is used various applications. Such as making fences and mild carbon steel along with medium amount of carbon is apt for construction of bridges and buildings.

2. Alloy Steels

Alloy steel is steel which has meager amounts of one or more alloying elements present in it. Some of them include manganese, silicon, nickel, titanium, copper, chromium and aluminum added.

They’re present in different proportions so as to manipulate the steel’s properties like its corrosion resistance, formability, hardenability, strength, weldability.

The various applications for alloys steel include auto parts, electric motors, pipelines, transformers and power generators.

3. Stainless Steels

Stainless steels are generally contain between 10-20% chromium as the main alloying element and are appreciated for high corrosion resistance.

With over 11% chromium, steel is almost 200 times additional resistant to corrosion than mild steel.

The specialty of this type of steel is that it is not completely stain-proof in low-oxygen, high-salinity or poor air-circulation environments.

4. Tool Steels

Tool steels consists of tungsten, molybdenum, cobalt and vanadium in different quantities so as to increase heat resistance and durability. This makes them perfect for cutting and drilling equipment.

Steel products can even be divided by the shapes and correlated applications. They are as follows:

• Long/Tubular Products: The long or tubular products include angles, pipes, bars and rods, rails, wires, shapes and sections. These products are normally used in the automotive and construction sectors.

• Flat Products: Flat Products include plates, sheets, coils and strips. These materials are chiefly utilized in automotive parts, appliances, packaging, shipbuilding, and construction.

• Other Products:Other Products comprises of valves, fittings and flanges and are principally used as piping materials.