Different Types of Steels and Their Uses

An alloy of carbon and iron with less than 2% carbon and 1%manganese, steel is malleable and these % determines the level to which it will be hardened. Steel is the most versatile material and used by all the engineers and workers for building constructions. It is used in every aspect of our life. There are different types of steel and this article will tell you about different types of steels and their uses. 

Plain Carbon steel

This type of steel has no other appreciable material than the carbon itself. Carbon steels look dull in nature, matte-like and known to get corrosion fast. These type of steel can be classified depending on their carbon content: 

Low carbon steel: used for making rivets, wire and stamping etc.

Medium carbon steel: used for making shifting gears, shaft, connecting rods and most of the machinery steel.

High carbon steel: used for making Knives, taps and milling cutters

Alloy steel 

While it is the carbon content that can determine how hard the steel can be. Adding a certain amount of alloy can make heat treatment less traumatic. It is a mixture of several different metals, like nickel, copper and aluminum. Alloy steel is more on the cheaper side and corrosion-resistant.

This type of steel is used in producing construction materials such as girders, bars, rails, and rods. 

Low Alloy steel

This type of steel gives improved strength over plain carbon steel. It is suitable for settings where weight is a factor such as mobile equipment. Low alloy steels are used for ship hulls and off-highway equipment. Today steel prices in India for low alloy steel are 160/kg. For more details, you can visit the JSW website.

Tool steel

This type of steel is hard and both scrape and heat resistant. It is made up of other materials like cobalt, tungsten. Molybdenum and because of all these materials this tool steel has such advanced durability and heat resistance features. 

It is used to make tools such as a hammer. 

Stainless steel

Stainless steel is a very well-known steel in the market. They are shiny and have 10-20% of chromium, which is the main alloying element of this steel. This combination very well helps this steel to be protected from corrosion and can be moulded into any shape easily. 

It is used in making home appliances, silverware, packaging tins etc. it is better to buy packaging steel as they are recyclable and can be reused.