An overview of ‘steel’

Steel is among the most popular materials used in the construction industry. According to the

Types of steel

tool steel,
Alloy steel
When other elements comprising metals and non-metals are added to carbon steel, alloy steel is formed. These alloy steels display various environmental, chemical and physical properties that can vary with the elements used to alloy. Here the proportion of

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Effects of alloying
Alloying elements can alter carbon steel in several ways. Alloying can affect micro-structures, heat-treatment conditions and mechanical properties. Today’s technology with high-speed computers can foresee the properties and micro-structures of steel when it is cold-formed, heat treated, hot-rolled or alloyed. For instance, if properties such as high strength and weldability are required in steel for certain applications, then carbon steel alone will not serve the purpose because carbon’s inherent brittleness will make the weld brittle. The solution is to reduce carbon and add other elements such as manganese or nickel. This is one way of making high strength steel with required weldability.

Types of alloy steel

There are two kinds of alloy steel –

Alloying elements

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• Aluminium – can rid steel of phosphorous, sulfur and oxygen
• Chromium – can increase toughness, hardness and wear resistance
• Copper – can increase corrosion resistance and harness
• Manganese – can increase high-temperature strength, wear resistance, ductility and hardenability
• Nickel – can increase corrosion, oxidation resistance and strength
• Silicon – can increase magnetism and strength
• Tungsten – can increase strength and hardness
• Vanadium – can increase corrosion, shock resistance, strength and toughness

Other alloying elements that provide varied properties include bismuth, cobalt, molybdenum, titanium, selenium, tellurium, lead, boron, sulfur, nitrogen, zirconium and niobium. These alloying elements can be used singly or in various combinations depending on the properties desired.

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Alloy steel products and their applications


Applications in building large structures
In the building and construction industry, alloy steels are used for very large modern structures such as airports, bridges, skyscrapers and stadiums in the form of a steel skeleton. Alloy steels provide the required high strength to support such large structures. Even concrete structures use alloy steels as reinforcement to add strength and reduce the overall weight of structures. Smaller items such as screws, nails and bolts made of alloy steels are used in the building and construction industry.

Applications in building bridges
Bridges use special alloy steels known as weathering steels. These provide enhanced protection from corrosion because of the presence of nickel, copper and chromium as alloying elements. Weathering steels also find uses in buildings as facing material to improve aesthetics. Weathering steel offers several benefits which include high safety, ease and quickness of construction, aesthetic looks, shallow depth of construction, low maintenance and amenable to alterations in the future. Because of its natural weathered finish, no painting is required thus avoiding environmental issues caused by paints. Weathering steels are extremely cost-effective in the long run.

Alloy steel flat products
Alloy steels are used to make flat products – plates and strips. Plates are available in a wide range of grades and sizes. These are used in building construction by welding plates into fabricated sections.

Alloy steel strip and coil products
Strips are available as hot and cold rolled strips and hot-dipped galvanized coils. Hot-dipped galvanized coils are used to make construction products that include wall and roof claddings, side rails, roof purlins, light steel frames and lintels.

Alloy steel long products
Alloy steels are employed in producing long products used in the construction industry such as girders, structural sections, bars, rails, rods and wires.

Alloy steel flanges
Another important product made of alloy steels are flanges. These are used in stainless steel pipelines. These flanges can be made to suit various applications. Some of them include weld neck flanges which have the same thickness and bevel as of the pipe and can perform well under harsh conditions of high pressure, high temperature or sub-zero temperatures. Lap joint flanges are slip-on flanges suitable for alloy steel piping which require regular maintenance and inspection.

Alloy steel pipe products
Alloy steel pipes are important materials in the building and construction industry because of their performance characteristics such as ductility, ease of fixing without heat treatment and high durability. They are an alloy of stainless steel, chromium and nickel. Some special types of alloy steel pipes include large diameter welded pipes, electric fusion welded pipes, welded pipes and seamless pipes. They are extremely useful for high-temperature or corrosive applications besides high-pressure environments.

Price of alloy steel
Since alloy steels have specific properties needed for specific applications, prices vary greatly based on the grades comprising a composition of alloying elements, the process of manufacture and size. The prices of alloy steels available in India typically vary in the range of Rs 90,580 ($1294) per ton to Rs 4,08,730 ($5839) per ton.

As can be seen from the foregoing, alloy steels play an important role in the building and construction industry as well as other industries. Alloy steels offer economy, high performance, corrosion resistance, durability, high strength, high strength to weight ratio, high performance under harsh conditions and a wide variety of products to suit most applications.

Reach out to Top Steel dealers near you and get free quotes

Steel is among the most popular materials used in the construction industry. According to the World Steel Association , in 2018 around 1,808 million tons of crude steel was produced worldwide and about 50% of this production was utilized by the construction industry. Further, they also state that there are as many as 3,500 different grades of steel and each grade offers environmental, chemical and physical properties unique to that grade of steel. Steel has undergone significant evolution through time and around 75% of all the types of modern-day steel were developed in the past 20 years. It is interesting to note that had the Eiffel Tower (constructed in 1887) been constructed in today’s times, it would require only one-third of the steel used back then.Fundamentally, steel is an alloy of iron with low amounts of carbon. There are thousands of different types of steels which are created to suit different kinds of applications. These broadly fall into 4 types – carbon steel stainless steel and alloy steel . Carbon steels form the majority of steels produced in the world today. Tool steels are used to make machine parts, dies and tools. Stainless steels are used to make common household items. Alloy steels are made of iron, carbon and other elements such as vanadium, silicon, nickel, manganese, copper and chromium.When other elements comprising metals and non-metals are added to carbon steel, alloy steel is formed. These alloy steels display various environmental, chemical and physical properties that can vary with the elements used to alloy. Here the proportion of alloying elements can provide different mechanical properties.Alloying elements can alter carbon steel in several ways. Alloying can affect micro-structures, heat-treatment conditions and mechanical properties. Today’s technology with high-speed computers can foresee the properties and micro-structures of steel when it is cold-formed, heat treated, hot-rolled or alloyed. For instance, if properties such as high strength and weldability are required in steel for certain applications, then carbon steel alone will not serve the purpose because carbon’s inherent brittleness will make the weld brittle. The solution is to reduce carbon and add other elements such as manganese or nickel. This is one way of making high strength steel with required weldability.There are two kinds of alloy steel – low-alloy steel and high-alloy steel . As mentioned earlier, the composition and proportion of alloying elements determine the various properties of alloy steel. Low-alloy steels are the ones which have up to 8% alloying elements whereas high-alloy steels have more than 8% alloying elements.There are around 20 alloying elements that can be added to carbon steel to produce various grades of alloy steel. These provide different types of properties. Some of the elements used and their effects include:Other alloying elements that provide varied properties include bismuth, cobalt, molybdenum, titanium, selenium, tellurium, lead, boron, sulfur, nitrogen, zirconium and niobium. These alloying elements can be used singly or in various combinations depending on the properties desired.There are hundreds of products that can be manufactured with alloy steels of varying compositions. These include alloy steel pipes and tubes, alloy steel plates, sheets and coils, alloy steel bars, rods and wires, alloy steel forged fittings, alloy steel buttweld fittings, alloy steel flanges, fasteners and more. Alloy steels have many uses in various industries such as automobiles, mining, machinery and equipment, railways, road construction, buildings, appliances and off-shore applications.In the building and construction industry, alloy steels are used for very large modern structures such as airports, bridges, skyscrapers and stadiums in the form of a steel skeleton. Alloy steels provide the required high strength to support such large structures. Even concrete structures use alloy steels as reinforcement to add strength and reduce the overall weight of structures. Smaller items such as screws, nails and bolts made of alloy steels are used in the building and construction industry.Bridges use special alloy steels known as weathering steels. These provide enhanced protection from corrosion because of the presence of nickel, copper and chromium as alloying elements. Weathering steels also find uses in buildings as facing material to improve aesthetics. Weathering steel offers several benefits which include high safety, ease and quickness of construction, aesthetic looks, shallow depth of construction, low maintenance and amenable to alterations in the future. Because of its natural weathered finish, no painting is required thus avoiding environmental issues caused by paints. Weathering steels are extremely cost-effective in the long run.Alloy steels are used to make flat products – plates and strips. Plates are available in a wide range of grades and sizes. These are used in building construction by welding plates into fabricated sections.Strips are available as hot and cold rolled strips and hot-dipped galvanized coils. Hot-dipped galvanized coils are used to make construction products that include wall and roof claddings, side rails, roof purlins, light steel frames and lintels.Alloy steels are employed in producing long products used in the construction industry such as girders, structural sections, bars, rails, rods and wires.Another important product made of alloy steels are flanges. These are used in stainless steel pipelines. These flanges can be made to suit various applications. Some of them include weld neck flanges which have the same thickness and bevel as of the pipe and can perform well under harsh conditions of high pressure, high temperature or sub-zero temperatures. Lap joint flanges are slip-on flanges suitable for alloy steel piping which require regular maintenance and inspection.Alloy steel pipes are important materials in the building and construction industry because of their performance characteristics such as ductility, ease of fixing without heat treatment and high durability. They are an alloy of stainless steel, chromium and nickel. Some special types of alloy steel pipes include large diameter welded pipes, electric fusion welded pipes, welded pipes and seamless pipes. They are extremely useful for high-temperature or corrosive applications besides high-pressure environments.Since alloy steels have specific properties needed for specific applications, prices vary greatly based on the grades comprising a composition of alloying elements, the process of manufacture and size. The prices of alloy steels available in India typically vary in the range of Rs 90,580 ($1294) per ton to Rs 4,08,730 ($5839) per ton.As can be seen from the foregoing, alloy steels play an important role in the building and construction industry as well as other industries. Alloy steels offer economy, high performance, corrosion resistance, durability, high strength, high strength to weight ratio, high performance under harsh conditions and a wide variety of products to suit most applications.

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5 Stainless Steel Facts About Fasteners You Should Know

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Stainless steel is a highly used metal and prized for its corrosion resistance. Did you know that stainless steel actually can corrode? It’s not even that hard to make it happen. Before you buy your fasteners here are five stainless steel facts you need to know before buying fasteners.

1. Stainless Steel Is A Soft Metal (Sort Of)

Stainless steel is considered a soft metal meaning it is not great for many high load applications that require intense strength. However, certain grades are hardened to create a stronger version. It may effect the corrosion resistance of the fastener however. A classic example of this is Grade 410 Stainless Steel.

2. Stainless Steel Can Still Corrode

Stainless steel is prized for its corrosion resistance. Beyond that many don’t know anything about it. Stainless steel comes in many different grades, 304, 305 and 316 are just a few examples and each come with their own benefits. If you are within 20 miles of the beach for example, you need to make sure you use 316 stainless steel.

3. Stainless Steel Is Not Non-Magnetic

It is important to know that stainless steel is not fully non-magnetic. In situations where the non-magnetic quality of a material is critical, stainless steel is not a recommended choice.

4. Stainless Steel Has An Invisible Self Repairing Outer Layer

Stainless metals form an invisible oxide coating that protects it from external factors. This is the main reason stainless steel is so resistant to corrosion. As long as the material is in an oxygen rich environment, even if the metal is damaged removing the oxide layer, it will reform and protect the metal again.

5. Stainless Steel Reacts Negatively With Aluminum

Stainless Steel and Aluminum are two separate kinds of metal. One is positively charged (anode) and one is negatively charged (cathode). As these metals are connected and an electrolyte is introduced, such as saltwater, a transfer of electrons occurs which will ruin the integrity of the materials resulting in galvanic corrosion. To avoid these situations either use some sort of in-between like a rubber material or simply do not use them together (recommended).

Working With Stainless Steel

Ultimately stainless steel can be a bit more complicated than you thought. Stainless steel fasteners are still an excellent choice for many situations. Just take these 5 things into consideration when buying your fasteners to help you choose the appropriate material and grade.

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