Carbon steel

Carbon steel is a metal, a combination of two elements, iron and carbon, where other elements are present in quantities too small to affect the properties. With a low carbon content it has the same properties as iron, soft but easily formed. As carbon content rises the metal becomes harder and stronger but less ductile.

Related Topics:
Steel - Metal - Iron - Carbon - Ductile

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Typical compositions of carbon are:

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• Mild steel .10% to .25% (Ex. AISI 1018 steel)
• Medium carbon steel .25% to .45% (Ex. AISI 1040 steel)
• High carbon steel. .45% to .95%
• Very high carbon steel .95% to 2.1%

Steel with sufficient carbon compositions can be heat-treated, allowing parts to be fabricated in an easily-formable soft state then made harder for structural applications. Steels are often wrought by cold-working methods, which is the shaping of metal through deformation at a low equilibrium or metastable temperature.

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Carbon steel: Metallurgy ►