Common Terminology for Steel Products
Note: "c", "s", "Mn", and "P" represent the mass fractions of carbon, sulfur, manganese, and phosphorus, respectively.
Source: http://news.chinawj.com.cn | Editor: Hardware Business Network Information Center
Serial Number | Name | Description |
1 | Carbon Steel | Carbon steel, also known as carbon steel, is an iron-carbon alloy with a carbon content (wc) of less than 2%. In addition to carbon, it contains small amounts of silicon, manganese, sulfur, and phosphorus. Based on its use, carbon steel can be categorized into three types: structural carbon steel, tool carbon steel, and free-cutting structural steel. Structural carbon steel is further divided into building and machine structural steel. Depending on the carbon content, it can be classified as low-carbon (≤0.25%), medium-carbon (0.25%-0.6%), and high-carbon (>0.6%). It can also be grouped by sulfur and phosphorus content into ordinary, high-quality, and ultra-high-quality grades. The higher the carbon content, the greater the hardness and strength, but the lower the ductility. |
2 | Carbon Structural Steel | This type of steel primarily ensures mechanical properties, with its grade indicating these properties through a format like Q+number, where "Q" stands for yield point, and the number represents the yield value in MPa. For example, Q275 indicates a yield point of 275MPa. Additional letters like A, B, C, D indicate quality levels, with decreasing sulfur and phosphorus content. Letters F, b, or no suffix denote boiling, semi-killed, or killed steel. These steels are used directly without heat treatment, commonly in construction and machinery. |
3 | High-Quality Structural Steel | This steel guarantees both chemical composition and mechanical properties. Its grade is a two-digit number representing average carbon content (e.g., 45 means 0.45% carbon). Used for machine parts, it typically undergoes heat treatment. Different carbon contents serve different purposes: low-carbon steels for forming and stamping, medium-carbon for shafts, and high-carbon for springs. |
4 | Carbon Tool Steel | A high-carbon steel with minimal alloying elements, it has excellent wear resistance and is used for cutting tools, molds, and measuring instruments. However, it loses hardness at temperatures above 250°C and is prone to deformation when made into large parts. |
5 | Free-Cutting Structural Steel | Designed to be brittle during machining, this steel allows for faster cutting speeds and longer tool life. Sulfur is the main element added, often with lead, antimony, or bismuth. It’s ideal for producing components like pins and bushings. |
6 | Alloy Steel | Contains additional alloying elements such as silicon, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, chromium, vanadium, titanium, and rare earths. Alloy steel is categorized into structural, spring, bearing, tool, stainless, and heat-resistant types. It offers better performance than carbon steel and is widely used in industrial applications. |
7 | Low-Alloy Steel | Contains a small amount of alloying elements (typically ≤3%) and offers high strength, good toughness, and corrosion resistance. It’s cost-effective and used in place of carbon steel in many applications, including bridges and buildings. |
8 | Engineering Alloy Steel | Used for structural components in engineering and construction, including high-strength, rail, and pressure vessel steels. These steels have low alloy content but high usage volume. |
9 | Mechanical Alloy Steel | Designed for machine parts, it includes quenched and tempered, surface-hardened, and cold-forming alloys. It improves strength, toughness, and hardenability after heat treatment. |
10 | Alloy Structural Steel | Has lower carbon content than carbon structural steel (0.15%-0.50%) and includes elements like silicon, manganese, and chromium. It is easy to harden and widely used in automotive and heavy machinery parts. |
11 | Alloy Tool Steel | Medium- to high-carbon steel with alloying elements like chromium, tungsten, and vanadium. Used for large cutting tools, molds, and measuring instruments. It maintains hardness at high temperatures and is resistant to deformation. |
12 | High-Speed Tool Steel | A high-carbon, high-alloy steel with excellent red hardness. It retains hardness even at high temperatures (up to 600°C), making it ideal for high-speed cutting tools. |
13 | Spring Steel | Requires high tensile strength, fatigue resistance, and elasticity. It is used for springs in vehicles, machinery, and industrial equipment. Both carbon and alloy spring steels are common. |
14 | Bearing Steel | Used for bearings, it must have high hardness, uniform microstructure, and wear resistance. Types include high-carbon chromium, carburized, and stainless bearing steels. |
15 | Electrical Silicon Steel | Used in motors and transformers, it has low carbon content (≤0.08%) and high silicon content (1.0%-4.5%). Low-silicon grades are for motors, while high-silicon grades are for transformers. |
16 | Rail Steel | Designed for rails, it requires high strength, hardness, and toughness. Traditional carbon steel is now often replaced by low-alloy rail steels that offer better wear and corrosion resistance. |
17 | Shipbuilding Steel | Used in ship hulls, it must have good weldability, strength, and corrosion resistance. Modern shipbuilding steels are low-carbon or low-alloy, allowing for stronger and more durable vessels. |
18 | Bridge Steel | Required for bridges, it needs high strength, toughness, and fatigue resistance. Commonly used in open-hearth or low-alloy steels like 16Mn and 15MnV. |
19 | Boiler Steel | Used in boilers, it must withstand high temperatures and corrosion. Low-carbon killed steels or low-alloy steels are common, with special grades for high-pressure environments. |
20 | Welding Rod Steel | Specifically designed for welding electrodes, it has strict sulfur and phosphorus limits. It is tested for chemical composition rather than mechanical properties. |
21 | Stainless Steel | Resists corrosion in atmospheric or chemical environments. Classified into ferritic, martensitic, austenitic, duplex, and precipitation-hardened types based on microstructure. Chromium content over 12% gives it stainless properties. |
22 | Heat-Resistant Steel | Designed for high-temperature applications, it resists oxidation and maintains strength. Includes anti-oxidation and heat-strength steels, used in turbines and furnaces. |
23 | Superalloy | A high-performance material used in extreme conditions (around 1000°C), such as jet engines. Divided into nickel-based, iron-nickel-based, and cobalt-based superalloys. |
24 | Precision Alloy | Alloys with specific physical properties, used in electronics, instrumentation, and control systems. Includes soft magnetic, elastic, resistive, and thermocouple alloys. Most are based on ferrous metals. |
Note: "c", "s", "Mn", and "P" represent the mass fractions of carbon, sulfur, manganese, and phosphorus, respectively.
Source: http://news.chinawj.com.cn | Editor: Hardware Business Network Information Center
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