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At Metal Supermarkets we find it useful to group steel into four categories using the acronym C.A.S.T.
This stands for Carbon Steel, Alloy Steel, Stainless Steel and Tool Steel.

The American Iron and Steel Institute, or the AISI, categorizes steel into these four groups based on
chemical composition.

Within each category, there are many different grades of steel that have varying physical, chemical and
environmental properties.

It is the amount of carbon and the additional alloys that determine the properties of each grade.

Different types of steel can also be classified by a variety of different factors, such as composition,
production method, finishing method, form or shape, de-oxidization process, microstructure, physical
strength and heat treatment.

To identify the properties of steel the steel industry uses two major numbering systems.

The first was developed by the AISI and the second by the Society of Automotive Engineers, or SAE.

Both systems use four digit number codes which identify the base carbon and alloy steels.

If the first digit is a one, that indicates carbon steel.

The next digit indicates the sub category based on particular underlying properties.

For example, the 10 series indicates plain carbon steel

containing 1% manganese maximum.

The 11 series contains re-sulfurized carbon steel. The 12 series is re-sulfurized and re-phosphorized
carbon steel. And finally the 15 series contains non-re-sulfurized high manganese carbon steel.

Remaining alloy steels under the SAE or AISI systems are classified as shown.

Generally but not always the second digit in the series indicates the concentration of the major element
in percentiles.

The last two digits indicate the carbon concentration to 0.01%

So, 4140 indicates a molybdenum alloy steel containing 1% of molybdenum and 0.40% of carbon.

Hopefully this introduction has helped you get a better idea of the different types of steel available.

Stay tuned for the next video in this series where we will look closer at the "C" in C.A.S.T. Carbon Steel.
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In our last video blog we reviewed the various categories and classifications of Steel

along with the AISI and SAE numbering systems used to identify the different grades.

Remember, a helpful way to remember the four types of Steel is to use the acronym C.A.S.T.

which stands for carbon steel, alloy steel, stainless steel, and tool steel.

In this video we will take a closer look at "C" Carbon steel.

Carbon steel can be segmented into three main categories based on the carbon content.

Low carbon steel, sometimes known as mild steel, medium carbon steel and high carbon steel.

Low carbon steel is one of the largest groups of carbon steel with shapes including bars, tubes, sheets
and structural beams.

Carbon steel typically contains 0.04% - 0.3% carbon content.

Depending on the desired properties, other elements can be added or increased.

For example, with drawing quality steel the carbon content is kept low and aluminum is added.

For structural steel, the carbon level is higher and the manganese content is increased.

Medium carbon steel typically has a carbon range of 0.31% - 0.6%

and a manganese content ranging from 0.06% - 1.65%.

This makes the steal stronger than low carbon steel but it is more difficult to form, weld and cut.

Medium carbon steels are often hardened and tempered.

High carbon steel, commonly known as carbon tool steel typically has a carbon range from 0.61% - 1.5%.

High carbon steel is very difficult to cut, bend and weld.

Once heat treated it becomes extremely hard and brittle.

Hopefully this has given you a better idea of the types of carbon steel.

In the next part of this video blog series

we will look closer at the "A" in C.A.S.T.

Alloy steel.
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In part 3 we will talk about alloy steel

the second type of steel from I acronym C.A.S.T. which stands for carbon steel, alloy steel, stainless
steel, and tool steel.

Alloy steels are made by combining carbon steel with one or more alloying elements.

Adding different combinations and proportions of elements gives the steel different characteristics.

Three desired attributes include hardness, corrosion resistance and retention of hardness and strength.

Some common alloying elements used to achieve these characteristics are chromium which adds
hardness, increased toughness and wear resistance; cobalt used to improve hot hardness for
applications like cutting tools; manganese which increases surface hardness and resistance to strain,
hammering and shock; molybdenum which is used to increase strength and resistance to shock and
heat; nickel used to increase strength and toughness while also improving corrosion resistance; tungsten
which adds hardness and improves grain structure while improving heat resistance vanadium increases
strength, toughness and shock resistance with improved with improved corrosion resistance; chromium
vanadium is used to greatly improve tensile strength while remaining easy to bend and cut.

The most commonly used grades of allow steel are 4140 which is a chromium molybdenum steel with
good strength and wear resistance, excellent toughness and ductility with the ability to resist stress and
creep at prolonged high temperatures; 4340 which is a nickel chromium molybdenum steel with deep
hardenability, high strength and a high fatigue to tensile ratio; 6150 a chromium vanadium steel that
features excellent toughness, shock and abrasion resistance;

and finally 8620 which is a nickel chromium molybdenum steel with good toughness and ductility with
increased case hardness.

In this video blog series, we've been looking at the four main types of steel

using our acronym C.A.S.T. which stands for carbon steel alloy steel stainless steel and tool steel.

We've already talked about how steel is classified and looked closer into the first two types of steel from
our acronym.

Today we'll take a closer look at the "S" Stainless steel

Stainless steel typically contains between 10% and 20% chromium.

It is the main alloying element and helps to make stainless steel extremely corrosion resistant.

In fact, stainless steel is about 200 times more resistant to corrosion than mild steel.
Stainless steel can be divided into five groups:

Austenitic

Ferritic

Martensitic

Duplex

and Precipitation Hardening

Austenitic steels make up the largest portion of the global stainless steel market

and have a wide range of applications such as food processing equipment, kitchen utensils, medical
equipment and more

Austenitic stainless steel grades are weldable, non-magnetic and not heat treatable.

Typically, Austinitc stainless steels can be loosely divided into three groups

Common chromium nickel which is the 300 series,

Manganese chromium nickel nitrogen which is the 200 series and specialty alloys.

Ferritic steals contain trace amounts of nickel, between 12% and 17% chromium, less than 0.1% carbon,
and other alloying elements such as molybdenum, aluminum or titanium.

Ferritic steels tend to have good ductility and formability but relatively poor high temperature strengths
when compared to Austenitic grades.

Ferritic stainless steels are magnetic but not heat treatable and often cost less than other stainless
steels.

Some Ferritic grades include 405 and 409

Martensitic steels contain 11% to 17% chromium, less than 0.4% nickel and up to 1.2% carbon.

The higher carbon content of this heat treatable steel affects forming and welding.

To obtain other useful properties and prevent cracking preheating and post weld heat treatment is
required

Martensitic stainless steels such as 403, 410, 410-Nickel Molybdenum and 420 are magnetic and heat
treatable.

They are often used for dental and surgical equipment knives and other cutting tools.

Duplex steels typically contain 20% to 25% chromium and 5% nickel, along with molybdenum and
nitrogen

Duplex steels have higher yield strength and greater stress corrosion cracking to chloride than Austenitic
stainless steels.
Some applications include chemical plants and piping.

Precipitation hardening steels are chromium nickel stainless steels that also contain alloying elements
such as aluminum copper or titanium.

These alloys allow the steel to be hardened by a solution and aging heat treatment.

They can be there Austenitic or Martensitic in the aged condition.

In our past four video blogs we've been looking

at the main types of Steel using our

acronym C.A.S.T. which stands for carbon steel, alloy steel, stainless steel and tool steel.

In the final part of this series we will look at the "T"

Tool Steel Tool steel can be divided into six groups water hardening, cold working, shock resisting, high
speed, hot working, and special purpose.

Under the AISI and SAE systems Tool steel grades are classified by the following letter codes:

W is for water hardened steels

This grade is essentially plain high carbon steel that has been water quenched.

Added vanadium helps to increase the toughness.

O is for cold worked steels that have been oil hardened.

A is for cold work steels that have been air hardened.

And D is for cold worked steels that have high carbon and high chromium.

These cold work grades typically have high hardenability and wear resistance with average toughness.

Both the oil and air hardened grades reduce the distortion caused by quick water quenching and are less
likely to crack.

The D grade class contains approximately 10% - 13% chromiumand typically retains its hardness at
increased temperatures.

S is for shock resisting steels which are designed to resist shocked at both low and high temperatures.

They also have high impact toughness and relatively low abrasion resistance.

H is for hot working steels and depending on the grade number are either chromium based, tungsten
based, or molybdenum based.

These steels are developed to maintain strength and hardness while exposed to prolonged elevated
temperatures.
M is for high-speed molybdenum based steels.

T is for for high-speed tungsten based steels.

These high-speed grades are used for cutting tools where strength and hardness must be retained at
high temperatures.

P is for plastic mold steelwhich are designed to meet the needs of zinc die casting and the special
requirements of plastic injection molding dies.

L is for low alloy, special purpose steels and F is for carbon tungsten based special purpose steels

which are water hardenable and more wear resistance than W type tool steel.