A steel service centers and steel service center directory including cold steel, steel pipe, steel tubing, structural steel, steel company, steel beam, tool steel, carbon steel, plate steel, alloy steel, steel manufacturer and cold rolled steel.  

Steel Service Center Types and Terms


Types of Steel

• Alloy steel contains elements other than carbon, such as chromium, manganese, et cetera. Alloy steels have a higher tensile strength, corrosion and oxidation resistance and ductility than carbon steel does.
  
• Aluminum steel is a metal sheet that has been coated with an aluminum alloy.
  
• Carbon steel is steel in its basic form, primarily consisting of iron and carbon. Carbon steel makes up the majority of steel produced and is common in almost every industry because of its high strength, although, it has a low resistance to corrosion.
  
• Cold rolled steel is steel that has been shaped without the application of heat. Cold steel has a smooth surface texture and is common in light-duty furniture and objects not needing the strength required of structural steel.
  
• I beams are steel beams shaped like majuscule letter I’s that are used in construction.
  
• Plate steel is steel that has been flat rolled, as opposed to steel in section form, and maintains a certain amount of thickness that is based on plate width. Plate steel is commonly used in construction and engineering
  
• Stainless steel, also referred to as "chromium steel," is the most common type of steel manufactured by steel service centers. This corrosion resistant material is preferred in the food and medical industries.
  
• Steel pipes are round structures used in numerous applications to transport fluids and to provide structural support to bridges, buildings and stairs. Steel pipes maintain high strength and uniform thickness in rough industrial applications.
  
• Steel tubing and conduits provide support to railing, ladders, poles and exercise equipment and provide strong protection to conductors and wiring. Steel tubing varies in shape and wall thickness.
  
• Structural steel, also referred to as "plate steel," is low carbon steel containing manganese, which is commonly used in the engineering and construction industry for the production of buildings, bridges and transportation equipment. Structural steel has been hot rolled, often has a rough surface texture and includes steel beams.
  
• Tool steel consists of iron and alloys of chromium and other elements to improve steel properties, such as corrosion resistance. Tool steel is used in the production of hand and power tools.
  
  

Steel Service Center Terms

Air Hardening – Also called "self-hardening," it is steel that is hardened through air cooling to reduce possible deformation.

Bloom – A semi-finished steel form with a rectangular cross-section that is more than 8". This large cast steel shape is broken down in the mill to produce the familiar I-beams, H-beams and sheet piling.

Carburizing – The application of carbon to a low-carbon steel surface to increase the strength of the steel. Carburizing is achieved through heating the steel in a substance containing carbon, followed by hardening the steel through heating and quenching the steel.

Casting – A method of steel formation in which a part is formed by the shaping of a molten material in a mould is commonly used for more specific parts. Casting is not used for the general production of steel types.

Composite – A solid material that consists of a combination of two or more constituents, in which the individual components retain their separate identities.

Case – Surface of steel that has a different composition than the original makeup resulting from the application at elevated temperatures of carbon, nitrogen or another element.

Case Hardening – Steel treatment resulting in a steel surface hardness greater than that of the internal region of the steel.

Cold Working - Metal deformation process in which the metal is subjected to temperatures low enough to prevent re-crystallization of the metal during cooling.

Core – The internal region of a steel part that remains unaffected by case hardening.

Decarburization – The process whereby steel loses carbon from the steel surface layer due to contact with a chemical substance. Decarburization reduces steel hardness and strength.

Ductility – The ability of steel to accept deformation without fracturing. Ductility is a notable benefit of alloy steel.

Edge Rolling – The rolling of the edge of steel to smooth edges, which would be damaging or minimize functionality of a piece.

Hot Rolling – A steel production process in which steel is heated, pressed and shaped into the required form.

Normalizing – Steel heat treatment performed to refine grain size and to alleviate stress in the interior by heating the steel to temperatures ranging from approximately 800°C to 900°C (1472°-1652° F) and air cooling the steel.

Quenching – Rapidly cooling a metal from a high temperature.

Secondary Steel – Steel rejected by the first customer due to flaws, at which point the steel manufacturer or steel company must find another buyer.

Specialty Steel – A class of steels including stainless, tool, alloy and silicon electrical steels, as opposed to carbon steel.

Tensile Strength – The extent to which steel or another substance can accept bending or stretching without fracturing.

Yield Stress – The applied stress at which irreversible plastic deformation is first observed across the sample is called the yield stress, usually represented as sy.