According to the World Steel Association, there are more than 3,500 different steel grades, each of which has unique physical and chemical properties. This broad variety makes steel suitable for a wide range of applications.
Hot-rolled steel is one of the most frequently used types of steel; its excellent formability enables it to be manufactured into bars, sheets, tubes, and various other components. It is available in numerous grades, which find use in various applications.
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Hot-rolled steel is carbon steel that has been heated to above its recrystallization point (typically at or above 1,700° F), flattened to the desired size and thickness by high-speed rollers, and worked into the necessary form (e.g., bar, plate, sheet). It can be low-carbon (containing up to 0.3% carbon), medium-carbon (containing 0.3&#;0.6% carbon), or high-carbon (containing more than 0.6% carbon). The processed material exhibits excellent mechanical properties at a lower cost than cold-rolled steel, which makes it an appropriate choice for many applications, including construction, railroad tracks, and sheet metal. However, since the process can cause scaled surface textures and/or material shrinkage, the material is best suited for applications that do not have tight tolerances or strict surface finishing requirements.
The process of making hot-rolled steel is as follows:
Hot-rolled steel is available in many grades or standards set by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) or the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Some of the most widely used are:
Want to learn more about hot-rolled steel? Ask the experts at McDonald Steel. We are tooled to roll over 500 symmetrical and asymmetrical hot-rolled steel shapes. Our products find application in a diverse range of markets, where they serve as ideal alternatives to forged, cast, extruded, cold drawn, and machined steel components. For additional information on hot-rolled steel and the various grades available, contact us today.
On November 23,
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GRADES OF HOT ROLLED STEEL
When it comes to an excellent combination of mechanical properties such as tensile strength, shear strength, toughness, hardness, and ductility, it is hard to beat carbon steel. When it comes to having all of those mechanical properties at an affordable rate, it is hard to beat hot rolled carbon steel. Hot rolled carbon steel is a metal alloy comprised mostly of iron with some carbon that is rolled down in size from an ingot, at a heat level above its recrystallization temperature. Forming hot rolled carbon steel at this high temperature gives it excellent mechanical properties while keeping costs lower than a cold-rolled carbon steel. There are many grades of hot rolled carbon steel available, which might raise the question: &#;What is the difference among all of the hot rolled steel grades?&#; This article answers that question.
The following are some common Grades of Hot Rolled Steel:
A36
C
C
A
C
A500
C
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C
A36
ASTM A36 steel is one of the most popular hot rolled steels that Metal Supermarkets sells. When it comes to hot rolled steel, Metal Supermarkets carries product with designations from two organizations: the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). A36 is an ASTM-designated material. It is considered a low carbon steel, since its carbon content is generally between 0.25% and 0.29% by weight. The &#;36&#; in A36 is significant in that it specifies the minimum yield tensile strength at 36,000 psi. A36 is very machinable, weldable, and has excellent mechanical properties. This is part of the reason it is so popular, and why it is widely used in structural applications. Metal Supermarkets sells ASTM A36 in round bar, rectangular bar, square bar, channel, angle, plate, tread plate, round tube, and shafting.
C and C
AISI C and AISI C are two hot rolled steels that are very similar. They are both low carbon. In fact, the only noticeable difference between their chemical compositions is their carbon content. C is 0.08% to 0.13% carbon by weight and C is 0.14% to 0.20% carbon by weight. The difference in carbon content between them can result in slight variations to ductility and tensile strength, but for the most part they are quite similar. They are both weldable, machinable, and formed relatively easily when compared with alloy and high carbon steels. Metal Supermarkets provides C in round tube and C in round bar and mesh sheet. C and C are widely used in structural applications, and are also used frequently in the automotive and furniture industries.
A
A is another ASTM-designated hot rolled steel that Metal Supermarkets offers. This grade can also have small amounts of other trace elements that make it a very versatile steel. It is widely used in sheet steel structural applications, automotive bodies, drums, and general metal fabrication. Metal Supermarkets provides A in the flat sheet form as well as the expanded metal form.
C
C is an AISI-designated steel that very closely mimics the ASTM-designated A36 steel mentioned above. Their chemical properties have a lot of overlap, with their carbon contents both being on the upper limit of what constitutes a low carbon steel. AISI has a target carbon content of 0.22% to 0.26% by weight. When they are both in the hot rolled condition, their mechanical properties are quite similar as well. Both AISI C and ASTM A36 are great choices when a hot rolled steel is needed, with more strength than an A, C, or C can provide. AISI C is used for structures, automotive components, and furniture, to name a few areas where this hot rolled steel is used. C is available from Metal Supermarkets in square tube and rectangular tube.
A500
ASTM A500 is another low carbon hot rolled steel. It can have up to 0.26% carbon by weight in its chemical composition, and is quite similar to ASTM A36. One main difference between ASTM A500 and ASTM A36 is the shape in which each type of hot rolled steel is available. As previously mentioned, A36 is available in round bar, rectangular bar, square bar, channel, angle, plate, tread plate, round tube, and shafting. A500, on the other hand, is solely used for tubing. Metal Supermarkets carries A500 in square and rectangular tubing in particular. Applications for ASTM A500 are similar to other low carbon hot rolled steels; they are used abundantly in structural applications.
C
C is another AISI designated hot rolled steel. What makes this hot rolled steel different from the previously mentioned steels is that it is a medium carbon steel. With 0.42% to 0.50% carbon by weight, it generally provides more strength than low carbon hot rolled steels. C also has enough carbon where it becomes quite receptive to heat treating. This means that through quench hardening and annealing, its mechanical properties can be altered. C is used in applications similar to low carbon hot rolled steel, except it is typically preferred to low carbon steel when strength is more of a concern than ductility. Metal Supermarkets sells AISI C in the form of round bars and plate.
C
AISI C is another medium carbon hot rolled steel, similar to C. However, AISI C has additions of sulfur and manganese that give it different properties. First, heat treating can be more effective on C than C. Second, C is considered a free machining steel. This means that it is easier on machining tools, which is important as carbon content increases because the corresponding increase in hardness can hinder machinability. It is important to note, however, that the additions of sulfur that make C easily machinable also make it unweldable, in general. AISI C is available in shafting and round bar forms from Metal Supermarkets. AISI C is frequently used in components that require a lot of machining and in certain types of fasteners.
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