Choosing the right Carbon Steel for your Project
Carbon steel has gained its name due to the fact that it has a higher concentration of Carbon (from 0,05% to 2%) than other types of steel. The presence of Carbon made this steel particularly hard. It is an extremely versatile material, which can be used for an endless amount of projects in various industries.
However, it is essential to distinguish between the grades of carbon steel to find the material that will be perfect for your Project. After all, there is a big difference between 0,05 and 2 percent of Carbon.
To determine which carbon steel will work best for your Project, it is essential to answer a number of questions about the upcoming processing.
How strong should the material be?
Carbon steel has numerous applications. It is used for buildings and bridges as well as kitchenware, rails, and pipelines as well as a home appliance.
Of course, all those purposes require different strengths of the material. The lower is the concentration of Carbon in your steel, the less tensile strength it has. High-carbon steel is perfect for edged tools and springs. Low carbon steel is commonly used for food cans, kitchenware, etc.
Am I planning to weld?
Low-carbon steel is perfect for projects that include welding. The more Carbon you have in your material, the higher is the risk that the metal will start to solidify in the middle of the process and start to crack.
In case you are looking for the strength of high-carbon material but still have to weld, the steel should be heat-treated before or after welding to minimize the risks of cracking and make the process easier.
Do I need to heat-treat the steel during the process?
Some projects require you to heat-treat the material to increase the toughness and durability of the final product. It is most common for blade smithing and tools manufacture.
However, if your steel has less than 0.3% of Carbon in it, heat treatment will not be that easy. The lack of Carbon won`t let your steel get its crystalline structure and the necessary hardness level. You may have to heat-treat and quench the material multiple times, which is not only time-consuming but can lead to deformation and even cracking of the item that you are working on.
Does the steel need to be rustproof?
Technically, carbon steel is not usually the first choice when we are talking about manufacturing items that are supposed to be rustproof. After all, Carbon Steel mostly consists of iron which is notorious for its ability to rust.
However, if you are looking for the durability and versatility of carbon steel and need the material to be resistant to corrosion, you should choose plated or galvanized carbon steel. Another option is to block the contact of steel and moisture with oil paint.
Do I need material with higher formidability?
As we have already mentioned, Carbon Steel is a pretty wide matter that includes materials with different physical qualities and capabilities. Technically, most types of carbon steel can easily be formulated according to your needs.
However, the main idea is that the lower carbon level makes the material easier to work with if your Project requires some higher formidability.
Types of Carbon Steel and their common applications.
It is also easier to make an informed decision when you know what each type of Carbon Steel is normally used for.
Here are the 4 grades of Carbo Steel:
- Low-Carbon Steel (A36/44W) – The concentration of Carbon in this grade is not higher than 0,3%, which makes it a highly-formidable material. This steel is mostly used for forgings, stampings, as a structural element of buildings, bridges, etc.;
- Medium-Carbon Steel (C1008, C1010, C1018, and C1045) – this type of steel has up to 0.6% of Carbon in it. You can easily weld and quench this steel. This material is perfect for gears, axels, shafts, and even railway wheels;
- High-Carbon Steel (C1141, C1144) – Steel with a carbon concentration of around 1%. This material is ideal for highly-resistant items such as high-strength wires and springs. It is very hard to weld high-carbon steel. However, this material is perfect for knives and edged tools, which often require a certain level of welding. Therefore, you will need to prepare for some serious heat-treating in order to make high-Carbon steel suitable for welding;
- Ultra-high Carbon Steel – the material with up to 2% of Carbon in it is mostly considered an experimental alloy. However, this carbon steel grade has an exquisite level of hardness, which makes it a perfect material for professional-grade knives, axles, or punches.
Knowing the difference between carbon steel grades, their application will help you estimate which one will most likely fit the needs of your projects. However, it is essential to consider some additional characteristics that will be crucial for the use and performance of the final product.
After all, every project is unique. Therefore, whichever material you may choose, there will probably remain the need to treat your Carbon Steel with heat or apply some anti-corrosion solutions. Consider the pros and cons of each grade and determine the crucial features of the material to choose the right Carbon Steel precisely for your Project.