Steel is a large family of metals that are made by mixing iron with carbon and other elements such as chromium. It is described as mild, medium- or high-carbon steel according to the percentage of carbon it contains. It is widely used in building construction as well as in the manufacture of cars, machines, electrical appliances, tools as well as weapons. In this marketplace, you will discover a wide variety of steel products including racking systems, door frames, tubing, wires and cables, coils, plates, water tanks, steel bends, pipes, bars, channels, columns and beams. Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon containing less than 2% carbon and 1% manganese and small amounts of silicon, phosphorus, sulphur and oxygen. Steel is the world's most important engineering and construction material.
As steel is an alloy, it is not a pure element and is, as a direct result, not actually a metal. Instead, it is actually a variant of a metal. Although steel is composed of iron – which is a metal – the non-metal carbon within its chemical make-up means that it is not a pure metal, so it cannot be classed as one
Because of its high tensile strength and low cost, steel is used in buildings, infrastructure, tools, ships, trains, cars, machines, electrical appliances, weapons, and rockets.
The top steel producing countries are China, Japan, India, US, Russia, South Korea, Germany, Brazil, Turkey, and Ukraine.
Because steel is a mixture of iron and carbon, it will definitely rust. What differentiates steel and stainless steel is the element chromium — chromium forms a shield against rusting, which makes stainless steel more corrosion-resistant. The more chromium content, the better
Impact strength determines how much energy a metal can absorb through impact without shattering or fracturing. Tungsten, which is Swedish for "heavy stone," is the strongest metal in the world. It was identified as a new element in 1781.
While steel is technically an alloy rather than a metal, it is the strongest alloy currently available. Researchers are attempting to create stronger combinations of elements, but for now, steel mixed with a few other elements is considered the strongest.
While steel is technically an alloy rather than a metal, it is the strongest alloy currently available. Researchers are attempting to create stronger combinations of elements, but for now, steel mixed with a few other elements is considered the strongest.
Four Types of Steel
Steel has a number of properties, including: hardness, toughness, tensile strength, yield strength, elongation, fatigue strength, corrosion, plasticity, malleability and creep.
Construction industry is the largest consumer, accounting for approximately 50% of total world steel consumption. Transport sector (cars, trucks, aviation, shipbuilding, and rail) is the second. The machinery industry and metal products industry each consume around 14% of the world's steel.
The U.S. steel industry is vital to both economic competitiveness and national security. Steel is the backbone of bridges, skyscrapers, railroads, automobiles, and appliances.
Steel has a unique combination of properties that make it an ideal building material.