Medium Carbon

Low Carbon (Mild) Steel High Carbon Steel

Steel
Carbon content is Carbon content is Carbon content is
approximately from 0.1 to from 0.3 to 0.8% approximately from 0.8 to
0.3% 1.5%
Properties
Structure is fibrous Structure is granular
More tough and elastic Balanced ductility More tough and elastic
than cast/ wrought irons and strength than mild steel
Ductile and malleable; More difficult to forge and
easy to forge and weld weld
Difficult to harden and Easier to harden and
temper temper
Equally strong in tension, Stronger in compression
compression and shear than tension
Can withstand shocks and Better shock and impact
impacts resistance than mild steel
Low Carbon (Mild) Steel High Carbon Steel

Used in rolled steel sections Used in making tools, e.g.

drills, etc

Making tools and equipment Making machinery parts that

and as reinforcement in needs a hard, tough, durable
reinforced concretes (RCs) materials to withstand
shocks and impacts
Railway tracks and
transmission towers

Plain and corrugated sheets

as roof sheets
 Property Cast Iron Wrought Iron Steel
Composition Crude form of Purest form of Midway b/w cast
iron containing iron containing and wrought irons
2.0 to 4.5% 0.1 to 0.25% containing 0.25 to
carbon carbon 1.5% carbon
Structure Crystalline Fibrous with a Granular
silky luster
Specific gravity 7.0 to 7.5 7.7 7.85
Melting point 1200oC 1500oC 1300 to 1400oC
Hardness Quite hard; more Can’t be Can be hardened
hardened by hardened or or tempered
heating and tempered
sudden cooling
Ultimate tensile 110 MPa 310-380 MPa 450-900 MPa
strength
Resistance to Poor Fair Very good
shocks/ impacts
 First Group Second Group Third Group
Carbon < 0.4% Carbon < 0.4% Carbon : little
Chromium < 16% Chromium ≥ 16% Chromium: sufficient
Can be used up to Don’t respond good to Don’t respond readily to
800oC; also can be heat treatment heat treatment; best for
welded use under very high
temperature
Satisfactory resistance Better resistance Machining is very
against corrosion against corrosion difficult ; can be forged
Not exclusively brittle Brittle or rolled
 Ingredients
Burning in Molten iron
1. Iron ore
Blast (can be cast into pig
2. Limestone
furnace iron)
3. Coke

Molten Steel
1. Remove
Steel mill converts them into the
impurities following semi-finished product of
(e.g. sulphur, varying widths, lengths & thicknesses
phosphorus & (i) Blooms: generally square lengths
excessive carbon of steel (> 36in2 or 232cm2)
Molten
iron (ii) Billets: generally square or round
2. Add alloying in section (< 36in2 or 232cm2)
elements
(e.g. manganese,
(iii) Slabs: generally flat and wide
chromium & (iv) Ingots: usually resembles a
vanadium) rectangle or square with generous
fillets