Alloy steels and specialty steels come in thousands of grades. Steel manufacturers produce the materials for car automotive parts, construction parts for bridges or buildings and appliances such as dishwashers and refrigerators. Specialty steels are also used to make protective gear and surgical instruments. Popular types of steel include carbon, stainless and alloy steels. Others, such as iron- and carbon-based tool steels, are used to form cutting blades or chisels, and apply to shock-resistant and high-speed processes.

Two basic methods of steel processing include blast furnace and electric arc furnace techniques. Blast furnaces convert coke, iron ore and limestone into a hot liquid metal before transforming it to steel. Electric arc furnaces produce molten steel in batch quantities. Steel suppliers offer different types of steel such as semi-finished, finished, flat and long steel products. Examples of semi-finished and finished products include steel blocks, tubes and plates. Flat products range from plate steel for shipbuilding to strip steel used for refrigerators. Long steel products are rods used in concrete or bars used in engineering projects.

1. Determine the necessity of steel for your project or product.

2. Find related equipment and supplies before using steel.

3. Pick steel products as rolls, sheets or bars.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Decide what your objective is for using steel

Whether it is tool steel or steel to build appliances, determine what types of steel you'll need to work on your project.

I recommend: Steel manufacturer Pacesetter Steel Service supplies flat-rolled steel and related products to the heating, air conditioning, appliance and architectural industries. Instant Metals produces stainless steel square, flat and round shapes used for electronics, surgical instruments, hardware and cookware.

Find the right supplies to make steel or use it with other instruments

Having the right equipment and accessories help you execute your steel-related project or to make your own steel.

I recommend: Cleveland Steel distributes construction hardware, tool steel and other steel equipment for the food processing, pharmaceutical, transportation and aerospace industries. Advantage Metal Services manufactures steel processing and fabrication equipment. Kager Industries provides automatic and steel machining services mostly for coil handling, automotive and agricultural applications.

Choose steel in different forms

Specialty steels and alloy steels are usually available as sheets, rolls, plates, blocks or bars.

I recommend: Pioneer Steel stocks steel plate and steel plate burnouts for machining, flame cutting and saw cutting applications. Specialty Steel Supply distributes stainless, carbon and alloy steel flats, rounds, tubing and beams.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Since steel is durable and requires little energy to produce, the material is recyclable. Steel features magnetic properties that can be easily recovered from waste to be recycled. Steel fabricators promote recycling as a way to save energy and to reduce environmental pollution.

A steel manufacturer primarily uses iron with carbon as a universal additive. The specific chemistry of steel is highly dependent upon the amount of carbon added by steel manufacturers as well as other elements including manganese, phosphorous, silicon and sulfur. The properties of steel are also affected by other aspects of the manufacturing process such as rolling, size and shape of the final product.

Steel fabricators primarily manufacture thin gauge flat-rolled steel that may be cut in a variety of shapes, including blanks, coil and sheet steel. This stock may be coated or uncoated and is purchased from distributors, service centers, processing houses or mills.

Procurement is extremely complex in the steel industry because of the highly variable requirements, fragmented supply systems and relative pricing. It also requires factors to be considered other than the steel’s physical properties, including:

1. Communication with the steel supplier.
2. Delivery times available.
3. Supplier capabilities.

Choosing steel suppliers is further complicated by complex sourcing relationships that are constantly being evaluated, making technical support an important consideration as well.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Consider the application for which the steel will be used

The surface requirements will directly affect the process used by the steel manufacturer. Marks or stains may be acceptable if the steel will be painted and not all steel must be cleaned by electro-galvanization. If the steel does not have a high strength requirement, it may be possible for steel fabricators to use the hot-rolling process that is significantly cheaper than cold-rolling.

I recommend: Find the effects of manufacturing processes on the properties of steel at Enotes and find out about steel service centers at IQS directory .

Post a buy or sell notice online

This can be an efficient way to buy steel because many websites are heavily trafficked and do not charge for postings.

I recommend: ProcureSteel has a bulletin board for buying raw steel and steel products including scrap steel. Mainline Metals specializes in the sale of flat-rolled steel and also purchases steel in large lots throughout the world.

Use volume in choosing a steel supplier

The lowest prices are generally found at a mill but will require a higher volume. On the other hand, a service center will charge a markup but may be able to deliver your order. Traders may be another option because they can be expected to distinguish between integrated and mini mills.

I recommend: Make inquiries on steel prices at Premium Steel Sales and find an ISO 9001-certified steel supplier at Majestic Steel.

Recycle used steel

Virtually all steel has some recycled content because it can be recycled indefinitely. However, the best savings can generally be achieved by making the recycling loop as tight as possible.

I recommend: Use the recycling locator at the Steel Recycling Institute to find the steel recycling center nearest you. Nucor Building Systems actively promotes the use of steel with a high recycled content (more than 80%) in their steel buildings.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Convey complete specifications with the initial order, especially for specialty steels.
• •  Critical properties in steel processing include the thickness tolerance of the steel, the Olsen test requirements and the Rockwell hardness range.
• •  Determine other properties such as the cold weight, packaging and skid sizes.
• •  Establish the method that will be used to unload the truck. This factor can prove to be critical and is often overlooked.

Steel is one of the most important components of any construction or engineering project, as well as commercial products. Steel is primarily alloy or carbon-based, but it also contains small amounts of manganese, silicon, sulfur, oxygen and phosphorus. Other common chemicals used to make steel include chromium, molybdenum, aluminum and nickel. Steel comes in more than 3,000 grades, all reflecting different physical and chemical properties.

Common categories for steel include carbon, alloy and specialty steels such as stainless. Since carbon steel is malleable, steel fabricators can use it during welding, casting, forming and other machining operations. Alloy steels tend to be higher in strength and hardness, and are used in most end products. Stainless steel alloys are strong specialty metals that form through a cold-working process. They are also magnetic or non-magnetic, and corrosion- and oxidation-resistant. Stainless specialty steels are made up of elements such as chromium, nickel and manganese. When looking for carbon, alloy steels and specialty steels for your product or application:

1. Identify where to shop for different types of specialty steels.

2. Work with steel fabricators or steel manufacturers to customize your materials or end products.

3. Find industry compliant steel machinery or steel processing services.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Shop for different types of steel from suppliers

Add to your inventory steel basics such as alloy steels, carbon steels and other specialty steels for various uses.

I recommend: Flat-rolled, chemically and non-chemically treated steel can be found at Pacesetter Steel Service. Suburban Steel specializes in cold-rolled and hot-rolled steel in round, square, flat and hex shapes. The steel supplier also produces high-strength, low-alloy and carbon specialty steels. Alloy steels such as carbon, tool steels, stainless and structural steel are available at Continental Steel & Tube.

Consult with steel manufacturers or fabricators to get the materials you need

Steel cutting, polishing and heat-treating are some of the services that may be required to finish a project.

I recommend: Steel fabricator Pioneer Steel does services such as flame-cutting, shearing and steel surface finishing. AK Steel distributes carbon, electrical, stainless and antimicrobial-coated steel. Services include casting, carbon and specialty steels melting and stainless steel processing.

Seek industry compliant steel, or search for steel suppliers to ensure quality products

Find quality tool steels, alloy steels and specialty steels that are safe to handle.

I recommend: Certified steel supplier MST Steel works with high-strength, coated, galvanized and electroplated materials. Steel manufacturer Combined Metals of Chicago also produces certified nickel, stainless steel and titanium alloys. Products come as strips and wires. Corrosion-resistant stainless steel is also an option.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Materials to produce steel must meet several industry and compositional standards. Some of these include the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).

Steel is an integral part of most load-bearing structures and is a key component in products used every day. Composed primarily of iron and carbon, steel is a strong and durable material that can be altered to suit a variety of uses.

From stainless steel to maraging steel, steel is used in homes and in industrial settings. To ensure you understand steel fundamentals, learn about steel hardening and descaling and how steel gauge and corrosion factors affect the strength of steel by understanding essential steel key terms.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Stainless steel

Stainless steel is an alloy of steel that is durable and resists staining. Used in numerous products such as appliances, kitchen cookware and surgical tools, stainless steel is popular for use in homes and in industrial applications.

I recommend: Fantes.com provides extensive information on stainless steel uses and benefits.

Hardening

Hardening is the process of applying extreme heat to steel followed by a cooling process to increase its strength. There are different methods of hardening to attain specific properties of steel.

I recommend: Engineers Edge offers an explanation of the different methods of hardening.

Maraging steel

Maraging steel is one of the strongest forms of steel due to high levels of iron and low levels of carbon. Durable and malleable, maraging steel is widely used for military and space applications.

I recommend: Key to Steel provides in-depth information on the properties of and uses for maraging steel.

Gauge

The gauge of steel refers to the thickness of the steel. Standard steel, galvanized steel and aluminum-based steel have standard gauges based on inches. Regardless of the thickness, a reliable steel has an even gauge to ensure the integrity of the steel structure.

I recommend: The University of North Carolina provides a chart of gauges and standardized thickness in inches.

Corrosion

Corrosion is the process by which steel gradually breaks down. Corrosion is generally caused when steel is exposed over long periods of time to the elements.

I recommend: Corrosion Doctors offers more information on steel corrosion.

Descaling

Steel that is heated to extreme temperatures produces a mixture of oxygen and iron. This mixture creates 'scale' on the outside of the steel. Descaling is the process of removing the scale build-up. To remove scale from steel, a salt mixture is applied before the steel is rolled into flat sheets or the rollers used to flatten the steel are rough to remove scale during the rolling process.

I recommend: The American Iron and Steel Institute provides more information on descaling and the processes associated with descaling.