Steel Bars Key Terms

Take some time to brush up on your steel bar key terms

By Catherine Ryan
Steel bars serve a wide range of industries, from construction to manufacturing. No matter what business your company is in, it is important that you understand the terminology associated with steel bars.

As you look to purchase steel bars for your company make sure that you learn the meanings behind the following terms: hot rolled, Cold Finished Steel Bar Institute, cold finished, bar-in-coil, rod and merchant bar.

 

Hot rolled

Just as the name implies, hot rolled steel bars are created by pushing incredibly hot steel through a series of rollers. Hot rolled steel has a gray-blue scale due to the oxidation it undergoes in the cool-down process.
Try: Metal References provides an in-depth explanation of hot rolled steel.

Cold Finished Steel Bar Institute

The Cold Finished Steel Bar Institute (CFSBI) is North America's main cold finished steel bar trade association. It helps the industry comply with government regulations and seeks to stay in the forefront of cold finished steel bar technology.
Try: Visit the Cold Finished Steel Bar Institute website to learn more about its mission and explore the resources that it supplies.

Cold finished

A cold finished steel bar is created by running a cooled hot rolled bar through a die, removing the oxidized layer. The bar's surface is then ground and polished.
Try: Niagra LaSalle provides a step-by-step description of the cold finishing process.

Bar-in-coil

Bar-in-coil describes a steel bar that is in coiled form. This format is most often used with small steel bars. Steel wire is often sold in bar-in-coil form.
Try: Visit the Steel On The Net website to learn more about bar-in-coil, along with the definitions of a wide selection of other steel bar key terms.

Rod

A rod is a steel bar that is cylindrical in shape. Industrial steel wire is actually classified as a rod.
Try: SBQ Bar provides a wealth of technical and chemical information about its selection of stainless steel rods.

Merchant bar

Merchant bar is a term used to describe a wide range of steel bar products, including rounds, flats and squares.
Try: Visit the Steel Business Briefing website to learn the specifications of a merchant bar.


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