Carbon steel is an iron-carbon alloy with a carbon content between 0.12% and 2.0%. It is one of the most common steel materials and is widely used in the manufacture of various parts and mechanical equipment. Carbon steel has good plasticity, toughness and weldability, so it has been widely used in industrial production.

What is Carbon Steel?

Carbon steel is a type of steel that contains about 0.05% to 3.8% carbon by weight, usually between 0.12% and 2%. Most steels with a carbon content of more than 2.5% are made using powder metallurgy. The high carbon content has a significant effect on the steel's properties, especially strength and hardness, making high carbon steel an excellent material for knives, swords, and bladed weapons.

Composition Of Carbon Steel

Carbon steel refers to an iron-carbon alloy with w(C)≤2.11%. In addition to the main elements of iron and carbon, it also contains impurity elements such as Mn and Si (which play the role of solid solution strengthening and deoxidation), S → hot brittleness, P → cold brittleness, O, N, H → making the strength, plasticity and toughness↓.

Advantages Of Carbon Steel

Carbon steel can obtain higher hardness and better wear resistance after heat treatment.

Carbon steel has a very moderate hardness in the annealed state and has good machinability.

The raw materials of carbon steel are common, easy to obtain, and the production cost is relatively low.

Disadvantages Of Carbon Steel

The thermal hardness of carbon steel is poor, because when the working temperature of the tool is greater than 200 degrees, its hardness and wear resistance will drop sharply.

The hardenability of carbon steel is very low. The diameter of fully hardened steel is generally around 15-18 mm when quenched in water, while the diameter or thickness of carbon steel without quenching is only about 6 mm, so it will be more prone to deformation and cracking.

What Types Of Carbon Steel

The main components of carbon steel are iron and carbon, and the carbon content determines the properties of carbon steel. Generally speaking, the higher the carbon content, the greater the hardness, but the toughness and plasticity will decrease. According to the different carbon content, carbon steel can be divided into three types: low carbon steel, medium carbon steel and high carbon steel.

Low Carbon Steel

Low carbon steel has a carbon content between 0.05% and 0.30%. It has good plasticity and weldability, but low hardness. It is often used to make cold stamping parts, welded parts and mechanical parts.At the same time, the price of low carbon steel is relatively low, making it an economical and practical material choice.

Medium Carbon Steel

The carbon content of medium carbon steel is between 0.30% and 0.60%. It has high hardness and strength and is suitable for manufacturing parts such as gears, bearings and springs.Its applicable temperature range is relatively high and it can withstand working in high temperature environment to a certain extent.

High Carbon Steel

The carbon content of high carbon steel is between 0.60% and 2.0%. It has high hardness and strength, but poor toughness. It is often used to make knives, springs, bearings, etc.When using high carbon steel, attention should be paid to reasonable heating and cooling treatment to improve its machinability and service life.

What is 1095 High Carbon Steel?

Chemical composition of 1095 high carbon steel: C: 1.0, Mn: 0.4, P: 0.04, S: 0.05

1095 high carbon steel is the most widely used 10 series steel. Carbon content: 0.95%-1.03%. It contains only two alloy components: 0.95% carbon and 0.4% manganese. After heat treatment, it can reach a hardness of HRc57-60, and has very good toughness, but it is not rust-resistant and is more prone to rust. For knives, 1095 is a very "standard" carbon steel with good performance and low cost, and has appropriate toughness and polishing degree. It is mostly used in traditional hunting knives, large felling knives and military knives.

What’s the difference between 1095 and 1075 steel 

Carbon Content:

The carbon content of 1095 steel is 0.95%~1.03%

The carbon content of 1075 steel is approximately between 0.70%~0.80%

Hardness:

Due to its high carbon content, 1095 steel can reach a hardness of HRc57-60 after heat treatment, which makes it very hard.

Although 1075 steel has a lower carbon content, it can also reach a certain hardness after heat treatment (up to 58-62 HRC after quenching) while maintaining good toughness.

Application:

1095 steel is often used to make tools that require high hardness and good toughness, such as European hunting knives, large chopping knives and military knives. For example, the American "KA-BAR" military knife during World War II used 1095 as the blade material.

1075 steel is widely used to make springs, knives, swords, axes, machetes and various mechanical parts due to its good balance between hardness and toughness, especially in scenes that require high fatigue strength.

What is the Difference Between Carbon Steel and Stainless Steel?

In our daily life, we will find that many tools are made of stainless steel. It has high hardness, strength and corrosion resistance, and is shiny and beautiful. What is the difference between stainless steel and carbon steel?

What is Stainless Steel?

Stainless steel, also known as stainless acid-resistant steel, refers to steel that is resistant to corrosion by weak corrosive media such as air, steam, and water, and chemically corrosive media such as acids, alkalis, and salts. In practical applications, steel that is resistant to corrosion by weak corrosive media is often called stainless steel, while steel that is resistant to corrosion by chemical media is called acid-resistant steel.

Stainless steel is a high-alloy steel with more than 60% iron as the matrix and alloying elements such as chromium, nickel, and molybdenum.

Carbon Steel vs Stainless Steel

Corrosion resistance and wear resistance

Stainless steel refers to an alloy that is resistant to corrosion by weak corrosive media such as air, steam, and water, and chemically corrosive media such as acids, alkalis, and salts. This function is mainly due to the addition of the stainless element chromium. When the chromium content is greater than 12%, a layer of oxide film, commonly known as a passivation film, will form on the surface of the stainless steel. With this oxide film, it will not be easily dissolved in certain media, playing a good isolation role and having strong corrosion resistance.Carbon steel refers to an iron-carbon alloy with a carbon content of less than 2.11%, also called carbon steel. Its hardness is much higher than that of stainless steel, but it is heavier and has lower plasticity. It is a typical "too hard and easy to break" and is easy to rust.

Stainless steel with different components

Steel that is resistant to weak corrosive media such as air, steam, and water or has stainless properties is called stainless steel; and steel that is resistant to chemically corrosive media (acids, alkalis, salts, etc.) is called acid-resistant steel. Carbon steel is an iron-carbon alloy with a carbon content of 0.0218%~2.11%. Also called carbon steel. It also generally contains small amounts of silicon, manganese, sulfur, and phosphorus.

Cost Another important consideration is the cost difference between carbon steel and stainless steel. Although different steels have different costs, stainless steel is generally more expensive than carbon steel, mainly due to the addition of various alloying elements such as chromium, nickel, and manganese. Compared to carbon steel, stainless steel is mixed with a large number of other alloys, which makes it more expensive than carbon steel. On the other hand, carbon steel is mainly composed of relatively cheap iron and carbon elements. If your project budget is tight, then carbon steel may be the best choice.

Difference Between Carbon Steel and Aluminum Alloy

Composition and performance

Carbon steel: mainly composed of iron and carbon, containing silicon, manganese, phosphorus and other elements. According to the carbon content, carbon steel can be divided into low carbon steel, medium carbon steel and high carbon steel. The strength and hardness of carbon steel increase with the increase of carbon content, but the plasticity is low.

Aluminum alloy: an alloy composed of aluminum as the basis and metal elements such as copper, magnesium and manganese added. Aluminum alloy has a higher density, better strength and hardness, and stronger corrosion resistance.

Applications

Carbon steel: widely used in construction, manufacturing and engineering, such as bridges, ships, automobiles, chains, rivets, bolts, shafts, etc. Carbon steel is suitable for bearing and carrying heavier objects or people due to its high strength and durability.

Aluminum alloy: mostly used in aviation, aerospace, electronic products and other fields, such as aircraft, mobile phones, computers, spacecraft, etc. Aluminum alloy is very popular in occasions that require lightweight design due to its light weight and high strength.

Cost and processing

Carbon steel: relatively low price, suitable for application scenarios with limited budget. It can be processed by forging, stretching and other methods.

Aluminum alloy: the price is usually high, but due to technological advances, the price is gradually reduced. It is generally processed by cutting, drilling and other methods.

Summary

Whether you choose carbon steel, stainless steel, or aluminum, you can decide based on your actual application scenario and performance requirements. We specialize in metal material suppliers, providing high-quality building materials and customized solutions. Please contact the Sucel Steel team immediately for more information. Please send an email to contact@sucelsteel.com or call us at +86 15017779517.