Material Name
Low Carbon Steels
Abbreviation
Up to 0.30% Carbon
Trade Names
Good formability, good weld-ability, low cost
Description
0.1%-0.2% carbon: Chains, stampings, rivets, nails, wire, pipe, and where very soft, plastic steel is needed.
0.2%-0.3% carbon: Machine and structural parts
Material Name
Medium Carbon Steels
Abbreviation
0.30% to 0.80% Carbon
Trade Names
A good balance of properties, fair formability
Description
0.3%-0.4% carbon: Lead screws, gears, worms, spindles, shafts, and machine parts.
0.4%-0.5% carbon: Crankshafts, gears, axles, mandrels, tool shanks, and heat-treated machine parts
0.6%-0.8% carbon: ”Low carbon tool steel”
and is used where shock strength is wanted. Drop hammer dies, set screws, screwdrivers, and arbors.
0.7%-0.8% carbon: Tough and hard steel. Anvil faces, band saws, hammers, wrenches, and cable wire.
Material Name
High Carbon Steels
Abbreviation
0.80% to ~2.0% Carbon
Trade Names
Low toughness, formability, and weld-ability, high hardness and wear resistance, fair formability
Description
0.8%-0.9% carbon: Punches for metal, rock drills, shear blades, cold chisels, rivet sets, and many hand tools.
0.9%-1.0% carbon: Used for hardness and high tensile strength, springs, cutting tools
1.0%-1.2% carbon: Drills, taps,
milling cutters, knives, cold cutting dies, wood working tools.
1.2%-1.3% carbon: Files, reamers, knives, tools for cutting wood and brass.
1.3%-1.4% carbon: Used where a keen cutting edge is necessary (razors, saws, etc.)
and where wear resistance is important.
Material Name
Stainless Steel
Abbreviation
Stainless steel is a family of corrosion resistant steels. They contain at least 10.5% chromium, with or without other elements. The Chromium in the alloy forms a self-healing protective clear oxide layer. This oxide layer gives stainless steels their corrosion resistance.
Trade Names
Good corrosion resistance, appearance, and mechanical properties
Description
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Material Name
Stainless Steel – Austenitic
Abbreviation
Austenitic Steels: Contains chromium and nickel. The typical chromium content is in the range of 16% to 26%; nickel content is commonly less than 35%.
Trade Names
Good mechanical and corrosion resisting properties, high hardness and yield strength as well as excellent ductility and are usually non-magnetic
Description
Kitchen sinks, architectural applications such as roofing, cladding, gutters, doors and windows; Food processing equipment; Heat exchangers; Ovens; Chemical tanks
Material Name
Stainless Steel – Ferritic
Abbreviation
Ferritic Steels: Magnetic with a high chromium and low nickel content usually alloyed with other elements such as aluminum or titanium.
Trade Names
Good ductility, weld-ability, and formability; reasonable thermal conductivity, and corrosion resistance with a good bright surface appearance
Description
Automotive trim, catalytic converters, radiator caps, fuel lines, cooking utensils, architectural and domestic appliance trim applications
Material Name
Stainless Steel – Martensitic
Abbreviation
Martensitic Steels: Typically contains 11.0% to 17.0% chromium, no nickel, and 0.10% to 0.65% carbon levels. The high carbon enables the material to be hardened by heating to a high temperature, followed by rapid cooling (quenching).
Trade Names
Good combination of corrosion resistance and excellent mechanical properties, produced by heat treatment, to develop maximum hardness, strength, and resistance to abrasion and erosion.
Description
Cutlery, scissors, surgical instruments, wear plates, garbage disposal shredder lugs, industrial knives, vanes for steam turbines, fasteners, shafts, and springs
Material Name
Aluminum / Aluminum alloys
Abbreviation
Pure metal / Easily alloyed with small amounts of copper, manganese, silicone, magnesium, and other elements
Trade Names
Low density, good electrical conductivity (approx. 60% of copper), nonmagnetic, noncombustible, ductile, malleable, corrosion resistance; easily formed, machined, or cast
Description
Window frames, aircraft parts, automotive parts, kitchenware
Material Name
Brass
Abbreviation
Alloy of copper and zinc, 65% to 35% is the common ratio
Trade Names
Reasonable hardness; casts, forms, and machines well; good electrical conductivity and acoustic properties
Description
Parts for electrical fittings, valves, forgings, ornaments, musical instruments
Material Name
Copper,Pure metal
Abbreviation
Excellent ductility, thermal and electrical conductivity
Trade Names
Electrical wiring, tubing, kettles, bowls, pipes, printed circuit boards
Description
Material Name
Lead,Pure metal
Abbreviation
Heaviest common metal, ductile, and malleable, good corrosion resistance
Trade Names
Pipes, batteries, roofing, protection against X-Rays
Description
Material Name
Magnesium / Magnesium Alloys
Abbreviation
Pure metal / Used as an alloy element for aluminum, lead, zinc, and other nonferrous alloys; alloyed with aluminum to improve the mechanical, fabrication, and welding characteristics
Trade Names
Lightest metallic material (density of about 2/3 of that of aluminum), strong and tough, most machinable metal, good corrosion resistance, easily cast
Description
Automobile, portable electronics, appliances, power tools, sporting goods parts, and aerospace equipment
Material Name
Nickel / Nickel Alloys
Abbreviation
Pure metal / Alloys very well with large amounts of other elements, chiefly chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten
Trade Names
Very good corrosion resistance (can be alloyed to extend beyond stainless steels), good high temperature and mechanical performance, fairly good conductor of heat and electricity
Description
The major use of nickel is in the preparation of alloys or plating – frequently used as an undercoat in decorative chromium plating and to improve corrosion resistance; applications include electronic lead wires, battery components, heat exchangers in corrosive environments
Material Name
Titanium / Titanium Alloys
Abbreviation
Pure metal / Easily alloys with aluminum, nickel, chromium, and other elements
Trade Names
Low density, low coefficient of thermal expansion, high melting point, excellent corrosion resistance, nontoxic and generally biologically compatible with human tissues and bones, high strength, stiffness, good toughness
Description
Aerospace structures and other high-performance applications, chemical and petrochemical applications, marine environments, and biomaterial applications
Material Name
Zinc / Zinc Alloys
Abbreviation
Pure metal/ Metal is employed to form numerous alloys with other metals. Alloys of primarily zinc with small amounts of copper, aluminum, and magnesium are useful in die-casting. The most widely used alloy of zinc is brass
Trade Names
Excellent corrosion resistance, light weight, reasonable conductor of electricity
Description
Used principally for galvanizing iron (more than 50% of metallic zinc goes into galvanizing steel), numerous automotive applications because of its light weight