Types of steel

Steels are a large family of metals. All of them are alloys in which iron is mixed with carbon and other
elements. Steels are described as mild, medium- or high-carbon steels according to the percentage of
carbon they contain, although this is never greater than about 1.5%.
Type of steel Percentage of carbon

Mild steel Up to 0.25%

Medium carbon steel 0.25% to 0.45%

High carbon steel 0.45% to 1.50%

Table 1 Carbon steels

Adding metals such as nickel, chromium, and tungsten to iron

produces a wide range of alloy steels, including stainless
steel and high speed steels.

Properties of steels
The properties of a steel are closely linked to its composition. For
example, there is a big difference in hardness between the steel in a
drinks can and the steel that is used to make a pair of scissors. The
metal in the scissors contains nearly twenty times as much carbon and
is many times harder. Notice how the percentage of carbon in the steel
items in Picture 1 varies. Changing the carbon content changes the
properties of the steel and the way that it is used.

Heat treatment
The heat treatment given to a steel can affect its properties too.
Picture 1. Roll your cursor up the Cooling a red-hot tool steel rapidly in cold water makes it harder and
scale to see the percentage carbon more brittle. We could have made the same piece of metal softerby
content of some items. keeping it at red heat for longer and then cooling it slowly. Heat
treatment is another method that the steelmaker uses to make the
properties of the steel match the job it has to do.

Question 8
Look again at Picture 1. Besides hardness, in what other
ways does changing the carbon content affect the
properties of the steel?

Steels become more malleable as the percentage of carbon decreases.