12 Feb Uses for Mild Steel

There are many different grades of steel, all of which can be summarised into a few key types of steel. One of these is mild steel, which has become an in-demand material in the past few years. This is due to its exceptional weldability and machinability, amongst other qualities. In this blog post, Baker Steel Trading’s expert team of steel fabricators will outline the essential facts about the material, including how it’s made and the uses for mild steel

What is Mild Steel?

Mild steel is a type of carbon steel that contains a low level of carbon. Otherwise known as low carbon steel, mild steel contains roughly between 0.05% and 0.25% of carbon by weight. This is opposed to high carbon steel, which can be composed of up to 2.5% carbon by weight. As mild steel doesn’t contain large amounts of any elements other than iron and ferrite, it is not an alloy steel.

The Properties of Low Carbon Steel

The particular composition of mild steel means that it has specific properties, which makes it ideally suited to certain types of projects which require steel fabrication.

Physical Properties of Mild Steel

The combination of materials that create low carbon steel gives the metal particular qualities that make it suitable for a variety of industrial projects and also make it a popular type of steel for steel fabrication companies to work with. Some of the physical properties of mild steel include:

• Ductile – The low amount of carbon used to create mild steel and the absence of any alloying elements results in a very ductile product. This means that low carbon steel can be deformed and shaped without losing its toughness, making it a very pliable type of steel that can be used for various purposes.
• Machinable and Weldable – The ductile nature of mild steel also means that it is particularly suitable for various steel fabrication processes, including welding. The lower percentage of carbon that is within the steel, the more malleable that the steel becomes. Baker Steel Trading provide mobile welding services that you can request along with your mild steel order, so take a look at our services page for more information.
  
• Affordable – Mild steel requires very few resources and ingredients, so it is a particularly cost-effective type of steel, which many steel fabrication customers use to complete their industrial projects.
  
• Magnetic – A bonus quality that comes from the high amounts of iron and ferrite used to create mild steel bars is that they are magnetic. Keep this in mind when deciding which type of steel to request when ordering from steel suppliers such as Baker Steel Trading.

Chemical Properties of Mild Steel

The simplicity of low carbon steel means it has few alloying elements included in its composition, resulting in less tensile strength than other steels. Still, these alloying elements can be added to improve the chemical properties of the material if required. 

You will often find substances like chromium, cobalt, phosphorus, sulphur, and manganese – the choice of which depends on the specifics of your need for the steel. A principal reason for other chemical properties to be required is a desire for corrosion resistance. 

Steel is prone to oxidising if not prepared accordingly, resulting in rust that damages (and eventually destroys) the steel. Without the addition of any additional elements, mild steel will suffer the same fate. Chromium is a popular addition to low carbon steel due to its reaction to exposure to the atmosphere, resulting in a layer of chromium oxide that protects the steel underneath from further corrosion.

How is Low Carbon Steel Made?

If you want to learn more about low carbon steel and how it can positively impact your project, it may be helpful to understand the process of creating it. The following steps are undertaken during the creation of mild steel:

1. Coal and iron ore are extracted and then melted together in a blast furnace along with lime, which is added to form a protective layer over the top of the hot molten metal. Oxygen is blown through the molten iron while scrap steel is added to the converter, which reduces the carbon content to a maximum of 1.5%.
2. The mixture is then moved to another furnace to burn off any impurities and make any other adjustments to the mild steel’s chemical composition. Possible processes used during this stage include degassing, stirring, and ladle injection, all of which impact the result in different ways.
3. Next is the casting process, where the steel is poured into a mould and left to solidify.
4. This low carbon steel slab is then typically shaped as desired through methods that can include hot rolling or cold drawing, amongst others. This step is known as the forming process. Mild steel is often formed more than once to improve its mechanical properties through techniques such as coating and tempering.

Can You Galvanise Mild Steel?

The simple answer is – yes, you can! If you’re looking for mild steel products that have a long lifespan and will remain strong in varying weather conditions, it’s recommended that you use galvanised low carbon steel. There are set quality standards for galvanised steel that ensure an effective amount of coating is applied to the steel to add resistance to rain, extreme temperatures and the general effects of weathering.

Galvanised low carbon steel is a popular choice to create sheds and other outdoor structures, along with vehicle construction. If your project requires you to use galvanised mild steel, you can order quality products from structural and mild steel suppliers like Baker Steel Trading.

What is Mild Steel used for?

Mild steel can be used to create products across a wide variety of industries, making it one of the most popularly used types of steel. Uses for mild steel include structural steel, signs, automobiles, furniture, fencing, and much more. To find out more about the multiple types of projects in which low carbon steel can be an excellent choice of material, take a look through the list below:

• Steel Frame Buildings – This type of steel is a popular choice for construction frame materials due to the high strength of mild steel beams.
• Gates and Fencing – Two products that require both security and aesthetic appeal, mild steel gates and fences provide both of these essential qualities. Low carbon steel is hard to break and can be painted, primed or galvanised to prevent corrosion and give it a decorative finish. Baker Steel Trading can design, manufacture and install steel fences and gates, so if you’re interested in these products, get in contact for more information.
• Machinery Parts – One of the most desirable traits of low carbon steel is its malleability, which makes it ideally suited to use during the creation of steel sheets within car body kits, along with other machinery elements.
• Pipelines – Mild steel tubes are a popular choice when looking to create steel pipes for various projects. This is due to their excellent ductility, making the pipes easily weldable whilst being flexible enough to not break under pressure. These pipes can also be insulated to maintain their performance in colder weather, helping to boost the long term quality of the pipework.
• Structural Steel – Low carbon steel can be used for situations that require structural steel fabrication, as it has a very consistent yield strength and is also easier to shape. Due to these qualities and the metals cost-effectiveness, mild steel can be preferable to structural steel in smaller structural applications.

The Grades of Mild Steel

There are many different grades of mild steel available to you, depending on what traits you need for your steel fabrication project. Some of the most popular low carbon steel grades available include:

• EN 1.0301 – This steel grade contains 0.1% carbon, 0.4% manganese and 0.4% silicon, along with other additional elements, all of which provide excellent weldability. These traits mean that EN 1.0301 is popularly used to create furniture, appliances, and automotive equipment.
• EN 1.1121 – This low carbon steel grade contains around 0.1% carbon and an average of 0.45% manganese, resulting in an exceptionally high ductility that makes EN 1.1121 used across many different projects.

If you want to learn more about the various grades of mild steel that we can supply, contact our experienced team of steel fabricators today.

Order Mild Steel Today

Baker Steel Trading are CE marked structural steel fabricators who can work with a wide variety of steel grades for commercial and industrial projects. If you’re looking for mild steel products to use within your project, contact us today, and we’ll be happy to run through the range of services and products that we can provide.