The Many Uses of Mild Steel

Over 1.5 billion tons of steel are produced every year to make all kinds of products, from household items to structural beams for skyscrapers. The most common type of steel is low-carbon steel, also known as mild steel. The uses of mild steel are countless in virtually every industry and in-home projects.

Because it is inexpensive, versatile, and readily available, mild steel is the most common metal used by home metalworkers, makers, and DIYers. The uses of mild steel are endless—its mechanical properties are suitable for almost any application, and it’s extremely affordable, especially in the form of reusable metal remnants.

In this post, we’ll go over some of the mechanical and physical properties of mild steel and how to get the best prices by buying verified remnants instead of new alloy steel.

What Is Mild Steel?

Mild steel is an industry term for low-carbon steel, which has a carbon content of approximately 0.05 to 0.3% by weight. For comparison, medium-carbon steel has a carbon content ranging from 0.3% to 0.6%, while high-carbon steel can contain up to 2.5% more carbon content by weight than low-carbon steel.

The low carbon content of mild steel gives it specific mechanical properties that make it ideal for certain types of projects. Some of the most notable properties of mild steel include:

• High ductility: Mild steel is very ductile due to its low amount of carbon and the absence of other alloying elements. This means mild steel can be readily formed without losing its toughness compared to low-carbon steel.
• High machinability: Mild steel is relatively soft because of its high ductility. This means that it is more easily machined than more rigid carbon steels.
• High weldability: The ductility also makes mild steel suitable for welding, both to itself and other types of steel. Low-carbon steel is easier to weld than other grades of mild steel.
• Low cost: The chemical composition and ease of manufacture make mild steel a very inexpensive material.

However, mild steel also has some disadvantages. Unlike high-carbon steels, heat treatment processes cannot harden the physical properties of a mild steel grade. It’s also vulnerable to rusting when exposed to moisture, which makes it vulnerable to further corrosion. In these conditions, stainless steel, known for its superior corrosion resistance, is probably a better option but is also more expensive. Mild steel is a great choice when the application requires the tensile strength and durability of steel but not the corrosion resistance of stainless steel.

Low-carbon steel is particularly advantageous for projects where cost efficiency and ease of manufacturing are critical.

Uses of Mild Steel

Mild steel is the most common type of carbon steel and can be found in many kinds of products and industries. The following are some of the uses of mild steels:

• Building frames: Mild steel beams are commonly used in construction for building frames because of their high tensile strength.
• Manufacturing equipment: Mild steel is commonly used in equipment like platens, welding tables, fixtures, and jigs because it is inexpensive, strong, and durable.
• Machinery parts: Mild steel is a common material for machine elements like gears, bearings, and springs that don’t need the corrosion resistance of stainless steel.
• Pipes: Mild steel pipes have excellent weldability and are strong enough to contain high-pressure fluids.
• Cookware and cutlery: Low-carbon steel makes knives that retain sharp edges for a long time. It can also be used to make cookware with non-stick properties that are more durable than cast iron and have a higher temperature limit than non-stick coatings.

Maximize Value by Purchasing Remnant Steel

Even newly milled mild steel is affordable, but there are ways to get even lower prices. Verified mild steel remnants are available at prices much lower than steel sourced directly from a mill.

Because mild steel is used in large quantities by manufacturers in the San Francisco Bay Area, these manufacturers have large volumes of usable material left over after manufacturing. Local metal recyclers specializing in recycling and selling usable mild steel remnants at highly competitive prices purchase this material, including scrap steel.

In addition to the cost savings, verified mild steel remnants offer the advantage of less machining waste when remnants closely match the dimensions of the component being machined or fabricated. Remnants occupy less floor space and are easier to handle than full-size steel plates and bars. If you’re not consistently using large amounts of mild steel in your production process, remnants can be a cost-effective source of your material.

Additionally, considering scrap steel for more minor projects can lead to significant cost savings without compromising material quality. While low-carbon steels are often preferred for their ductility and ease of use, higher-carbon steels are chosen for applications requiring greater hardness and strength. However, the affordability of mild steel remnants makes them a practical alternative to steels with higher carbon content in many scenarios.

Your Local Supplier of Mild Steel

With so many common uses of mild steel, it’s important to have a trustworthy, reliable supplier to ensure your projects are completed on time. For two decades, Industrial Metal Service has been supplying mild steel products such as remnants to manufacturers, machine shops, welders, and fabricators in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a growing number of shops nationwide.

We specialize in selling a variety of verified metal remnants, including carbon steels, aluminum, titanium, and high-temperature alloys. All our metal remnants are verified using x-ray fluorescence analyzers to ensure you receive top-quality steel.