Alloy Steel Grades

Alloy Steel Grades

Low Alloy Steels
Low alloy steels are those containing less than 5% by weight of alloying elements such as chromium, nickel, molybdenum and vanadium. Low alloy steels have greater mechanical properties such as hardness, toughness, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance than ordinary carbon steels. A typical low alloy steel containing 0.30% carbon, 1% chromium and molybdenum is called 4130 steel.

High Strength Low Alloy (HSLA) Steels
High Strength Low Alloy (HSLA) steels have better mechanical properties and higher resistance to atmospheric corrosion than conventional carbon steels. These steels differ from "normal" alloy steels in that they are manufactured to meet mechanical rather than chemical requirements.

High-alloy steels
High alloy steels are defined by a high percentage of alloying elements. The most popular high-alloy steels are stainless steels with a chromium content of at least 12%. The three basic types of stainless steel are martensitic, ferritic and austenitic. High-alloy steels are used in applications that require high strength and corrosion protection, such as aerospace and defense components, chemical processing machinery and medical implants. Stainless steels, tool steels and maraging steels are a few examples of high-grade steels.

Stainless steels
Stainless steel is an iron alloy that is resistant to rust and corrosion. To achieve other desired properties, elements such as carbon, other non-metals and metals may be included in addition to a minimum chromium content of 11%. Austenitic, ferritic, martensitic, duplex and precipitation-hardening steels form the bulk of the stainless steel family. The most corrosion-resistant steels are usually austenitic steels, which contain up to 35% nickel and 26% chromium.