When working with steel vendors, they must be knowledgeable about the products they supply to your business and all the different steels they sell, their applications and specific properties. They should also have a good idea about products they don’t sell but which are crucial to the industry.
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Steel is used widely in modern society by manufacturers of a wide array of products and those who construct buildings, bridges and other infrastructure. Regardless of why a business or organization requires steel, vendors should be able to answer the following questions:
Steel is an alloy primarily made from iron that contains less than 2 percent carbon, with other elements like manganese, oxygen, phosphorus, silicon and sulfur added to give the steel certain characteristics. It’s also a relatively inexpensive alloy with high tensile strength, which is why it’s widely used.
Steel has myriad uses, including as a component in automobiles, buildings, home appliances, infrastructure, ships, tools, weaponry and many other modern-day products. Steel is also used in engineering applications and as an important construction material.
While iron occurs naturally in ore form, it’s also the primary element making up steel alloys. The main difference is that steel is stronger than iron, with superior compression and tension properties.
One of the most frequently asked questions of steel vendors involves why it’s not considered a metal. This has to do with the fact steel isn’t a pure element but rather an alloy comprised mostly of iron, which is a metal, and carbon, which isn’t a metal.
Various steels have differing properties depending on the elements within the alloy. But generally, steel:
While titanium can be alloyed with other metals – including aluminum or vanadium – to make it stronger than many types of low to medium grades of steel, the highest-rated stainless steel grades are stronger than these titanium alloys.
Steel is generally categorized into four types: alloy, carbon, stainless and tool steels.
The specific grade of steel that’s considered the strongest is in the 400 class of stainless steel, specifically, type 440. The 440 stainless grade is a type of cutlery steel with a higher carbon ratio. The 440 grade retains edges much better when properly heat-treated than other steels.
As one of the hardest stainless steel grades, it’s classified into four subsets. Categorized into 440A, 440B, 440C, and 440F stainless steel, these differ only concerning the amount of carbon they contain. Of these, 440C stainless steel is considered the strongest, comprising between 0.95-1.20 percent carbon. During the annealing process, 440 steel can be easily machined, worked, and manipulated into shape to increase strength further.
The most commonly used and versatile steel grade is also stainless. Type 304 stainless steel contains 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel, sometimes referred to as 18/8 steel.
There’s not just one kind of stainless steel. The term applies to a group of iron-based alloys that contain at least 10.5 percent chromium, making stainless steel so resistant to corrosion. This chromium forms a very thin layer on the steel’s surface to prevent rust and other types of corrosion.
In addition to chromium, carbon content in stainless steels can be no more than 1.2 percent. Stainless steel alloys also contain varying amounts of other elements, such as manganese, molybdenum, nickel, niobium, nitrogen, silicon, and others. These other materials contribute to the properties of specific types of stainless steel.
Yes, and yes. Though many believe stainless steel won’t rust wrongly, it’s possible under certain conditions for stainless steel to rust, though its chemical makeup helps prevent rusting. Additionally, there are other types of corrosion besides oxidation that makes steel rust.
When stainless steel surfaces are exposed to chemicals or other corrosive substances for too long and aren’t properly cared for, they begin to pit. This pitting affects the performance of a stainless steel surface and its aesthetics.
All steels are uniquely sustainable and capable of being used and recycled repeatedly. Steel production also requires less energy than producing other types of materials. Further, the steel industry has made great strides toward limiting the pollution it produces. For example, fabricating a ton of steel requires just 40 percent of the energy it took to make in .
Yet steel knowledge isn’t the only thing to glean from questions posed to steel suppliers. Vendors should also show that they’re trustworthy and honorable when doing business. To ensure that they are these things as well, another set of questions should be asked of steel vendors:
It’s important to understand the final cost of materials like steel. Vendors sometimes charge a restocking fee for returns, while others may invoice for delivery or fuel surcharges. It’s important to ask a steel supplier to identify these costs so that the total cost for material is known and can be compared with prices from other vendors.
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This is an important aspect of any business, including steel suppliers. If there’s a problem with the steel that leads to other costly expenses, the steel vendor’s policy must cover it. it’s also a good idea to get a copy of their liability insurance certificate.
For distributors, steel vendors mustn’t sell to end users at sharply discounted rates. Some manufacturers will work with a distributor until they’re established, then cut them out to make higher profits. That’s not good for any distributor’s business.
Sometimes the product doesn’t sell, so it’s important to understand a steel vendor’s return policy. A guaranteed sell-through allows a business to return unsold materials for either cash or credit.
With COVID and current world events having caused issues with supply chains, this is a very important question to ask steel vendors. A lack of vital materials will strangle a business, so relying on suppliers that don’t deliver isn’t an option. Steel suppliers that offer discounts for a product that doesn’t arrive on time, or who will pay back customers for steel they had to get from another source will help allay the costs of delays or mistakes.
For distributors, it’s important to get a price that gels with the profit their business needs to make in order to grow. For instance, if a steel vendor states that the gross margin should only be 25 percent on the steel they sell, while your business needs a 30 percent margin to stay competitive, this relationship probably won’t work out long term.
Knowing what might make steel vendors change their pricing structure is also important. Sudden price increases in material or services can cause havoc with any business. It’s important to know if prices are tied to inflation, and how much notice will be given should steel prices rise. Additionally, it’s not a bad idea to ask steel vendors if they reduce prices to their customers should their price go down.
Steel vendors sometimes offer discounts for bulk buys. This can affect profits, so it’s a good idea to know in advance about such incentives.
It’s important when a supply of any material arrives to ensure that it’s in good condition, and this also applies to steel. Vendors should be asked whether there’s a certain grace period after receiving their product. It’s important to check contracts to allow at last three days to check an order prior to taking responsibility for it.
This final question can be applied to any vendor of products or services. It’s these traits that businesses working with steel vendors should look for:
You have most likely encountered the 18/8, 18/10, and 18/0 grades of stainless steel more than you realize. These steels are used in everything from the pipes that may have brought you the water for your morning coffee to the teaspoon you use to stir it with. Needless to say, these are very valuable materials in the world of manufacturing and are some of the most popular among Xometry customers.
For a quick overview of the differences between these three grades, we’ve outlined what each stainless steel grade consists of chemically, what it’s great (and not-so-good) at, and the ways in which Xometry’s services can be beneficial to processing stainless steel for your own business.
This kind of stainless steel is a member of the 300 grouping, and its most common and popular grade is 304. Its name basically gives away its composition—it’s got around 18% chromium and 8% nickel. Also included is roughly 67% iron, and a tiny trace of carbon (about 0.07%). It’s also part of the austenitic steel family, meaning they have better corrosion resistance than other families of stainless steel and can’t be hardened through heat treatments. That being said, it falters slightly in corrosion resistance when it comes to sitting in or being constantly exposed to saltwater.
This grade has an extra perk in that it’s food safe, meaning it can be made into cookware, like pots and pans, utensils and cutlery, and even those sleek stainless steel cooking worktops you find in restaurants. To make this grade, all the ingredients, including the alloying elements, have to be mixed together and then melted in an electric furnace. This part of the process takes around 8–12 hours. After that, it has to go through decarburization, which is basically getting rid of any carbon that has been left over, and this is done with argon or oxygen. It’s then poured into molds so that it can harden in the needed shape and size.
The numbers in 18/10 stainless steel’s name also describe its makeup; it’s got 10% nickel, and around the same amount of chromium as the other two (18%). With that extra bit of nickel, 18/10 steel is known for having slightly better rust and corrosion resistance, making it a great option for flatware, cooking utensils, and kitchen appliances. It can hold its own in high temperatures—earning it another point for use within the food and restaurant industries.
Just like 18/8, the scrap is melted down in a furnace and then decarburized. The only difference is that its ingredients have slightly different proportions, i.e. slightly more nickel. It’s then formed into the shape the manufacturer has in mind and finished in various ways to get the final product.
This grade has no nickel in it — which is why there’s a zero in its name — but it does have the same amount of chromium as the other two grades. Its lack of nickel or molybdenum means it’s not as resistant to corrosion and oxidation. Perhaps balancing that out is its cost—it’s more affordable than the other two grades.
This steel is made just like the other two (melted in a furnace), just without any nickel. It’s then cast into whatever shape and size is needed, then. Once this is done, manufacturers will anneal it or put it through other processes to boost its benefits and improve its finish.
You’ll want to think about the end purpose for the stainless steel you’ll be using and the environment it’ll be in, as well as the budget available for manufacturing and what specific characteristics are necessary. To help you decide, we’ve created the two tables below, which provide the strengths and weaknesses of each type of stainless steel, and their properties.
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