Mild and Carbon Steel
Available in wire
Mild and Carbon Steel Grades
Normal Duty Static Wire: NS1 / NS2
Normal Duty Dynamic Wire: ND1 / ND2/ ND3
High Duty Dynamic Wire: HD1 / HD2 / HD3
High Duty Static Wire: HS1 / HS2 / HS3
High Duty Static and Dynamic Wire (Music Grade): M4 / M5
High Tensile Static Wire
High Tensile Dynamic Wire
Medium Tensile Static Wire
Medium Tensile Dynamic Wire
Low Tensile Static Wire
What are the benefits of using Mild And Carbon Steel?
Carbon Steel is an affordable, strong and durable material, offering shock resistant properties. It is also easily recycled and reused, making it a more environmentally friendly material choice
What are the disadvantages of using Mild And Carbon Steel?
Carbon Steel, is also more susceptible to rust and corrosion, limiting its use for certain applications
Carbon and Mild Steels
Many manufacturers explore the use of Carbon Steels due to its low cost and the considerable physical properties of high formability, high hardness and excellent fatigue strength. However, it suffers from poor corrosion and oxidation resistance, so is generally only used in undemanding environments. Typical applications include springs, piano strings and lock levers. Carbon steels are available in low carbon and high carbon conditions.
Knight Precision Wire are specialist manufacturers of Wire and Cable and can provide free quotations on your requirements. Please get in touch to arrange this.
Low Carbon and Mild Steel Wire
The hardness or temper of cold rolled mild steel wire is determined by its analysis, the amount of cold rolling or by a final annealing process. Manufacturers select these Steel to achieve the optimum mechanical properties for the forming operation, whether it be deep drawing, forming or flat blanking.
“Skin passed” is a very light rolling reduction after the annealing process to prevent the formation of deformation bands called stretcher strains, which can ruin surface appearance of the formed article.
Mild steels cannot be hardened except by cold working because their carbon content is too low for significant heat treatment reaction to take place. However, they can be case hardened to give a harder surface.
| CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF LOW CARBON STEEL | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BS 1052 : 1980 | C (max) | Mn | S (max) | P (max) |
| 0.18 | 0.40 – 1.00 | 0.05 | 0 | |
| MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF LOW CARBON STEEL WIRE | |
|---|---|
| Temper | Tensile Strength (N/mm²) |
| Annealed | 500 max |
| Lightly Drawn | 400 – 550 |
| Hard Drawn | 500 – 950 |
| CHARACTERISTICS AND APPLICATIONS OF OF LOW CARBON STEEL WIRE | ||
|---|---|---|
| BS 1052 | Features | Applications |
| Low tensile strength, good formability. | Wire baskets, florist wire, hangers, tie wire. | |
High Carbon Spring Steel Wire
High Carbon Steel is available in several forms:
(a) Annealed:
Bright rolled Carbon Steels are often used in the annealed condition for forming of components. These can then be batch heat treated to increase their hardness and spring characteristics. To maintain a good surface condition, heat treatment should be carried out in a controlled atmosphere furnace at the appropriate temperature for the grade (see table) and oil quenched to achieve maximum hardness. Tempering must then be carried out to reduce the strength/hardness of the material but considerably improve its toughness and ductility. Temperatures in the range of 300 – 450°C should be used to achieve the required final hardness. Alternatively, austempering is frequently carried out by quenching into a molten salt bath @ 350 – 450°C. Our Sales and Technical staff will give additional heat treatment advice for your particular application, upon request.
(b) Hardened & Tempered:
Hardened & Tempered Spring Steel has been heat treated in strip form at the mill, prior to being supplied to the customer. Many applications do not require severe bending and forming and it is often beneficial to use hardened and tempered strip in these cases. The main benefits are: No risk of distortion. Uniformity of surface finish. Constant mechanical properties. These factors often mean reduced processing costs and a higher quality product Stress Relieving. After severe deformation hardened & tempered spring steel requires a low temperature (250 – 300°C) stress relieving operation to “set” the components into shape. This will impart a coloured oxide finish ranging from bronze to blue which slightly improves corrosion resistance.
| HIGH CARBON STEEL CHEMICAL COMPOSITION | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SL : Low tensile static | DM : Medium tensile dynamic | SM : Medium tensile static | DH : High tensile dynamic | SH : High tensile static | ||||||
| EN 10270-1 : 2001 | C (a) | Si | Mn (b) | P (max) | S (max) | Cu (max) |
| SL, SM, SH | 0.35 – 1.00 | 0.10 – 0.30 | 0.50 – 1.20 | 0.035 | 0.035 | 0.2 |
| DM, DH | 0.45 – 1.00 | 0.10 – 0.30 | 0.50 – 1.20 | 0.02 | 0.025 | 0.12 |
| (a) A wide range is stipulated to accommodate the whole range of sizes. For individual sizes, the carbon range is substantially more restricted. (b) The range of manganese content is wide to cope with various processing situations and the broad size range. The actual figures per size small are more restricted. | ||||||
| HIGH CARBON STEEL CHEMICAL COMPOSITION | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NS : Normal duty static | ND : Normal duty dynamic | HS : High duty static | HD : High duty dynamic | M : High duty static and dynamic (music grade) | |||||
| BS 5216 : 1991 | C | Si (max) | Mn | P (max) | S (max) |
| NS, HS | 0.35 – 0.85 | 0.35 | 0.40 – 1.00 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| ND, HD | 0.45 – 0.85 | 0.35 | 0.30 – 1.00 | 0.03 | 0.03 |
| M | 0.60 – 1.00 | 0.35 | 0.25 – 0.75 | 0.03 | 0.03 |
All data is provided for informational purposes only. In no event will the Knight Group and its subsidiaries, be liable for in respect of any action taken by any third party arising from using the information taken from our online or printed sources. Chemical and Mechanical Properties should not be construed as maximum or minimum values for specifications, nor should information be used to assess suitability for a particular use or application. The information and data provided is deemed to be accurate to the best of our knowledge and may be revised anytime without notice and assume no duty to update