Steel is a versatile metal that can be used for a variety applications. Steel is used in over 55% of all cars. The kind of alloy used to manufacture it determines its versatility, as they affect the material’s quality, durability, and strength. For instance, the method that the manufacturer cools the websites metal can have a significant impact on its microstructure and its overall properties. It can also be manipulated to achieve specific characteristics like machinability, yield strength, and resistance to corrosion.

In its simplest form, steel is iron that has been alloyed with various elements to improve its physical properties and make it suitable for specific uses. The proportions of these extra alloying elements determine which class of steel it is ascribed to, and thus its overall performance across different applications.

For instance, stainless steel contains at least 11% chromium, which makes it resistant to corrosion. This is what makes it suitable for a wide range of applications like kitchen utensils and cutlery. Tool steel is a favorite because of its high hardness and resistance to scratching. It is also used to machine dies and hand tools. Furthermore, the high weldability and ductility of carbon steels make them suitable for a broad array of applications. Electrical steel is, however, is an example of one of the most specialized grades of steel which contains silicon (typically 3%). This increases its magnetic properties, as well as reducing losses from eddy-current. This makes it ideal for laminations and transformer cores of electric motors.