The image above shows stainless steel to carbon steel the stainless are the left two items and the rest are mainly low to medium carbon steel.
Chart of carbon steel vs stainless steel
Mild steel (Low carbon steel) | Carbon steel (High) | Stainless steel (304) | |
Cutting methods | Oxy-fuel/ Grinder/ Plasma/ Guillotine/ Water Jet | Oxy-fuel/ Grinder/ Plasma/ Water Jet | Grinder/ Plasma/ Guillotine/ Water Jet |
Ease of bending | Easy | Hard (Can crack) | Medium |
Ease of welding | Easiest | Hard | Medium |
Corrosion resistance | Least | Medium | High |
Melting point | 1350oC-1530oC | 1425-1540°C | 1400 – 1450°C |
Heat conductivity | High | High | Very high |
Magnetic | Yes | Yes | No |
What is carbon steel
Carbon steel is iron mixed with carbon to form an alloy. There is a lot of different carbon steel, ranging from low carbon steel that contains between 0.05 to 0.3% carbon to high carbon steel that can contain up to 1.5% carbon.
The most common low-carbon steel
The most common low-carbon steel is mild steel. It is the main steel used in manufacturing and building of steel structures. Most beams, channels, and any basic metal profiles are made from mild steel. It is what you mostly see around buildings or any everyday steel objects around your town.
The most common high carbon steel uses.
The most common uses for high carbon steel are on things that have a lot of wear and tear. This includes:
- Knives
- Tension wires
- Machine tools
- Springs
- Some drills
High carbon steel is a lot harder than mild steel so it can easily be used to slot, chamfer, drill, and groove mild steel. The downside is that it’s very brittle and can crack or shatter easily when not properly taken care of.
Does carbon steel get rust?
Yes, carbon steel does rust and it rusts very easily. The amount of carbon content can also depend on how long it takes to rust. Low carbon steel tends to rust a lot faster than high carbon steel. Some steels like cast iron that has around 2-3% carbon barely rust, this is solely due to the carbon content.
What is mild steel good for?
Mild steel is the most commonly used steel you can find. It is used in everything from furniture to shipbuilding. A better question will be what is mild steel not good for? That will be anything that has a lot of wear and tear.
What can you do to prevent mild steel from rusting?
You should use a primer on the metal to help prevent any sort of rusting I go into great detail on what you can to to prevent your metal from rusting in my post about Best way to protect metal from rust at home.
What is the easiest metal to weld
Mild steel is by far the easiest metal to weld. It is very ductile allowing the welds to fuse easier without cracking the metal or weld.
Stainless is a lot harder and if you use a different grade stainless electrode to the stainless you are welding might cause the weld to crack immediately.
What are the disadvantages of mild steel?
With all the uses of mild steel, there will obviously be some disadvantages that’s why you might consider using different steel. The list is very short.
List of mild steel disadvantages
- Soft, relative to over steel types.
- Low corrosive resistance.
- Oxidizes easily.
- Needs a protective coating.
What is stainless steel
Stainless steel is the most common erosion-resistant metal that is used in day-to-day operation. Most household tools like scissors and cutlery are made from stainless. This is because of its erosion-resistant properties and its relative hardness.
The rust you see on this plate is due to contamination of foreign objects such as mild speel dust or just normal dust.
That is why rust tends to form on the join of stainless steel tools, such as stainless scissors.
What is more expensive stainless steel or carbon steel?
Stainless steel is a lot more expensive than carbon steel. This is due to the rarity of some of the elements you can find in stainless and the manufacturing process is more extensive.
Is stainless steel better than mild steel?
Stainless steel is better than mild steel. It will last a lot longer due to the higher corrosion resistance without any protective layer, but it is a lot more expensive than mild steel. Stainless steel is used when there’s a lot of corrosion or wear to the steel, otherwise mild will be the default.
Is mild steel harder than stainless?
Stainless steel is harder than mild steel, but not by a lot. You can still use the same methods of shaping and bending on both types of steel, but stainless will just have a higher resistance.
Is stainless or mild steel heavier?
Stainless steel and mild steel are very similar in weight. The only difference you might find is in the grade of steel used. Some grades are slightly heavier than others.
Does mild steel have high impact strength?
Due to the malleability of mild steel, it won’t crack easily when getting a high impact, but it will bend or indent easily. This is why you won’t use mild steel for any sort of tool, it won’t keep the tool’s shape for very long.
