Select a currency US Dollars Canadian Dollars
    
 
  • Bollards

    Bollards by Function

    • Architectural / Decorative
    • Bike Parking
    • Bolt Down / Surface Mount
    • Collapsible
    • Covers
    • Fixed
    • Flexible
    • Landscape
    • Parking
    • Removable
    • Retractable
    • Safety
    • Security - Steel Pipe
    • Solar Lighting
    • Traffic

    Bollards by Material

    • Aluminum
    • Concrete
    • Iron
    • Plastic
    • Polyurethane
    • Stainless Steel
    • Steel

    • Bollard Accessories
    • Bollard Caps

    View All Bollards
  • Bike Parking
    • Bike Racks
    • Bike Bollards
    • Bike Lockers

    • Clearance Bike Parking
    • Accessories
    All Bike Parking
  • Wheels
    • All Wheels
    • Single Flanged Wheels
    • Double Flanged Wheels
  • Castings
    • Request a Quote
    • Glossary
  • Traffic Safety
    • Speed Bumps
    • Speed Humps
    • Parking Stops
    • Corner & Wall Guards
  • Blog
    • Bollards
    • Bike Parking
    • Traffic
    • Wheels
    • Castings
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Employment
    • Community Involvement
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
    • How to Order
  • Request Quote
Reliance Foundry logo
  • Call us: 1-877-789-32451-877-789-3245 M-F, 7am-5pm PST
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Questions? Send us a message
NEWSLETTER
CONTACT US

Home >> Reliance Foundry Blog > 
2017-10-30 Brad Done LDSF , 2016-11-16 Sara

Carbon Steel vs Stainless Steel

Learn how the chemical compositions affect steel

Share this:  

high carbon steel knives
High carbon steel is often used for high-end kitchen knives because it is wear-resistant, meaning it stays sharper longer.

Steel is found in all kinds of products, from aerospace to kitchenware. Such diverse applications require a versatile material—and steel fits the bill.

‘Steel’ actually describes an entire family of metal alloys, with hundreds of application-specific grades, however most people understand steel in two broad categories: carbon steel and stainless steel.

Carbon steel and stainless steel have the same basic ingredients of iron and carbon. Their main difference is alloy content—carbon steel has under 10.5 percent alloy content, while stainless steel must contain 10.5 percent chromium or more. That essential difference is what gives carbon steel and stainless steel their distinct physical characteristics.

Steel Composition

The essential elements of steel are iron and carbon. In general, steels with a higher carbon content are hard and brittle, while steels with a lower carbon content are ductile and tough.

Of course, it’s rarely that simple. Alloying elements like chromium, molybdenum, nickel, manganese, or silicon can be added to increase corrosion resistance or attain a better balance between strength and toughness.

Carbon Steel

Carbon steel is composed of iron and 0.12 - 2.00 percent carbon. The broader definition includes alloy steels, which can also contain up to 10.5 percent alloy content. Even within the confines of under two percentage points of carbon, there is huge variance in physical characteristics—especially hardness.

When people talk about carbon steel, they are usually referring to the high carbon steel used in knives and tools. High carbon steels are very hard, which makes them good at resisting abrasion and retaining shape. They can withstand significant force before deforming. Unfortunately, hard metals are also brittle: when placed under extreme tensile stress, high carbon steels are more likely to crack than bend.

Low carbon steels are more common than high carbon because of (1) lower production costs, (2) greater ductility, and (3) ease of use in manufacturing. Low carbon steels tend to deform under stress instead of breaking, and that ductility makes low carbon steels easy to machine and weld. They are frequently used in automobile body panels, bolts, fixtures, seamless tubes, and steel plate.

Stainless Steel

stainless steel stand mixer kneading bread dough
Stainless steel is used in chemical and food plants because of its ability to function in wet environments without rusting.

Stainless steel contains iron, carbon, and at least 10.5% chromium content. The chromium is key—it reacts with oxygen to create a passive layer that protects the steel from corrosion. That protection allows stainless steels to function in wet environments without rusting. The higher the chromium content, the better the corrosion resistance.

It’s important to pay attention to the stainless steel grade when purchasing appliances and other big ticket items. Not all steels are created equal. A stainless steel with the minimum 10.5% chromium content is much cheaper and less durable than one with 16%, and the difference will show in maintenance costs and service life.

Should I Pick Carbon Steel or Stainless Steel?

Carbon steel and stainless steel are different, but one is not necessarily superior to the other. It’s all about context. Each material has advantages and disadvantages—the key is matching the steel to the job requirements.

High Carbon Steel

  • Vulnerable to rust
  • Brittle
  • Wear-resistant

Stainless Steel

  • Resistant to rust
  • Less brittle
  • Less wear-resistant

This list is a good primer reference, but there is a lot more to learn about steel metallurgy. Some grades of steel can be made more or less ductile by heat treatment, while surface treatments can increase corrosion resistance. You can learn more about steel composition and grading here.


Reliance Foundry logo

Reliance Foundry Co. Ltd. delivers the highest-quality stock and custom-designed products for architectural site furnishings, traffic management and industrial applications. Since 1925, Reliance Foundry has built upon a long tradition of metal casting expertise to become an award-winning supplier for high-profile and everyday needs across North America.

Categories

  • All Topics
  • Bollards & Post Covers
  • Bike Parking & Storage
  • Traffic Management
  • Industrial Wheels & Casters
  • Casting & Foundry Services

Related Posts

Stainless steel asset-protection bollards protect the corners of freezers in a grocery store.

Asset Protection

With low-impact bollards
+ Read more

Infographic: What Good is a Bollard that Can’t Stop Cars? Shows how bollards are communication tools and provide ornamentation, lighting, bike parking, variable access, and asset protection, among other things.

Low-Impact Bollards

An infographic
+ Read more

Bollards Best of 2018

Best of 2018

4 bollard winners
+ Read more

Square hollow rods are pulled shining out of a bath of silvery liquid during hot-dip galvanization

Galvanization

Protection for ferrous metal
+ Read more

Two pictures placed together, one of palm trees, the other of the Statue of Liberty

NY vs CA

Bollards on the coasts
+ Read more

A blue bicycle covered in snow is parked at an outdoor bike rack

Winter Cycling

Year-round in snowy Montreal
+ Read more

A bollard, shot from the ground, glints with sunlight and is framed by a blue sky and baseball diamond lighting

Stadium Security

Safety at the ballpark
+ Read more

A set of circular bike racks sits on the curb of a busy street: blurred car behind.

Bike-Friendly Business

7 Unexpected Benefits
+ Read more

A smiling man in a blue and yellow Ride to Conquer Cancer jersey takes a selfie at a rest stop

Cycle Training Plan

A 200km charity ride
+ Read more

Infographic of bike parking capacity

Bike Parking

Proper etiquette
+ Read more

A shot of people walking over cobblestones with trench grating is overlaid on a nighttime aerial shot of Paris.

Urban Hardscape

Design details
+ Read more

Bright red bollards protect the entrance to a hospital emergency room

Hospital Parking

Design and management
+ Read more

Composite picture: two young urban planners stand before a drawn city map with icons of cost and traffic management

Planners on Twitter

Urban design accounts to follow
+ Read more

Increasing offered parking often but not always increases traffic to an area

Parking Orientation

Safety through design
+ Read more

Arial view of a city with traffic is overlaid with icons and network showing autonomous car concept

Autonomous Cars

Shaping tomorrow’s streets
+ Read more

Three silver bollards provide physical access control to a business plaza

Physical Access Control

Adaptable security
+ Read more

A segment of the London Eye Ferris Wheel against the sky at sunset

The Wheel

A complex simple machine
+ Read more

cast steel track wheels

Wheel Maintenance

Steel cart wheels
+ Read more

Flanged steel rail wheels shown in storage

Flanged Wheels

Single vs double flange comparison
+ Read more

Red track wheels on a railroad track

Steel vs Iron

Industrial wheels
+ Read more

Heavy duty mining cart wheels on a track

Standard vs Custom

Industrial wheels
+ Read more

A few different wheel bearings are shown in a pile

Drive vs Idler Wheels

Axle design options
+ Read more

Wood boards stacked on carts for drying kiln at mill

Steel Cart Wheels

For lumber drying
+ Read more

A stainless steel bollard in front of an outdoor walkway

Passivation

Preventing metal corrosion
+ Read more

Josef Von Fraunhofer’s spectrometer

Spectrometers

Elemental testing and analysis
+ Read more

A close-up photo shows a bike chain covered in rust around a wheel dotted with small rust patches

What is Rust?

The chemistry of corrosion
+ Read more

Blue roofed buildings and several large warehouses dominate an aerial view of an industrial area.

Travel to China

Doing business overseas
+ Read more

A cargo ship covered in shipping containers sits in port

Steel grades conversion

ASTM vs. ISO vs. GB
+ Read more

Foundry producing cast steel products

ASTM A27

Selecting steel grades
+ Read more

Quick Links

  • Company History
  • Employment Opportunities
  • Community Involvement

Recent Blog Posts

  • February 13 - The Wheel: A Complex Simple Machine
  • February 6 - Winter Cycling in Montreal
  • January 30 - Metal Passivation

Contact Us

Toll-Free: 1-877-789-32451-877-789-3245 Local: 604-547-0460604-547-0460
[email protected]
Fax: 604-590-8875

Location

Unit 207, 6450-148th Street
Surrey, British Columbia,
Canada V3S-7G7

Quick Links

Contact Us

Unit 207, 6450-148th Street
Surrey, British Columbia,
Canada V3S-7G7

Toll-Free: 1-888-735-56801-888-735-5680
Local: 604-592-4333604-592-4333

[email protected]

Fax: 604-590-8875

We accept VISA, MasterCard, and AMEX American Express Credit Cards
A small grey circle emblem is shown, representing Reliance Foundry’s www.reliance-foundry.com website map.
Bollard Products | Bike Parking Products | Wheel Products | Casting Solutions | Traffic Safety

Copyright © 2017 Reliance Foundry Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.