The differences between alloy steel and carbon steel

The differences between alloy steel and carbon steel
I. Definition of Steel:
Steel can be classified into carbon steel and alloy steel based on its carbon content and the content of alloying elements. Steel is generally referred to as an iron-carbon alloy or a solid solution of carbon in crystalline iron.
Steel refers to steel that, in addition to silicon and manganese as alloying elements or deoxidizers, also contains other alloying elements (such as chromium, nickel, molybdenum, vanadium, titanium, copper, tungsten, aluminum, cobalt, niobium, zirconium, and other elements), and some may also contain certain non-metallic elements (such as boron, nitrogen, etc.). According to the amount of alloying elements, it can be further divided into low-alloy steel, medium-alloy steel, and high-alloy steel.
Steel refers to steel that, in addition to a certain amount of silicon (usually not exceeding 0.40%) and manganese (usually not exceeding 0.80%, and up to 1.20% in higher content) added for deoxidation, does not contain other alloying elements (except for residual elements). According to the content, it can be roughly divided into low-carbon steel (carbon content usually less than 0.25%); medium-carbon steel (carbon content usually between 0.25% and 0.60%); high-carbon steel (carbon content usually greater than 0.60%). However, there is no strict boundary between them.
II. Definition of Alloy Steel:
Steel containing other alloying elements is called alloy steel. The total content of alloying elements can reach 10 to 28%, which is high-alloy steel.
Alloy steel is steel in which, in addition to iron and the five natural elements, other alloying elements are artificially added to change or improve certain properties of steel, such as Cr, Ni, Mn, Mo, W, V, B, etc. In addition to iron and carbon, alloy steel also contains some other metals to modify the properties of the material. The effect of chromium is to make steel corrosion-resistant, and the effect of nickel is to lower the austenitizing temperature of stainless steel.
III. Definition of Carbon Steel:
Carbon steel does not contain other effective alloying elements; carbon steel is also steel with a carbon content of less than 1.35%.
Carbon steel, in addition to iron, usually only contains the five natural elements of carbon, silicon, manganese, phosphorus, and sulfur in the material, and no other alloying elements are added.
IV. Differences between Alloy Steel and Carbon Steel:
Carbon steel does not contain effective alloying elements and is an alloy mainly composed of iron, carbon, and manganese. Its mechanical properties are generally inferior to those of alloy steel. Moreover, the price of carbon steel is much lower than that of alloy steel. From the above two points, the Suzhou alloy steel supplier believes that the superior performance of alloy steel over carbon steel is the main difference.