STEEL PRODUCTS

Steels are alloys of iron and other elements, primarily carbon, widely used in construction and other applications because of their high tensile and low costs. Carbon, other elements, and inclusions within iron act as hardening agents that prevent the movement ofdislocations that otherwise occur in the crystal lattices of iron atoms.

The carbon in typical steel alloys may contribute up to 2.1% of its weight. Varying the amount of alloying elements, their formation in the steel either as solute elements, or as precipitated phases, retards the movement of those dislocations that make iron comparatively ductile and weak, or thus controls qualities such as the hardness, ductility, and tensile strength of the resulting steel. Steel's strength compared to pure iron is only possible at the expense of ductility, of which iron has an excess.