Carbon steel sheets and plates are categorized based on their carbon content and other alloying elements, which affect their mechanical properties and applications. The main grades include:
1. **Low Carbon Steel (Mild Steel):** Contains approximately 0.05% to 0.25% carbon. It is highly ductile, malleable, and easy to weld, making it suitable for applications like automotive panels, structural shapes, and pipes.
2. **Medium Carbon Steel:** Contains about 0.25% to 0.60% carbon. It offers a balance between strength and ductility, making it ideal for manufacturing gears, axles, and other mechanical components.
3. **High Carbon Steel:** Contains 0.60% to 1.0% carbon. It is very strong and hard but less ductile, used in high-strength applications like cutting tools, springs, and high-strength wires.
4. **Ultra-High Carbon Steel:** Contains 1.0% to 2.0% carbon. It is extremely hard and brittle, used in specialized applications like knives, axles, and punches.
5. **Alloy Carbon Steel:** Contains additional alloying elements like manganese, silicon, and copper to enhance properties like strength, hardness, and corrosion resistance. Common grades include A36, A572, and A588.
6. **Tool Steel:** A subset of high carbon steel, it includes elements like tungsten, molybdenum, and vanadium to improve hardness and heat resistance, used in cutting and shaping tools.
7. **Spring Steel:** Known for its high yield strength, it is used in the manufacture of springs and high-stress applications.
Each grade is selected based on the specific requirements of the application, considering factors like tensile strength, ductility, weldability, and resistance to wear and corrosion.