Types of Alloy Steel and Their Properties

February 13, 2025
Types of Alloy Steel and Their Properties
Lakshya Steel offers a wide range of alloy steels, from stainless steel to tool steel, low carbon steel, and more. Alloy steel is a type of steel that has certain elements other than carbon, like nickel, chromium, or cobalt added to it, to make it suitable for every situation.

What is alloy steel?

Alloy steel is an iron-based material that consists of one more element added to it. Alloy steels can be grouped in a few different ways, such as their major alloying elements. Adding various elements in different amounts will give the alloy steel different properties. But the most common ones are durability, high strength and performance, and corrosion and weather resistance. For extra durability or corrosion resistance, elements like chromium or nickel are commonly added to the steel. Less common elements, like lead, tin, or zirconium can also be used. Most steels have a carbon content of less than 0.35 wt%, like the type that’s used for welding, which might even be lower than 0.15 wt%. Other types of steel like tool steels can contain a much higher amount of carbon, likely between 0.7 and 1.5 wt%.
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Types of Alloy Steel

Low-alloy steel

Low-alloy steel

Low-alloy steel contains an average percentage of alloying elements (less than 5% by weight). These steels are known for a good balance of strength, toughness and cost-effectiveness. Common applications like structural components and machinery parts.

High-alloy steel

High-alloy steel

High-alloy steel contains a higher percentage of alloying elements (more than 12% by weight). These steels offer superior properties like enhanced strength, hardness and resistance to wear and corrosion. Stainless steel, which contains a significant amount of chromium, is a well-known example.

Stainless steel

Stainless steel

Stainless steel is probably the most well-known alloy steel around the world and one of the most popular types of steel. It’s generally alloyed with some combination of nickel, chromium, and molybdenum as its major alloying elements.

Tool steel

Tool steel

Tool steel is a broad term that refers to a range of carbon and alloy steels that are suitable eg – hard, tough, wear-resistant, and can hold their own in high temps for making tools. This type of alloy steel is used to make things like machine dies and hand tools, among others.

To learn more about the fascinating world of steel alloys, check out our comprehensive guide: All you need to know about Steel Alloys

Properties of Alloy Steel

Alloy steels contain a wide variety of elements, each enhancing different properties of the material, like mechanical thermal, and corrosion resistance. Elements added in low quantities of less than around 5 wt.% maintain to improve mechanical properties, for example increasing hardenability and strength, whereas larger additions of up to 20 wt.% increase corrosion resistance and stability at high or low temperatures.

Applications of Alloy Steel

We see our customers using alloy steel in a variety of applications. The application of any given alloy steel will mainly depend on which category it falls into. Most of them are used to make pipes, especially in energy-related sectors, whereas others are used in the production of corrosion-resistant containers, silverware, pots, pans, and other kinds of kitchen equipment.

Alloy steel is widely used in various industries, such as:

  • Construction projects: It is often chosen for building strong, long-lasting structures.
  • Machinery and automotive components: Its strength and durability make it suitable for manufacturing parts like engines and heavy equipment.
  • Shaft production: Alloy steel is used to create items like motor shafts and forged rolls.
  • Gear manufacturing: Its toughness and wear resistance make it perfect for producing gears.

Common Steel Alloying Elements

  • Manganese:
    Used in tandem with small amounts of sulfur and phosphorus, the steel alloy becomes less brittle and easier to hammer.
  • Chromium:
    A small percentage (0.5% – 2%) can help to harden the alloy; larger percentages (4% – 18%) have the added effect of preventing corrosion.
  • Vanadium:
    With only .15%, this element can boost strength, heat resistance, and overall grain structure. Mixed together with chromium, the steel alloy becomes much harder, but still retains its formability.
  • Nickel:
    Up to 5%, this alloying element will improve the steel’s strength. In excess of 12%, it provides impressive corrosion resistance.
  • Tungsten:
    Boosts heat resistance, so the melting point is higher. Also improves the structural makeup of the steel.

Advantages of Alloy Steel:

The strength of annealed steel alloy is not significantly superior to that of carbon steel. In the normalized state, the strength of steel alloy significantly increases compared to carbon steel, and after quenching and tempering, the strengthening effect is the most significant.

The hardenability mainly depends on its carbon content. However, their hardenability and tempering stability are significantly improved. Therefore, steel alloy is suitable for manufacturing steel parts in stainless steel engineering that have large cross-sectional dimensions, require thicker quenched layers.

Conclusion

We Lakshya Steel are the most trusted and reliable steel in India. We are very well known for our quality control measures that are taken during the process of manufacturing products. Our commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction has made us establish the preferred choice for alloy steel product suppliers worldwide
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FAQs

Which grade is alloy steel?

There are various steel grades, each consists of a different property. Some of them include A204, A209, A213, A335, A336 and A387.

Is alloy steel better than stainless steel?

Stainless steel is a high alloy steel known for its high corrosion resistance and aesthetic appeal. It consists of at least 10.5% chromium, responsible for the hardness and corrosion resistance, less than 1.2% carbon and other alloying elements.

Alloy steel is a steel that contains more than one alloying element, aside from the carbon and iron in carbon steel. Such alloying elements help improve certain characteristics not present or low in the parent steel materials.

Is alloy steel costly?

Yes, alloy steel is generally more expensive than standard carbon steel The addition of alloying elements, like nickel and chromium, enhances its properties but also increases the material cost.

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