In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the primary grades available when it comes to hot-rolled carbon steel. This steel format is known for both its affordability and its high levels of tensile strength, shear strength, toughness, hardness and even ductility, making it extremely popular within a number of major structural applications.

At Wasatch Steel, we offer a wide range of steel products and steel services at your convenience. There are so many grades of hot-rolled carbon steel that are commonly used today that we had to split this blog up into two parts – here’s part two on several additional grades that you might find useful depending on the precise needs of your project.

C1026

As we noted in part one, A36 hot-rolled carbon steel is one of the most popular styles – and C1026 mimics it in many ways. Both have relatively high carbon content for what can be classified as “low-carbon” steel, with C1026 sitting between 0.22% and 0.26% carbon by weight. Both also provide similar mechanical properties when hot-rolled, with fantastic strength and easy machining or welding processes carried out.

Because of its strength, which exceeds that of A1011 or C1010 steel, C1026 is often used in major structures across several industries. It’s also a big player in automotive parts and furniture. You can usually find it in both square and rectangular tube options.

C1045

Unlike many of the others on this list, C1045 is classified as a medium-carbon steel rather than a low-carbon steel. It contains between 0.42% and 0.50% carbon by weight, which is higher than any of the others we’ve gone over to this point.

This makes C1045 one of the strongest hot-rolled carbon steel options, a valuable property for many industries. It’s also generally receptive to heat treatment due to its high carbon content, meaning processes like annealing and quench hardening can be used to alter its mechanical properties safely. For this reason, C1045 steel is often found in applications where strength matters more than ductility – for those on the flip side of this, where ductility is the preference, a low-carbon steel would be used instead. C1045 steel can usually be found in both round bar and plate formats.

C1141

Another medium-carbon hot-rolled steel is C1141, which is similar to C1045 with the exception of additional sulfur and manganese. These additions make heat treatment more effective on C1141 steel, and also allow it to be classified as a “free machining” steel – this means it’s lighter on machining tools, making it easily machinable. However, it should be noted that the sulfur content in C1141 steel means it cannot be welded in most cases. It’s available in shafting and round bar formats.

For more on the grades of hot-rolled carbon steel available, or to learn about any of our steel products or processes, speak to the staff at Wasatch Steel today.