Steel Merchants

Steel is made of iron and carbon, although it is the amount of carbon, as well as the level of impurities and additional elements that determines the properties of each steel grade.

Steels are a large family of metals. All of them are alloys in which iron is mixed with carbon and other elements. Steels are described as mild, medium- or high-carbon steels according to the percentage of carbon they contain, although this is never greater than about 1.5%. Carbon steels contain trace amounts of alloying elements and account for 90% of total steel production. Stainless steels generally contain between 10-20% chromium as the main alloying or mixing element and are noted for high corrosion resistance. With over 11% chromium, steel is about 200 times more resistant to corrosion than mild steel.

Steel merchants can supply a lot of different types of steel and the properties of a steel are closely linked to its composition. For example, there is a big difference in hardness between the steel in a drinks can and the steel that is used to make a pair of scissors. The metal in the scissors contains nearly twenty times as much carbon and is many times harder. Changing the carbon content changes the properties of the steel and the way that it is used.

Steel can be supplied in cold rolled sheets, in prefabricated blocks or even in corrugated roofing sheets. It can be supplied as steel beams for construction or in a variety of other forms. Floor beams, joists, bearers, roof beams, purlins and strutting beams are all able to be custom made to specifications.