Steel and iron are two of the most common materials used in the manufacturing industry. They are used to make a wide range of products and components. While iron and steel look similar, though, they are two unique materials with their own respective characteristics and qualities.
What Is Iron?
Iron is a lustrous and ductile metal with the atomic number 26. It has a chrome-colored appearance that reflects a significant amount of light. Iron is also a ferromagnetic metal, meaning it’s magnetic and attracts other ferromagnetic metals.
What Is Steel?
Steel, on the other hand, is a ferrous alloy consisting primarily of iron and carbon. Many people assume that steel is a metal, but this isn’t necessarily true. While it exhibits similar properties as metals, it’s technically classified as an alloy. Metals occur naturally as an element, whereas alloys consist of multiple mixed elements and components that aren’t found naturally as an element. You can find iron naturally as an element. In fact, it’s the most abundant element on Earth. But you won’t find steel anywhere in Earth’s outer or inner core, as it’s a man-made alloy that requires mixing iron and carbon.
All steel contains iron, but it also contains carbon. The addition of carbon is what distinguishes iron from steel. By weight, steel contains about 2.14% carbon. Although that’s a relatively small amount of carbon, it results in significant physical changes. Steel, for example, is both harder and stronger than pure iron.
The primary difference between iron and steel is that the former is a metal, whereas the latter is an alloy. Iron is simply a metal element that occurs naturally on Earth. In comparison, steel is a man-made alloy that’s made by mixing iron and carbon together.
ABOUT KEVA
Keva Casting is a professional casting company that focuses on Construction, Machinery, Automobile, Hardware, Pipeline and many other industries.
We provide top quality products with the best service based on our complete production chain including our own mold design, advanced production techniques, and full management of the supply chain. Keva Casting has two factories located in Zhucheng, China's Shandong province.
We use "shell molding", which is a new technique that has been developed in recent years.This new technique has simplified production procedures and reduced air pollution compared with traditional sand casting and investment casting. Shell making and core making are faster to ensure production in enormous quantities. The dimensions and surface finishing are satisfactory for all kinds of industrial requirements. Besides supplying our own formwork & scaffolding systems, our casting products also supply OEM services in various industries.