Steel pipes are long and hollow tubes that are used for many different applications in a variety of places. Its versatility makes pipes the most often used product that is produced by the steel industry. They commonly convey fluid substances that can flow and small solid particles.
As manufacturing processes have evolved and become more complex, steel buyers’ options have expanded to suit many unique needs across various industries.
But not all types of steel are equal. Piping industry professionals can become better buyers by examining the types of steel available today and understanding why some steel makes great pipes and others do not.
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Carbon Steel
Steel is created when carbon is added to iron, which is relatively weak on its own. In modern industry, carbon is the most prominent additive to a ferrous material, but alloying elements of all sorts are common.
In fact, alloying elements are common, even in piping products still considered to be carbon steel.
According to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), ferrous material is designated carbon steel when its core makeup includes no more than 1.65 percent manganese, 0.60 percent silicon, and 0.60 percent copper and when no minimum content is specified for other alloying elements.
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Alloy Steel
Alloy steels are what they sound like: They include specified amounts of alloying elements. Generally, alloying elements make steel stronger and more resistant to impact or stress. While the most common alloying elements include nickel, chromium, molybdenum, manganese, silicon, and copper, many others are used in steel production.
There are countless combinations of alloys and concentrations in use in industry, with each combination designed to achieve specific qualities.
High-alloy types of steel are favored in the piping industry for service in extreme conditions, whether it be in hot or cold conditions or subject to rough use. That’s because the combination of chemistry and proper heat treating can yield strong yet ductile pipe that can take a beating. The oil & gas and power generation industries often favor alloy pipes due to their toughness.
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Stainless Steel
The term is a misnomer. There’s no one combination of iron and alloying elements that makes stainless steel what it is. Instead, stainless steel means that products made from it do not rust.
Alloys in stainless steel can include chromium, manganese, silicon, nickel, and molybdenum. These alloys work together to interact with oxygen in water and air to quickly form a thin but strong film over the steel that prevents further corrosion.
Naturally, stainless steel pipe is used in any industry where corrosion protection is necessary. While stainless steel pipe is essentially alloy pipe by another name, it is not well suited for extreme service unless it’s been appropriately heat treated to increase strength and impact resistance.
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Tool Steel
Tool steels are what turn other types of steel into products or equipment used in industry. They must be incredibly strong, tough, pliable, and resistant to corrosion. They also must be able to retain cutting edges and maintain their shape in high temperatures. To achieve those qualities, these steels contain very high concentrations of alloying elements and are precisely heat-treated.
Sometimes called super-alloys, tool steels need to be better suited for piping products. For one thing, incorporating higher quantities of alloys makes tool steels more expensive to produce. For another, the amount of alloying elements present in tool steels makes them harder to form into piping products. Finally, pipes don’t need cutting edges.
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