Metalssteel

Carbon Steel

The default structural fastener material. Low cost, high strength, normally supplied zinc plated or black oxide to slow corrosion.

Stock forms — Round bar, hex bar, plate and tube⌀ dround barshex bartwplateODwall ttube
Carbon Steel — stock formsSymbols only — no stock sizes are published

Properties

Family
Metals
Category
steel
Density
7.85 g/cm³ · 7850 kg/m³
Typical property classes
Property Class 4.8, Property Class 5.8, Property Class 8.8, SAE J429 Grade 2, SAE J429 Grade 5

Densityhow carbon steel compares

Density of Carbon Steel — 7.85 g/cm³Carbon Steel7.85Water1.00Aluminium2.700369g/cm³
7.85 g/cm³ — 7850 kg/m³Water 1.00 · Aluminium 2.70

Applicationswhere carbon steel is normally specified

General fasteningAutomotiveMachineryStructural steelwork

Property classesstrength classes used with carbon steel

All classes
Property Class 4.8Property Class 5.8Property Class 8.8SAE J429 Grade 2SAE J429 Grade 5

Practical notes

  • Poor corrosion resistance unprotected
  • Not recommended outdoors without coating
  • Supplied and bought against a property class, not an alloy — the specific steels A36 and 1018 are listed separately

Tools used on itmatched on the metals family, not on this page

All tools
CountersinkDrillHole SawImpact DriverImpact WrenchJigsawMitre SawRandom Orbit SanderTap and Die SetTwist Drill Bits

Which tools work a material is a property of the family (Metals), not of the individual species — so this list is the same on every metals page, and changes when the tool data changes rather than when this paragraph does.

Used in these projectsbuilds whose bill of materials calls for it

All projects
Fixing a Shelf Bracket to a Masonry WallRepairing a Stripped Threaded HoleReplacing a Stripped Set Screw

Browse

ISO 898-1SAE J429All materialsAll standards