Difference Between Carbon Steel and Mild Steel

Carbon Steel vs Mild Steel

Steel is an alloy made out of iron and carbon. The carbon percentage can vary depending on the grade and mostly it is between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight. Though carbon is the main alloying material for iron some other elements like Tungsten, chromium, manganese can also be used for the purpose. Different types and amounts of alloying element used determine the hardness, ductility and tensile strength of steel. Alloying element is responsible for maintaining the crystal lattice structure of steel by preventing dislocation of iron atoms. Thus, it acts as the hardening agent in steel. The density of steel varies between 7,750 and 8,050 kg/m³and, this is affected by the alloying constituents too. Heat treatment is a process which changes the mechanical properties of steels. This will affect the ductility, hardness and electrical and thermal properties of steel. There are different types of steel as carbon steel, mild steel, stainless steel, etc. Steel is mainly used for construction purposes. Buildings, stadiums, railway tracks, bridges are few places among many where steel is heavily used. Other than that, they are used in vehicles, ships, planes, machines, etc. Most of the daily used house appliances are also made by steel. Now most furniture is also replaced by steel products.

Carbon steel

Carbon steel is used to denote steel with carbon as the main alloying element. In carbon steel, the properties are mainly defined by the amount of carbon it has. For this alloy, the amounts of other alloying elements like chromium, manganese, cobalt, tungsten are not defined. There are four types of carbon steel. This categorization is based on the carbon content. Mild and low carbon steels contain very low carbon percentages. There are three other types of carbon steel as medium carbon steel, high carbon steel and ultra high carbon steel. In the higher carbon steels, the carbon level varies between 0.30–1.70 % by weight. Medium carbon steel has 0.30–0.59% carbon content whereas the high steel has 0.6-0.99%. Ultra high carbon steel has 1.0-2.0% of carbon content. They can undergo heat treatment successfully. Therefore, normally these are very strong and hard, but ductility can be low.

Mild Steel

Mild steel is the type of carbon steel where it contains very low amounts of carbon. Approximately, it is 0.16–0.29% by weight. This steel is very cheap and most commonly used. It is malleable and ductile but has low tensile strength. Mild carbon cannot be hardened by heat treatment.

What is the difference between Carbon Steel and Mild Steel?

• Mild steel is a type of carbon steel.

• Mild steel has very low carbon percentage compared to other carbon steel (about 0.16–0.29% by weight).

• Mild steel has high ductility, and it is malleable, whereas other carbon steel types have low ductility.

• Mild carbon cannot be hardened by heat treatment, but other types of carbon steel can be hardened by heat treatment.

• Mild steel is less strong and harder than other carbon steel types.