Continuing our series of blogs about the properties of mild steel, this week we’re looking at the working temperatures of the material.
The effects high temperatures have on steel depend entirely on the amount of carbon and other alloys the steel contains. A higher carbon content brings the melting temperature down, but since mild steel has a carbon content of up to 0.3%, it has a relatively high melting temperature.
A high melting temperature means that mild steel becomes more ductile when heated, and it is therefore suitable for forging. This makes mild steel a very versatile material which is suited to a huge range of applications – including in structural projects, a good example of which being the use of reinforcing bar in cast concrete.
Typically, mild steel has a melting point of 1350oC-1530oC (2462oF-2786oF) depending on the grade of the steel as dictated by the amount of carbon it contains.
