Crucial Factors to Consider While Selecting the Right Stainless Steel Grade

Steel is the most reliable metal and widely used in the manufacturing and construction industries. As you know, the popularity of steel buildings and their incomparable features always meet your shelter needs. Steel has ample characteristics to match structural and manufacturing requirements, but steel has various grades comprising different properties to meet specific needs.

So, you should choose the right steel to get the best value from your structure. There are some factors that you must take into account to select the right steel grade for your requirements.

Pick Grade According To Your Surroundings

It’s necessary to get steel that can withstand your operational environment and provide you an ultimate shelter with safety. It will help if you determine the conditions that your product is going to face and decide accordingly. You should know the pH of your climate and pressure and temperature conditions. If you are living in a low pH area with high temperature and pressure variations, then austenitic steel can be best for you.

Austenitic steels are corrosion resistant, robust, and employable in a broad temperature range. Furthermore, if your steel product is going to be in a coastal or chemically active area, then you need steel that does not react with ions. So, inspect your surroundings and get steel grade, which has substantial characteristics to gel up with your area.

Look For Formability

Formability is the property of a metal to undergo plastic deformation without being damaged. Good metal formability is a desired feature and depicts fantastic performance and structural integrity. You should pick a steel grade, which has sufficient formability. Austenitic, martensitic, and duplex grade steel poses amazing formability and you can get one depending on other factors.

Check Strength, Ductility, and Toughness

These three are mechanical qualities defining the quality of steel. These qualities vary with different grades and alloying of steel. Before moving to details of these properties, let’s know what these three qualities stand for.

Strength: Stress handling capacity of metal without deforming

Ductility: An ability of metal being drawn out into a wire without breaking.

Toughness: An ability of a metal to absorb energy and deform plastically without fracturing.

Now, you should analyze all these three qualities and get a grade that has ample configuration to fulfill your requirements. These properties are influenced by the fabrication process and used alloy. So, you must see these before selecting a grade.

Is Steel Needed Machining?

Steel comes in various forms to be used in multiple areas, but sometimes steel goes through some processes to become the final product. Now, you should consider these processes because different grades of steel react differently in the process like, bending, coiling, machining, welding, CNC machining, reaming, etc.

You should know the procedure before and make sure that the concerned process doesn’t impact the strength and other properties of steel.

For example, corrosion is a top concern in steel welding, and if you need to weld your steel, then go for a steel grade with lower carbon. So, know your process and choose accordingly.

Know ASTM Standards

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) is an international organization that defines technical standards for various materials, products, systems, and services. There are around 12000 ASTM standards for steel depicting configurations for specific use and industry. So, you should understand these standards and your requirements according to chemical composition, heat treatment, and mechanical attributes.

Budget

Your budget is also an essential factor when you choose the steel grade. You should select a steel grade that adequately fits your budget and needs. Determine your budget and choose ample quality steel grade, it can be fruitless if you compromise with quality for money, or extend your budget for the quality you don’t need.

So, select steel grade that can give you a profitable return in terms of value. You should also consider maintenance costs with the initial price so that you can upkeep your significant investment easily.

These are essential factors that you should know while selecting the steel grade of your building. Viking Steel Structures is one of the reputed metal building dealers providing best galvanized commercial-grade steel buildings. Our hurricane-rated steel buildings are designed to meet all your requirements. Although we also offer 12 and 14-gauge steel panels options to meet your specific needs. Our certified metal buildings have all qualities to suit your building codes and structural requirements. For ordering a building or any assistance, call us at 877-801-3263.