Why you should use mild steel for fabrication

When it comes to factors like versatility and cost-effectiveness, not many metals can offer as good a performance as mild steel. As the world’s most common type of steel, it has broad applications and is relied upon in daily life, thanks to its ability to be cut exactly to size and modified to suit where it is needed during the mild steel fabrication process. In this article, we will be exploring the benefits of mild steel as well as why it should be used for fabrication. 

First, what is mild steel? 

Mild steel is a form of low carbon steel, meaning it contains only a small percentage of carbon. Carbon content in steel can vary depending on the desired characteristics; with low carbon steels containing 0.05 – 0.25% carbon, increasing the properties of pure iron. 

Even though there are different grades of mild steel, they all have carbon levels that fall within the above-mentioned range. Inclusion of additional components enhances useful characteristics of steel, like anti-corrosion, abrasion-resistance, and strength. 

What are the benefits of mild steel? 

Cost-effective 

Mild steel is the least expensive of all steel types with many everyday objects being created from it such as vehicle chassis, motorbike frames, and a lot of kitchenware. The reason for its affordability is its carbon content, making it strong enough for a variety of jobs without being costly tensile. When it is needed for large orders, high quality mild steel fabrication companies like FEM can produce it en masse with a much lower cost than other steels, ensuring the best possible results and happy customers. 

Weldable 

In comparison to high-carbon steel, it is far easier for mild steel to be coalesced. Due to certain properties the metal has, electric currents can move through it without altering its ‘makeup’. This is different to other metals like stainless steel, where special techniques are required to ensure it is welded to a professional standard. This lessens expenses for labour and electricity, plus provides a solid end product from its simple fabrication. 

Ductile 

Ductility measures how much a material can be deformed by elongation without it breaking. These materials can stretch up to 15% of their original form before irreversibly changing and no longer returning to their initial shape. Along with materials like copper and thermoplastics, mild steel is able to bend, stretch and have reasonably large forces applied to it, making it easier for form, shape, and weld as needed. 

Recyclable 

A key benefit of most steels, including mild steel, is that it can be indefinitely recycled without losing its quality. Thanks to its magnetic properties as well, mild steel is especially easy to recover from unsorted waste and scrapped mild steel is essential to be able to produce more of it. Recycling scrap metal as much as possible is much cheaper than mining iron ore and processing it to create more. 

Why should mild steel be used for fabrication? 

When considering the benefits of mild steel above, it’s easy to see why mild steel is used in fabrication. It’s a key part of a wide range of industries and its useful properties and cost effectiveness make it a popular choice over other types of steel. To understand the importance of why it is used in fabrication, take a look at the list of a few examples of mild steel products and uses in various industries: 

• Steel frame buildings- mild steel is commonly used for construction frame materials because of the high strength beams. 
• Gates and fencing- two products where high security and aesthetic appeal are important, mild steel offers both of these important qualities. Low carbon steel is difficult to break and can be painted, primed, or galvanised to be corrosion resistant and provide a decorative finish. 

• Machinery parts- one of the most sought-after traits of low carbon steel is malleability, which makes it well suited to use during production of sheet metals within car body kits and other key machinery components. 
• Pipelines- mild steel is a top choice for creating steel pipes for various projects. This is because of their impressive ductility and being easy to weld whilst flexible enough not to break under pressure. Mild steel pipes can also be insulated to ensure their performance in colder weather, improving the long-term quality of the pipework. 
• Structural steel- Low carbon steel is suitable for structural steel fabrication as it has consistent yield strength and is malleable. These properties and the cost-effectiveness of the metal means mild steel can sometimes be preferable over structural steel in smaller applications. 

If you’re looking for high quality mild steel fabrication UK, our team of experienced engineers at FEM can help. Contact us today to discuss your project requirements and we will deliver impressive, bespoke metal work that goes above and beyond your expectations.