Is 1045 carbon steel good?

AISI 1045 is a medium carbon steel that is widely used in the manufacturing of industrial machinery. Due to its excellent mechanical properties and low cost, it has become a very popular material in the manufacturing industry. However, due to the large number of suppliers in the market and the uneven quality of steel, selecting qualified AISI 1045 steel is a challenge for customers.

Our guide is designed to provide you with detailed information about AISI 1045 steel, help you understand the important properties of this material, and guide you on how to select and source the material that meets your needs.

AISI 1045 steel basic information

AISI 1045 steel was designed by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) for a simple numbering system, the Uniform Numbering System (UNS). In UNS, we can find UNS G10450, which is the number of AISI 1045 steel.

According to this system, the number "1" indicates carbon steel, the second number "0" indicates that there are no important alloying elements, and the last two numbers "45" indicate that the steel has a carbon content of 0.45%.

AISI 1045 steel is one of the most commonly used in the 104X series, alongside AISI 1020 mild steel. These steel grades are classified in detail in ASTM A29. As a popular material for industrial machinery manufacturing, 1045 steel is usually supplied in a hot-rolled state, including hot-rolled round steel and hot-rolled steel plates.

A global alternative to AISI 1045 steel

AISI 1045 steel is widely used because of its good cold and hot water processing properties and excellent mechanical properties. Although it is a medium carbon structural steel, because of its low price and easy access, it has an irreplaceable position in the industrial machinery manufacturing industry.

Different countries have different alternative grades for AISI 1045 steel to meet their respective industrial production needs. These alternative materials must meet specific economic, physical and chemical requirements to provide equal or superior solutions.

Supply forms and conditions of AISI 1045 steel

AISI 1045 steel is available on the market mainly in hot-rolled condition, including hot-rolled round steel, hot-rolled sheet steel, normalizing condition, and cold drawn and hot forged forms. The diameter range of ordinary hot-rolled round steel is 20-350mm, and the thickness of hot-rolled steel plate is 5-200mm.

In addition to hot rolling, AISI 1045 steel can also be cold drawn and hot forged to meet the needs of different customers. For cold-drawn steel, conventional cold-drawn sizes range from 4-100mm in diameter, with accuracy up to h11.

Quick question answering

Is AISI 1045 steel mild steel?

No, AISI 1045 steel is actually a medium carbon steel with about 0.45% carbon, not a low carbon steel.

Is AISI 1045 steel easy to process?

The machinability of AISI 1045 steel depends on the specific processing operation and the tools used. Due to its high carbon content, its machinability is lower than that of mild steel, such as AISI 1020.

Can AISI 1045 steel be welded?

AISI 1045 steel has average weldability, suitable for hydrogen welding and argon arc welding, not suitable for gas welding. In order to reduce the risk of cracking, preheat should be performed before welding and stress relief heat treatment should be performed after welding.

What is the Rockwell hardness of AISI 1045 steel?

AISI 1045 steel can be heat treated to achieve a maximum surface hardness of about Rockwell C 54-60.

Can AISI 1045 steel be tempered?

Yes, but 1045 steel has low hardenability and is not suitable for demanding cross-section sizes. The tempered hardness range is usually HRC56-59.

Is AISI 1045 steel suitable for knife making?

Although its carbon content is not sufficient to achieve optimal blade hardness and durability, AISI 1045 is often used in tool making because of its ability to weld with other steels.

Smelting method of AISI 1045 steel

AISI 1045 steel is mainly produced by two smelting processes: electric arc furnace and converter. The electric arc furnace uses scrap steel as the main raw material, while the converter uses hot metal produced by blast furnace as the main raw material. These two methods have their own characteristics in raw materials, furnace temperature, smelting cycle and production efficiency.

Carburizing and nitriding processes

Carburizing is a chemical heat treatment process that allows carbon atoms to penetrate the surface layer of steel, usually used for low carbon steel or low carbon alloy steel. Although AISI 1045 can be carburized, it is not the best choice due to its high carbon content.

Nitriding is the process of penetrating nitrogen atoms into the surface of the material at a certain temperature, which is suitable for alloy steel containing Cr, Mo, V and other elements. AISI 1045 steel can be nitrided, but again the effect is limited because it does not contain alloying elements.

Comparison of AISI 1045 steel with AISI 5140 steel

AISI 1045 and AISI 5140 steel are American standard grades and are widely used in the machinery manufacturing industry. The main difference between them is the chemical composition and the resulting differences in performance. AISI 5140 steel contains chromium as the main alloying element, which has better toughness and comprehensive mechanical properties, but also a relatively higher price. When selecting materials, if both can meet the requirements, the lower cost AISI 1045 steel may be preferred.