What material is carbon steel rusty?

Carbon steel is an alloy of iron and carbon with a carbon content between 0.0218 and 2.11 percent. Since it is not pure steel, and no other alloying elements have been deliberately added, it is easy to oxidize and rust. According to its use, carbon steel can be divided into three categories: carbon structural steel, carbon tool steel and free cutting structural steel. In carbon steel, the higher the content of carbon, the greater its hardness and strength, but its plasticity is lower. Carbon steel is usually cheaper than stainless steel.

The main differences between carbon steel and stainless steel are:

The degree of oxidation resistance is different: carbon steel is easy to rust, while stainless steel is not easy to rust, and has a strong oxidation and corrosion resistance. This is mainly because the chromium content in the two steels is different. When chromium combines with oxygen, it forms a layer of chromium oxide that prevents the steel from being degraded or corroded. Stainless steel contains 11-12% chromium, while carbon steel mainly contains carbon. The presence of chromium enhances the corrosion resistance of stainless steel, making it more resistant to corrosion than carbon steel.

Different properties: Due to the high content of nickel, stainless steel is more malleable than carbon steel, but its strength is not high and it is relatively brittle. The strength of carbon steel is higher, and the higher the content of carbon, the greater the hardness, but the lower the plasticity.

The appearance is different: although both are steel, both can be polished and polished to achieve a bright and shiny surface. However, carbon steel needs to be quickly coated with a transparent coating or paint after polishing, otherwise it is easy to oxidize and rust and lose its luster. In contrast, stainless steel can maintain its brightness for a long time and generally does not rust.

Price difference: The price of stainless steel is much higher than that of carbon steel. This is mainly due to the addition of a variety of alloying elements in stainless steel, such as chromium, nickel, manganese, etc., the addition of these elements increases the production cost.