As a person considering a career in the manufacturing industry, you should have a good idea about the different types of metal you may handle on the job. One such type of metal is cold rolled steel, which is one of the most durable types of metal on this planet. If you are interested in learning more about cold rolled steel, read the following basic information to know before the job.

What is Cold Rolled Steel?

Steel is a type of iron that has trace amounts of carbon added to it during the production process. After the initial stage of processing steel, it is prepared for market. One of the more common steel preparation methods is called cold rolling. This is when room-temperature steel is passed between a series of heavy-duty rollers to reduce its thickness. This process also improves the ductility, hardness, and functionality of the steel.

Types of Cold Rolled Steel

There are 4 different types of cold rolled steel:

1. Commercial steel—This is type of steel has the highest amount of carbon added, and is the strongest and least ductile compared to other types of cold rolled steel.
2. Drawing steel—This type of steel contains less than 0.05% carbon, which makes it more ductile than commercial steel.It can be made into parts that require a lot of bending and folding. This steel is pulled through tubing that results in steel wire that can be used for bicycle spokes, paper clips, and other similarly shaped items.
3. Extra deep drawing steel—Also called EDDS, this is a type of cold rolled steel that contains less than 0.005% carbon. It is the most formable steel grade.
4. Extra deep drawing steel plus—This has an even smaller amount of carbon in it than regular EDDS steel, and is typically used in the same applications as EDDS.

Benefits of Cold Rolled Steel

The other very popular method of preparing steel for market is called hot rolled steel. The main difference is that hot rolled steel is manipulated while it's still very hot, while cold rolled steel is manipulated at room temperature. There are a number of benefits to using cold rolled steel instead of other types of steel, because:

• It's more durable than hot rolled steel due to it's lower carbon contents.
• It is 20% stronger than hot rolled steel.
• It can be rolled to more accurate dimensions, because it doesn't shrink as much as hot rolled steel.
• It can be manipulated to have increased structural strength and hardness, such as by adding other metals to it to create alloys.
• It can be painted.
• It is corrosion resistant, due to the stable oxidation film that forms on the surface of the finished steel.

Cold Rolled Steel Applications

Manipulating cold rolled steel is significantly more difficult than manipulating hot rolled steel, which is much more pliable and malleable. This means that only basic shapes can be made with cold rolled steel. But, cold rolled steel is corrosion resistant and much stronger than hot rolled steel. This is why cold rolled steel is perfect for manufacturing small, strong items like:

• Bicycle frames
• Automobile parts
• Motorcycle parts
• Household appliances
• Plumbing fixtures
• Drum manufacturing
• Furniture
• Shelving
• Doors
• Electric motors
• Tubing products
• Toolboxes
• Construction products
• And many more areas of manufacturing

Now that you know more about cold rolled steel, you can submit a few job applications to companies that work with steel. If you have any additional questions about steel or you'd like to learn more to impress your interviewers when you're looking for jobs in the manufacturing industry, contact your local steel manufacturer or supply company. They will be happy to help you.