Why Is Steel Used More Than Iron?

There are two types of iron – cast iron and wrought iron and both are useful in their own ways in construction and ornate iron work. However, cast iron tends to be brittle and pure iron, wrought iron, is too soft for most jobs. However, when iron is combined with other metals and small amounts of carbon, it is transformed into a touch, super useful alloy – steel.

The amount of carbon that is added to the steel when it is being made determines its strength and hardness and how easy it is to bend and shape. Low carbon steels are the softest type – they contain only 0.4 per cent carbon. Low carbon steels are easy to shape and so are used for car bodies.

Medium carbon steel has twice the carbon content of low carbon steel and it is harder and stronger, but less easy to bend. Hammers are made from this sort of steel.

High carbon steels contain between 1 per cent and 1.5 per cent steel and are the hardest steels of all, but it is also the most brittle. This type of steel is used to make blades for razors and knives and scissors.