Steel Types, Grades, Applications & Global Manufacturers
A practical engineering reference covering carbon, alloy, stainless and specialty steels, grade systems, applications, heat treatment, selection and major manufacturers by country.
Carbon steel families
Overview of carbon-steel grades, properties and uses.
Formable and weldable steels for structures and general fabrication.
Shafts, gears, axles and heat-treated machine components.
High hardness, springs, wire, blades and wear parts.
Specialty high-hardness and carbide-rich steels.
Alloy & high-strength steels
Low-, medium- and high-alloy engineering families.
Cr-Mo, Ni-Cr-Mo and other heat-treatable grades.
High strength with controlled rolling and microalloying.
Cr-Mo grades for machinery and pressure/high-temperature service.
Tough, deep-hardening and low-temperature alloy steels.
Very-high-strength age-hardened low-carbon Ni steels.
Stainless steel families
Main stainless families, grades and selection factors.
304, 316, 321, 347 and related grades.
409, 430, 439, 441, 444 and related grades.
410, 420, 431 and 440-series hardenable grades.
2205, 2507 and lean-duplex families.
17-4PH, 15-5PH and other high-strength stainless grades.
Specialty & application steels
Cold-work, hot-work, mold and shock-resisting tool steels.
M2, M35, M42 and other HSS cutting-tool families.
High-fatigue steels for coil, leaf and valve springs.
52100/100Cr6 and other clean rolling-contact steels.
A588/S355W-type atmospheric corrosion-resistant steels.
GOES and NGOES for transformers, motors and generators.
ASTM, EN and JIS grades for buildings and infrastructure.
Carbon, Cr-Mo and low-temperature pressure grades.
API 5L Grade B through high-strength X-grades.
DP, CP, TRIP, martensitic and press-hardening steels.
Work-hardening 11–14% Mn wear steels.
Pearlitic and heat-treated rail grades for heavy traffic.
AR400–AR500-class wear plate and proprietary equivalents.
Engineering reference guides
Major steelmakers and specialty producers across Asia, Middle East, Europe, Americas, Africa and Oceania.
ASTM, ASME, AISI/SAE, EN, JIS, API and safe cross-referencing.
Annealing, normalizing, quenching, tempering and case hardening.
Application-based material-selection workflow.
Individual steel grade index
Dedicated pages for ASTM, ASME/API, SAE/AISI and stainless grades including A36, A572 Gr 50, A516 Gr 70, A106 Gr B, API 5L X grades, 1018, 1045, 4140, 4340, 52100, 304/316 families, duplex, super duplex and Cr-Mo piping grades.
Product forms, fabrication & QA/QC
Material grades, pipe specifications and service selection.
Manufacturing routes, specifications and selection factors.
Structural, pressure, high-strength and wear plate.
Hot-rolled, cold-rolled, coated and automotive sheet.
Rebar grades, ductility, weldability and standards.
Beams, channels, angles and structural shapes.
Drawing, spring, fastener and industrial wire steels.
Forging grades, testing and pressure/mechanical applications.
Carbon, alloy, stainless and wear-resistant castings.
Zinc coatings and corrosion-protection design.
Metallic coatings, paint systems and exposure selection.
Carburized gears, shafts and wear-loaded components.
Hard nitride cases with low heat-treatment distortion.
Hardenability and automotive hot-stamped steels.
High-strength plate for cranes and heavy equipment.
Fine-grain high-strength plate with low carbon equivalent.
Low-temperature and LNG material selection.
Creep-resistant Cr-Mo and heat-resistant grades.
Hydrogen-cracking-resistant oil and gas materials.
High-toughness structural grades for marine service.
Steels optimized for high-productivity machining.
WPS, preheat, PWHT, hydrogen and heat-input fundamentals.
CEV, PCM and weldability assessment.
Coatings, galvanizing, cathodic protection and environment.
2.1, 2.2, 3.1 and 3.2 inspection documents.
Technical purchase descriptions, traceability and supplier control.
VT, UT, RT, MT, PT and inspection planning.
XRF/OES alloy verification and material-mix prevention.
Brinell, Rockwell, Vickers and portable methods.
How to compare international grades safely.
Steel mass estimation for BOQ, logistics and fabrication.
Global industry context
World Steel Association’s World Steel in Figures 2026 reports approximately 1,848.9 Mt of crude steel production in 2025. China, India, the United States, Japan, Russia and South Korea were the six largest producing countries. Its 2025 company ranking was led by China Baowu Group, ArcelorMittal, Nippon Steel Corporation, Ansteel Group and HBIS Group.
Important engineering note
This library is intended for education, preliminary material selection and supplier research. Final design and procurement must use the governing project specification and current standard revision and verify the exact mill, product form, chemistry, mechanical properties, heat-treatment/delivery condition, service temperature, corrosion environment, welding requirements, NDT and mill test certification.
