27/05/2026
👉🏼 No Carbon? No Steel!
Carbon is the most important alloying element in steel: without it, steel would not exist.
It is essential that steel contains no more than 2.1% carbon.
As the carbon content increases, the hardness and strength of unalloyed steels increase. From a carbon content of 0.8%, the strength begins to decrease again.
The effect of carbon is of great importance in materials science. For example, when used as an alloying element in iron, carbon lowers the melting point.
In addition to carbon, all unalloyed steels contain phosphorus and sulphur, which are introduced unintentionally during the steel-making process.
By deliberately adding other alloying elements such as manganese and silicon, specific properties can be tailored into the steel. Only then does the steel become an alloyed tool steel!