Description
1012 Steel is a low-carbon steel that belongs to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) classification of steels. It is characterized by its low carbon content, making it suitable for applications that require good machinability, moderate strength, and excellent weldability. AISI 1012 steel is part of the 1000-series carbon steels, with a carbon content around 0.10%-0.15%, making it one of the softer and more ductile grades of carbon steel. It is used in a variety of industries, especially where toughness and formability are more important than high strength.
Properties of AISI 1012 Steel:
- Carbon Content: 0.10% – 0.15%
- Manganese Content: 0.30% – 0.60%
- Tensile Strength: 345–450 MPa (50,000–65,000 psi)
- Yield Strength: 220–280 MPa (32,000–41,000 psi)
- Elongation: 25% – 30% in 50 mm
- Hardness: 100-140 HB (Brinell)
- Weldability: Excellent (due to its low carbon content, no preheating is needed)
- Machinability: Good, better than higher carbon steels
- Formability: Excellent, due to its low carbon content and high ductility
- Corrosion Resistance: Poor, requires coating or galvanizing for protection in corrosive environments
Grades of AISI 1012 Steel:
| Grade |
Description |
| AISI 1012 Hot-Rolled |
Produced through hot-rolling, offering moderate strength and toughness with a rougher surface finish. Ideal for components that do not require a high surface quality. |
| AISI 1012 Cold-Rolled |
Cold-rolled steel provides a smoother surface finish and higher dimensional precision, making it suitable for applications requiring better surface quality and tight tolerances. |
| AISI 1012 Annealed |
Annealed to soften the steel, making it more ductile and easier to machine or form, commonly used for forming processes like deep drawing. |
Applications of AISI 1012 Steel:
| Industry/Field |
Applications |
| Automotive |
Used in automotive components like brackets, bushings, and other parts where moderate strength and good formability are needed. |
| Construction |
Suitable for non-critical structural components like frames, panels, and hardware where high strength is not required, but formability is essential. |
| Machinery |
Applied in parts like gears, shafts, and pins where good machinability and moderate strength are key. |
| Manufacturing |
Used in the production of appliances, furniture frames, and fixtures due to its formability and weldability. |
| Agricultural Equipment |
Used in light-duty components for farm machinery where low cost and moderate strength are priorities. |
| Pipes and Tubing |
Applied in making steel tubes and pipes that do not require high-pressure ratings but need good weldability and formability. |
| Sheet Metal Fabrication |
Ideal for making sheet metal parts like enclosures, covers, and housings due to its ductility and ability to be formed into complex shapes. |
| Fasteners |
Used in low-strength fasteners like screws, bolts, and nuts where toughness and ductility are more important than high strength. |
Advantages of AISI 1012 Steel:
- Good Machinability: 1012 steel can be machined easily, making it suitable for manufacturing processes where precision is important.
- Excellent Formability: Its low carbon content makes it highly ductile, enabling easy shaping, bending, and forming.
- High Weldability: The low carbon content ensures excellent weldability without the need for special preheating.
- Cost-Effective: AISI 1012 steel is a relatively low-cost material, making it suitable for applications where cost is a concern.
- Low-Strength Applications: Its moderate strength and high ductility make it ideal for non-critical components and parts where toughness is more important than strength.
Limitations of AISI 1012 Steel:
- Low Strength: AISI 1012 has lower tensile and yield strength compared to higher carbon steels, making it unsuitable for applications requiring high strength.
- Poor Corrosion Resistance: Like most carbon steels, 1012 is prone to rust and corrosion and requires surface treatments like galvanizing or painting for use in corrosive environments.
- Not Suitable for Heat Treatment: Due to its low carbon content, AISI 1012 cannot be hardened through heat treatment processes like quenching and tempering.
Comparison with Other Carbon Steels:
| Steel Grade |
Comparison with AISI 1012 Steel |
| AISI 1010 |
AISI 1010 has a slightly lower carbon content than 1012, offering slightly better ductility but slightly lower strength. Both have excellent weldability and formability. |
| AISI 1015 |
AISI 1015 has a slightly higher carbon content than 1012, offering better strength but slightly lower ductility. Used for similar applications with a slightly higher strength requirement. |
| AISI 1020 |
AISI 1020 has a higher carbon content (0.20%) compared to 1012, providing better strength and hardness but with slightly reduced formability and weldability. |
| AISI 1045 |
AISI 1045 is a medium-carbon steel with much higher strength and hardness, but lower weldability and formability compared to AISI 1012. Suitable for applications requiring wear resistance. |
Heat Treatment and Hardening of AISI 1012 Steel:
- Annealing: AISI 1012 can be annealed to improve its machinability and ductility, but it is not suitable for quenching and tempering due to its low carbon content.
- Cold Working: The strength of AISI 1012 can be slightly improved through cold working (e.g., cold rolling), but it does not respond to heat treatment for hardening.
Supply Cities:
Mumbai Ahmedabad, Amaravathi, Ambattur, Bangalore, Belgaum, Chennai, Chittoor, Coimbatore, Dindigul, Mysore, Nellore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mangalore, Tirupur, Tuticorin, Madurai, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Puducherry, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Visakhapatnam, Kochi, Kerala, Hubli-Dharwad, Karnataka.
