With available Section types that range from Angles, Channels and Flats, through to Square, Rectangular and Circular Hollow Sections and on into Plates and Sheets, we're confident that we are the complete Steel Stockholders here at Parkside Steel. It should therefore be of little surprise to you that we are a well respected carbon steel supplier - but what are the characteristics of this type of steel that demonstrate its worth to so many of our customers?

Mild steel (also referred to as plain-carbon steel) consists primarily of the two elements Iron and Carbon. While there may be other elements in the alloy, for the steel to be described as carbon steel, these should not be present in sufficient quantities to affect its character.

The amount of Carbon present affects its properties. When the carbon content is low, the steel is soft but easily formed, being much like iron. Carbon steel with a higher carbon content isn't as ductile or as easy to weld, being both harder and stronger. The higher the carbon content, the lower the melting point of such steel also tends to be.

Carbon steels can also be heat treated to improve properties like yield strength and hardness. Another common practice is case hardening, which creates a hard, wear resistant skin (or case) to the steel whilst preserving a tough ductile core.  Whilst Alloy Steels offer better hardenability characteristics and can be through-hardened, case hardening mild steel can offer a more cost effective solution for some applications.

The cost-effectiveness of carbon as an alloying material for solidifying the structures in iron make it unsurprising that there is such a wide variety of grades of carbon steels available – from structural steel grades such as S275 and S355, through to engineering steel grades such as 080A15 and 080M40, all of which are available here at Parkside Steel.

When your own organisation is in need of a reliable and competitively-priced carbon steel supplier, look no further than Parkside Steel. As one of the UK's most in-depth and comprehensive Steel Stockholders, we offer an almost unrivalled product range, as well as some of the finest processing facilities of any supplier anywhere in the UK. Contact us now about placing an order for carbon steel from one of our sales departments in Nottingham or London.