What is Machinability? Machinability is how easy (or difficult) a metal is to cut with standard machining operations — turning, milling, drilling. It’s expressed as a percentage relative to AISI 1212 steel, which is the baseline at 100%. Higher percentage = easier to machine = lower cost. If you’re selecting a material and you have … Read more
Why You Need This Table Working with international suppliers or drawings from outside the US? The same steel has different names in different countries. This table maps the most common structural and engineering steels across seven national standards. Carbon & Alloy Steel Cross-Reference EN (Europe) SAE/AISI (US) UNS DIN (Germany) BS (UK) UNI (Italy) JIS … Read more
Decoding Steel Numbers Every time you see a steel callout like “4140” or “1018,” there’s a system behind those digits. The AISI/SAE numbering system tells you the steel’s composition at a glance — once you know how to read it. How the System Works Steel designations are typically 4 digits: XXYY First digit (X) — … Read more