Why Hardness Matters Hardness testing is the quickest way to verify a material’s heat treatment and estimate its tensile strength without destroying the part. In practice, you’ll encounter three scales constantly: Brinell (HB), Rockwell B (HRB), and Rockwell C (HRC). Conversion Table — Steel These conversions are approximate and apply to carbon and alloy steels. … Read more
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
What is Galvanic Corrosion? When two dissimilar metals are in electrical contact in the presence of an electrolyte (water, salt spray, humidity), the more reactive metal corrodes faster than it would on its own. This is galvanic corrosion — and it’s one of the most common (and preventable) failure modes in mechanical design. The further … 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
What is Sheet Metal Gauge? Sheet metal thickness in the US is specified by gauge number rather than direct measurements. Confusingly, the gauge-to-thickness relationship is different for different metals. A 16-gauge sheet of steel is not the same thickness as 16-gauge aluminum. The tables below give you the actual thickness in inches and millimeters for … Read more