Carbon Steels

Types - Mild and Low Carbon Steel
... Mild steel, also called plain-carbon steel, is the most common form of steel because its price is relatively low while it provides material properties that ... Low carbon steel contains approximately 0.05–0.15% carbon and mild steel contains 0.16–0.29% carbon making it malleable and ductile, but it cannot be hardened ... Mild steel has a relatively low tensile strength, but it is cheap and malleable surface hardness can be increased through carburizing ...

Machinability - Steels
... See also Free machining steel The carbon content of steel greatly affects its machinability ... High-carbon steels are difficult to machine because they are strong and because they may contain carbides that abrade the cutting tool ... On the other end of the spectrum, low-carbon steels are troublesome because they are too soft ...