Hot work tool steel and structural steel – what are they?

What is hot work tool steel? It is steel, which allows it to be shaped at high temperatures. Most often, we are talking about shaping and forming elements made of iron, but also non-ferrous metals and alloy metals. There are many possibilities for processing them. They also have their uses and mechanical, chemical, physical properties. Find out more what features they have in common!

• Hot work tool steel – what are the processing methods?
• What is structural steel?

Hot work tool steel – what are the processing methods?

This type of work steel can be subjected to very diverse processing. One such method is extrusion or die casting. You can also choose the die forging method. Steel elements can also be processed such as stamping, embossing, shaping, punching and drawing.

The excellent combination of chemical composition as well as the technologies used in production have a very significant impact on the final usability and durability of elements manufactured from such steel.

All this can impact properties and determine how resistant steel is to abrasion, whether it has high temperature strength and durability, thermal shock resistance to any impacts, crushing, or whether it is resistant to wear. Hot work tool steel must also have such mechanical properties as high heat resistance and very good machinability in the annealed condition.

What is structural steel?

The second type of steel is structural steel. It can be used in construction because its properties allow it to be very well shaped and adapted to the needs of the mentioned industry. It is not suitable for processing at high temperatures, but it can be welded, cut and bent. Such steel is often called carbon steel, but the carbon content may vary. It will affect the strength and ductility of this material.

In addition to the above-mentioned carbon, structural steel also contains variable amounts of elements such as niobium, boron, chromium, nickel, silicon, manganese, aluminium, copper, lead, etc. In order to say that specific steel is non-alloyed, the values of individual elements cannot exceed the permissible standard. The standard value is different for each element.

As you can easily see, hot work tool steel and structural steel are two different materials, with different properties, purposes, and processing possibilities.

Under the influence of temperature, this first type gains additional processing and shaping properties, while structural steel may lose some of its properties and strength. The choice of a specific solution will therefore depend mainly on the intended use of steel.