Steel round bar is just as its name suggests – long cylindrical bars of metal. These can be made from a variety of metals such as stainless steel, brass alloy or aluminium, and can be hot or cold rolled.
The diameters of the bars range from around a quarter-inch to about twenty-four inches. The diameter and grade depend on what you want to do with the bars.
Hot VS Cold
Hot steel rolled bars are used generally for construction and in projects where the precise dimensions and the finish do not need to be perfect.
Cold steel round bars are used when superior finish and exact dimensions are required by a project or application. Common uses are framework, supports axles and braces.
Metals
While the material for steel round bar varies depending on the projects, let’s take a look at a few of the top choices
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel round bar is as all stainless products highly resistant to corrosion, as well as being able to tolerate high levels of acidity and chlorine or alkaline environments.
Brass
Brass has good strength and electrical conductivity as well as being corrosion and spark resistance. It is easy to machine and when polished up looks good and is often used for instruments, marine hardware, fasteners and fittings.
Aluminium
Aluminium is lightweight, easy to machine and cut. It is also corrosion-resistant and often used for supports, pins and dowels, trim and shafts.
The Grades
There are several grades of steel round bar, and again which you use depends on your project. Grade 303 is the best option for projects requiring a lot of machining, whereas 304 and 316 are great options for forming and welding. Grade 420 is a minimum 12% chromium and highly corrosion-resistant, but 431 is the best option if you want corrosion-resistant steel and is the Nickle bearing grade mostly used for shafts and bolting.
