{"id":2257,"date":"2018-01-31T12:54:11","date_gmt":"2018-01-31T12:54:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/?p=2257"},"modified":"2022-08-22T16:08:25","modified_gmt":"2022-08-22T16:08:25","slug":"whats-the-difference-stainless-steel-vs-carbon-steel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/whats-the-difference-stainless-steel-vs-carbon-steel\/","title":{"rendered":"What&#8217;s the Difference Between Stainless Steel and Carbon Steel?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-6552 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Difference-between-Stainless-Steel-and-Carbon-Steel-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Difference-between-Stainless-Steel-and-Carbon-Steel-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Difference-between-Stainless-Steel-and-Carbon-Steel-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Difference-between-Stainless-Steel-and-Carbon-Steel-787x524.jpg 787w, https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Difference-between-Stainless-Steel-and-Carbon-Steel.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Just because two items are made of steel doesn\u2019t necessarily mean they feature the same&nbsp;<em>type<\/em>&nbsp;of steel. There are many different types of steel, the two most common being stainless steel and carbon steel. While both types may look the same, there are some key nuances distinguishing one from the other.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Stainless Steel<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Also known as inox steel (meaning inoxidizable from the French word<em>&nbsp;inoxydable<\/em>) stainless steel lives up to its namesake by featuring a high resistance to staining caused by corrosion. Normally, when iron-based metals like steel are exposed to oxygen, they undergo a chemical transformation, known as oxidation, that changes their properties. The iron oxidizes while subsequently turning the otherwise hard iron into a reddish-brown metal (iron oxide). Eventually, the iron oxide will oxidize to the point where it disintegrates completely.<\/p>\n<p>Stainless steel is designed to protect against oxidization. It features a minimum chromium content of 10.5% by mass. This is important because chromium, unlike iron, isn\u2019t susceptible to oxidation. Chromium can be exposed to oxygen without developing rust or corrosion, making it an invaluable element in the creation of stainless steel. Stainless steel features a protective layer of chromium that creates a barrier between environmental oxygen and the metal\u2019s iron content which protects it from corrosion.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Carbon Steel<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Carbon steel, on the other hand, is characterized by a high carbon content, usually up to 2.1% of its weight. The American Iron and Steel Institute (ASISI) further defines carbon steel by meeting the following criteria:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>No minimum content requirement for chromium, cobalt, nickel, titanium, tungsten, vanadium or other corrosion-resistant metals.<\/li>\n<li>Minimum required copper content must not exceed 0.40%.<\/li>\n<li>Maximum content of manganese must not exceed 1.65%.<\/li>\n<li>Maximum content of copper must not exceed 0.6%<\/li>\n<li>Maximum content of silicon must not exceed 0.6%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So, what benefits does carbon steel offer? The use of a high carbon content changes the characteristics of steel. More specifically, it becomes stronger and harder. This is why many swords, knives, and other bladed weapons are produced with high-carbon steel. In feudal Japan, swordsmiths pioneered a special type of high-carbon steel, tamahagane, for use in weapons like the katana.<\/p>\n<p>Does carbon steel rust? Yes, carbon steel does rust because it lacks the corrosion-resistant properties of its stainless steel counterpart. Although it\u2019s stronger and more durable than stainless steel, carbon steel may rust and corrode when exposed to moisture. Even small amounts of moisture, including moisture vapor in the air, can cause carbon steel to rust. Furthermore, carbon steel is less ductile than stainless steel.<\/p>\n<h2><b>In Short What Is The Difference Between Stainless Steel and Carbon Steel?<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span id=\"p48\">Stainless steel has a high chromium content which acts as a protective layer against corrosion and rust.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span id=\"p2\"><span id=\"10-8\">Carbon steel<\/span>&nbsp;is high in&nbsp;<span id=\"11-43-44\">carbon<\/span>&nbsp;that when exposed to&nbsp;<span id=\"45-46\">moisture<\/span>&nbsp;can corrode and rust quickly.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span id=\"p48\">Stainless steel is is more appealing to the eye and can be use for decorative products.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span id=\"p3\">Carbon Steel is<\/span>&nbsp;stronger and more durable then stainless steel.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Updated September 9, 2020<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just because two items are made of steel doesn\u2019t necessarily mean they feature the same&nbsp;type&nbsp;of steel. There are many different types of steel, the two most common being stainless steel and carbon steel. While both types may look the same, &hellip; <a class=\"continue-reading\" href=\"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/whats-the-difference-stainless-steel-vs-carbon-steel\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6552,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[107],"tags":[42],"class_list":["post-2257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-material","tag-info"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What&#039;s the Difference Between Stainless Steel and Carbon Steel? | Material | OneMonroe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Stainless steel has a high chromium content acting as a protective layer against corrosion and rust.\u00a0Carbon steel, although stronger and more durable is high in\u00a0carbon\u00a0that when exposed to\u00a0moisture\u00a0can corrode and rust quickly.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/whats-the-difference-stainless-steel-vs-carbon-steel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What&#039;s the Difference Between Stainless Steel and Carbon Steel? | Material | OneMonroe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Stainless steel has a high chromium content acting as a protective layer against corrosion and rust.\u00a0Carbon steel, although stronger and more durable is high in\u00a0carbon\u00a0that when exposed to\u00a0moisture\u00a0can corrode and rust quickly.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/whats-the-difference-stainless-steel-vs-carbon-steel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"OneMonroe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/monroeengineering\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-01-31T12:54:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-08-22T16:08:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Difference-between-Stainless-Steel-and-Carbon-Steel.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@MonroeEngineer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@MonroeEngineer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/whats-the-difference-stainless-steel-vs-carbon-steel\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/whats-the-difference-stainless-steel-vs-carbon-steel\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/efcd863279664c9fa16205ed2e3981c8\"},\"headline\":\"What&#8217;s the Difference Between Stainless Steel and Carbon Steel?\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-01-31T12:54:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-08-22T16:08:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/whats-the-difference-stainless-steel-vs-carbon-steel\/\"},\"wordCount\":510,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Info\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Material\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/whats-the-difference-stainless-steel-vs-carbon-steel\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/whats-the-difference-stainless-steel-vs-carbon-steel\/\",\"name\":\"What's the Difference Between Stainless Steel and Carbon Steel? 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