Learning Center
Steel Glossary (A–Z)
Browse common steel terms, coatings, processing language, mechanical-property definitions, and industry shorthand in one searchable reference page. Use the search box to filter terms instantly or jump directly to a letter below.
Reference tool: This glossary is designed to help customers, buyers, estimators, and team members better understand common steel terminology used across quoting, processing, and fabrication.
Jump to Letter
A
- A
- Coatings designation for Galvannealed steel.
- Aging
- Changes in steel properties over time, often reducing ductility.
- Aluminized
- Steel sheet coated with aluminum for corrosion and heat resistance.
- Annealing
- Heat treatment to soften steel and improve formability.
- ASTM
- American Society for Testing and Materials, sets steel standards.
B
- Bake Hardenable Steel
- Cold rolled sheet that gains strength during paint baking.
- Band
- Basic form of hot rolled coil.
- Bend Radius
- Minimum radius a sheet can be bent without cracking.
- Billet
- Semi-finished steel product for further rolling or forging.
- Black Plate
- Uncoated steel sheet used for tinplate production.
C
- Camber
- Deviation of a steel edge from a straight line.
- Carbon Steel
- Steel mainly alloyed with carbon, strong and versatile.
- Coating Weight
- Amount of protective metal applied, e.g., zinc.
- Coil Breaks
- Surface creases on coils running transverse to rolling direction.
- Cold Rolled
- Steel rolled at room temperature for precise thickness and finish.
D
- Dead Soft
- Steel with very low hardness and high ductility.
- Deep Drawing
- Process of forming deep cup-shaped parts.
- Density
- Mass per unit volume, steel ? 0.2836 lb/in³.
- Ductility
- Ability to deform without breaking.
- Drawing Steel
- Steel grade intended for parts requiring extra ductility.
E
- Elasticity
- Ability of steel to return to original shape after stress.
- Electrogalvanized
- Steel coated with zinc using electrolysis.
- Elongation
- Measure of ductility from tensile test results.
- Embossing
- Creating raised or recessed designs on steel surfaces.
- Edge Wave
- Flatness defect where steel edges are longer than center.
F
- Flatness
- Measure of how flat a steel sheet lies on a surface.
- Fluting
- Parallel creases when steel is bent or formed.
- Forming Steel
- Soft grade for bending and shaping.
- Fracture
- Crack or break in steel under stress.
- Full Hard
- Cold rolled steel not annealed; very strong but brittle.
G
- Galvalume
- Steel coated with aluminum-zinc alloy for high corrosion resistance.
- Galvanized
- Steel coated with zinc to resist corrosion.
- Galvannealed
- Galvanized steel heat-treated to form zinc-iron alloy coating.
- Gauge
- Number representing steel thickness.
- Grain Structure
- Arrangement of crystals in steel affecting properties.
H
- Hardness
- Resistance of steel to indentation or scratching.
- Heat Treatment
- Controlled heating/cooling to alter steel properties.
- High Strength Low Alloy (HSLA)
- Stronger steel with added alloying elements.
- Hot Rolled
- Steel rolled at high temperatures, thicker and less precise.
- Hydrogen Embrittlement
- Loss of ductility due to hydrogen absorption.
I
- IF Steel
- Interstitial-free steel with high ductility for deep drawing.
- Impact Testing
- Measures resistance to sudden applied loads.
- Inclusions
- Non-metallic particles trapped in steel during production.
- Ingot
- Large block of steel cast for further rolling.
- Iron
- Base metal element in steel. Symbol Fe.
J
- JIT
- Just-in-time delivery system for steel products.
- Jominy Test
- Test of hardenability of steel using end-quenching.
K
- Killed Steel
- Steel fully deoxidized for uniform composition.
- Kink
- Abrupt bend defect in steel sheet.
- Knurling
- Rolling process that creates textured patterns on steel.
L
- Lamination
- Defect from internal separations in steel.
- Lead
- Element added for machinability. Symbol Pb.
- Leveling
- Flattening steel with rollers.
- Lock Forming Quality
- Grade suitable for HVAC duct forming.
- Long Terne
- Steel sheet coated with lead-tin alloy.
M
- Manganese
- Alloying element that improves strength and toughness.
- Martensite
- Hard microstructure formed by rapid cooling.
- Matte Finish
- Dull surface finish often for painting.
- Mechanical Properties
- Tensile strength, yield strength, ductility, hardness.
- Mild Steel
- Low-carbon steel, ductile and weldable.
N
- Necking
- Local reduction in cross-section when stretched.
- Niobium
- Alloying element for HSLA steels. Symbol Nb.
- Normalizing
- Heat treatment to refine grain structure.
- Notch Toughness
- Ability to resist fracture at a flaw.
O
- OD
- Outside diameter of coil or pipe.
- Oil Can Effect
- Distortion or waviness in steel sheets.
- Oiling
- Applying oil to protect steel from rusting.
- Orange Peel
- Surface defect resembling citrus skin.
- Overpickled
- Steel exposed too long to acid, leaving roughness.
P
- Passivation
- Chemical treatment to delay white rust on galvanized steel.
- Phosphorus
- Element that strengthens steel but reduces ductility.
- Pickling
- Acid cleaning to remove scale from hot rolled steel.
- Pipe
- Cylindrical hollow steel product.
- Pitting
- Small surface corrosion pits on steel.
Q
- Quenching
- Rapid cooling to harden steel.
- Quality
- Suitability of steel for intended use.
- Quarter Hard
- Cold rolled steel with moderate hardness.
R
- Reduction
- Decrease in thickness from rolling.
- Reel Breaks
- Creases formed during coiling/uncoiling.
- Residuals
- Unintended leftover elements in steel.
- Rimmed Steel
- Low-carbon steel with good surface finish.
- Rockwell Hardness
- Standard test for hardness.
- Rust
- Corrosion from exposure to moisture and air.
S
- SAE
- Society of Automotive Engineers, sets steel standards.
- Scale
- Oxide layer on hot rolled steel.
- Secondary Steel
- Steel downgraded from prime quality.
- Seam
- Surface crack defect.
- Shearing
- Cutting steel with a blade.
- Sheet Steel
- Flat rolled steel under 1/4 inch thick.
- Slitting
- Cutting coils into narrower widths.
T
- Temper
- Steel condition defined by hardness or softness.
- Temper Passing
- Light rolling to improve flatness.
- Tensile Strength
- Max stress before steel breaks.
- Tolerance
- Allowed dimensional variation.
- Ton
- Weight unit: 2,000 lbs (short ton) or 2,204 lbs (metric ton).
- Tube
- Hollow steel section used structurally.
U
- Ultimate Tensile Strength
- Maximum load steel can carry before fracture.
- Ultralow Carbon Steel
- Extremely low carbon for deep drawing.
- Uniform Elongation
- Amount steel stretches evenly before necking.
- Uncoated Steel
- Steel without protective coatings.
V
- Vacuum Degassing
- Refining process to remove gases for cleaner steel.
- Vanadium
- Alloy element improving strength and toughness.
- Void
- Internal cavity defect in steel.
W
- Weld
- Joining steel with heat or pressure.
- Weldability
- Ability of steel to be welded successfully.
- White Rust
- Corrosion on galvanized steel surfaces.
- Work Hardening
- Steel strengthening during deformation.
- Wrought Steel
- Steel mechanically worked into final form.
X
- X-Coating
- Shorthand for steel with no protective coating.
- X-Ray Testing
- Non-destructive method for internal defect detection.
Y
- Yield
- Usable steel from production vs total input.
- Yield Strength
- Stress at which steel deforms permanently.
- Young’s Modulus
- Measure of elasticity of steel.
Z
- Zinc
- Protective coating metal applied to steel.
- Zinc Bath
- Molten zinc bath used for galvanizing.
- Zirconium
- Alloy element that improves corrosion resistance.
No glossary terms matched your search.