1018 Mild Steel

1018, 1020 (HR,CF) - Low carbon steel. Has good hardening properties, fair machinability. Readily brazed and welded. Alloy 1018 is the most commonly available of the cold-rolled steels. It is generally available in round rod, square bar, and rectangle bar. It has a good combination of all of the typical traits of steel - strength, some ductility, and comparative ease of machining. Chemically, it is very similar to A36 Hot Rolled steel, but the cold rolling process creates a better surface finish and better properties.

1018 is among the most commonly available grades available in the world. It is widely available in cold finished rounds, squares, flat bar and hexagons. Despite its unimpressive mechanical properties, the alloy is easily formed, machined, welded and fabricated. Due to its higher Mn content, it can, in thin sections, be hardened to Rc 42.

The alloy is a free machining grade that is often employed in high volume screw machine parts applications. It is commonly employed in shafts, spindles, pins, rods, sprocket assemblies and an incredibly wide variety of component parts. 1018 is rated at 62% of 1112 carbon steel. The alloy can be easily brought to a fine finish, its chips are continuous and hard and it can be machined in all conditions.

1018 Cold Rolled Steel can be referred to as mild, low carbon steel. There are several types including 1018 Flat Bar Cold Finish, 1018 Round Bar Cold Finish and 1018 Square Bar Cold Finish. 1018 is readily available around the world and is available in several shapes. Though it ranks below average in its mechanical properties, the alloy is easily formed, machined, welded and manufactured. 1018 cold rolled steel is often used for screw machine parts, shafts, pins, spindles and rods.



Forming
1018 can be easily formed in the annealed condition.

Welding

1018 has been successfully welded using most all the common practices including gas, resistance, oxyacetylene, and submerged melt welding.

Heat Treatment

1018 can, in thin sections be case hardened to Rc 42. In thicker sections, over 4", Rc 28-30 can be obtained.

Forging

Forge this alloy in the range of 1825-2300 F.

Hot Working

1018 can easily be hot worked.

Cold Working

Cold working 1018 will have a significant affect on hardness and mechanical properties. Intermediate annealing is required to overcome its tendency to work harden.

Annealing

A full anneal can be achieved by soaking at 1650 F followed by furnace cooling. Process annealing can be done at 1200 F.

Hardening See heat treatment and cold working notes.

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