Flat Bar Steel: Purposeful and Proficient
You’ll struggle to imagine a modern industrial world without steel flat bars. Cost effective and remarkably versatile this thin, flat steel shape is often the cornerstone or construction projects. The low carbon content and serviceable strength of this cut-to-size metal makes it highly adaptable to a variety of manufacturers and it is a prevalent component of everyday items.
Common Uses
Frame construction
Although the main component of building frames is mild steel, flat bars also play a considerable role thanks to their easy cutting, drilling and welding capabilities. At Metal Supplies our flat bar steel can be bought as ready-made sections, or parts can be prefabricated in the factory, helping reduce overall building time. As the metal is easily joined by bolting or riveting, flat bars are ideal for cladding with other desired materials and made to take any desired shape.
Renewable energy
Steel has always been a highly ranking material in the energy industry but as governments push for green energy targets, flat bar will be more essential than ever. Due to its resistance corrosion the metal is adept in acidic and alkaline environments alike. This makes them ideal for water gates and their generators and as concrete reinforcing bars in wind turbines.
Major works
This sort of project is designed to extend or improve the life of the building incorporate flat bar steel in their restoration processes. As mild steel is easily formed and worked it is adept for replacing and reinforcing structural parts in need of overhaul.
Getting The Right Flat Bar Cut
Since this steel cut has many different applications in the manufacturing industry we ensure to stock a wide range of both imperial and metric sizes and grades with our most popular grades being 316, 304 and 431.
3O4
This is the most widely used grade as well as the most versatile, so more commonly you’ll find it in a wider range of forms, finished and applications than any other grade.
- Balanced and austenitic structure
- Excellent oxidation resistance
- Stress corrosion cracking can be an issue at temperatures above 60ºc
- Heavy welded sections might require post weld annealing for maximum corrosion resistance
316
After 304 this is the second most common austenitic stainless steel grade, 316 stainless has excellent toughness properties, even at ultra-low cryogenic temperatures.
- Excellent corrosion resistance in numerous atmospheric environments
- Higher resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion than 304
- Excellent forming and welding characteristics
- Common in the handling of particular food and pharmaceutical products
431
This grade of steel also has excellent resistance to a wide variety of corrosive media and reasonable resistance to salt water at cold temperatures, but less than grade 316 in tropical waters. Overall resistance is very similar to that of grade 304.
- Performance is best with a smooth surface finish that is hardened and tempered
- Excellent tensile and torque strength ideally suited to shafting and bolting applications
- Not recommended for use in operations such as cold heating, bending, deep drawing or spinning
As the number one provider of stainless steel products, Metal Supplies offer a first class cutting service and immediate dispatch to ensure a quick turnaround on your supplies. Browse online to see our full range of flat bar or call on 0800 123 7010 to order.
