The difference between carbon steel and stainless steel

The difference between galvanized carbon steel and stainless steel 1

Galvanized carbon steel and stainless steel are widely used metal materials in industry and daily life, but there are many differences between them.

From a chemical composition perspective, carbon steel is mainly composed of iron and carbon. Although the carbon content is relatively small, it has a crucial impact on the properties of carbon steel. In addition to iron, stainless steel also contains a large amount of chromium, with a chromium content generally above 10.5%. The role of chromium in stainless steel is like a loyal guardian, forming a dense chromium oxide film on the surface of stainless steel. This film is like an indestructible armor, effectively preventing the erosion of external oxygen and moisture, thus making stainless steel have good corrosion resistance. In contrast, galvanized carbon steel is coated with a layer of zinc on its surface, which serves to protect the carbon steel.

In terms of physical properties, the density of stainless steel is usually slightly higher than that of galvanized carbon steel. This is like filling a container of the same size with stainless steel balls and galvanized carbon steel balls, with the stainless steel balls being heavier. Stainless steel has a relatively high hardness, which makes it less prone to deformation when subjected to external forces. However, galvanized carbon steel has slightly lower hardness due to its relatively loose internal structure. However, the toughness of galvanized carbon steel may be better than stainless steel in some cases, just like a flexible rope and a hard iron rod, the rope is easy to bend but not easy to break.