1018 Carbon Steel

1018 Carbon Steel is a widely used low-carbon steel offering good machinability, excellent weldability, and good formability. With moderate strength, low material cost, and wide availability, it is well suited for general mechanical components, shafts, fasteners, and high-volume CNC machined parts.

Appearance & Properties

Color: Silver-gray to dark gray

Density: Approx. 7.87 g/cm³

Tensile Strength: Approx. 440 MPa (typical value, depending on material condition)

Corrosion Resistance: Poor

Machinability: Good

Weldability: Excellent

Magnetism: Magnetic

Surface Finishes: Zinc plating, nickel plating, black oxide, phosphating, painting, powder coating, etc.

Typical Applications

1018 Carbon Steel is widely used in automotive, automation equipment, agricultural machinery, industrial equipment, transmission systems, and general machinery.

Typical parts include shafts, pins, bolts, threaded rods, gears, bushings, connectors, brackets, and various CNC turned and milled components.

Advantages

• Good CNC machinability

• Excellent weldability and formability

• Low material cost

• Widely available

• Suitable for high-volume general mechanical components

Limitations

• Poor corrosion resistance and usually requires surface protection

• Lower strength and hardness than medium-carbon and alloy steels

• Moderate wear resistance

• Not ideal for highly loaded or corrosive environments