The Right Metal for Your Project
Selecting the right metal for your project is about more than just cost; it’s about material performance, durability, and how well the material fits your specific application. At Boyer Steel, we specialize in supplying high-quality stainless steel, alloy steel, carbon steel, and aluminum tube and pipe for a variety of different industries and applications.
Below is a guide of each metal type’s properties, advantages, and ideal applications to help you make an informed decision before you begin your next project.
4 Industrial Metal Tube & Pipe Options for Your Next Project
1. Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is one of the most versatile, durable, and corrosion-resistant materials on the market. It’s ideal for applications where aesthetics and environmental exposure are primary concerns and is available in several conditions including annealed and pickled, bright annealed, mill finished, and polished.
Boyer Steel offers high quality stainless steel tube and pipe in various popular and less common grades to meet your project needs. Our stainless steel tubes and pipes are available in both welded and seamless, hollow bar, stainless ornamental tubing, stainless steel pipe, Nickel tubing, and Nickel pipe.
Stainless Steel Grades to Know: 304 and 304/L and 316 and 316/L
Stainless Steel Benefits:
- Corrosion Resistance: Stainless steel is highly resistant to rust and oxidation, making it perfect for outdoor, sanitary, or harsh environments.
- Formability and Weldability: Stainless Steel 304 and 316 are non-magnetic, easy to form, and ideal for welding.
- Aesthetic Value: Its polished finish makes it a popular choice for visible structures like architectural railings, decorative fencing, and exposed frameworks.
- Durability: High tensile strength steel ensures long-lasting performance under various loads and stressors.
Stainless Steel Ideal Applications:
- Structural and architectural applications
- Food preparation areas and marine environments
- Exposed ornamental structures
2. Alloy Steel
Industrial alloy steels can include a mixture of various materials like carbon, aluminum, chromium, manganese, silicon, nickel, and titanium, creating superior tensile and yield strength when compared to mild or low carbon steel. This material type is also highly regarded for its machinability, hardness, and toughness, and is responsive to mechanical and heat treating.
Boyer Steel offers durable, industrial alloy steel tube and pipe in popular grades and less common grades as well, including 4142, 8620, 52100, and others.
Alloy Steel Grades to Know: 4130 and 4140
Alloy Steel Benefits:
- High Strength and Toughness: Both 4130 and 4140 maintain increased toughness, resistance, and strength to withstand impact.
- Versatility: Both 4130 and 4140 are ideal for mechanical and structural construction applications.
- Machinability: 4130 is easier to machine and 4140 is ideal for heat treatment.
Alloy Steel Ideal Applications:
4130:
- Building and construction (Structural)
- Aircraft and aerospace
- Automotive
- Mechanical
4140:
- Industrial equipment
- Tooling
- Construction components
3. Carbon Steel
Carbon steel is used as a “catch-all” term to include any steels whose main alloying element is carbon and no minimum content is specified for any other alloying elements. Carbon steel is one of the most popularly used metals due to its affordability, high strength, and versatility.
Boyer Steel offers strong carbon steel tube and pipe in various sizes and shapes to meet your specific project needs and applications.
Carbon Steel Grades to Know: A513 Type 5 (DOM) and A519 (Hot Rolled Seamless and Cold Rolled Seamless/ Cold Drawn Seamless)
Carbon Steel Benefits:
- High Strength and Load Bearing Qualities: Carbon steel’s strict and controlled chemical makeup creates increased strength and toughness.
- Cost Efficiency: Carbon steel is an economical choice because its composed of lower cost materials and is easier to produce.
- Customization Options: Carbon Steel is available in multiple conditions including non-annealed, stress-relieved annealed, normalized, and annealed, welded, and seamless.
Carbon Steel Ideal Applications:
- Structural applications
- Mechanical applications
4. Aluminum
Aluminum is a suitable metal for various applications because of its good strength to weight ratio when weight is a primary concern. It’s also known for its high corrosion resistance and effective heat conductivity properties.
Boyer Steel offers versatile aluminum tube and pipe types and grades allowing you to find the ideal product for your project.
Aluminum Grades to Know: B210, B249, and 6061
Aluminum Benefits:
- Excellent Strength-to-Weight Ratio: Aluminum offers high structural integrity while being significantly lighter than steel.
- Corrosion Resistance: Aluminum is naturally corrosion resistant, allowing it to perform well in outdoor and humid environments.
- Heat Conductivity: Aluminum transmits heat efficiently, making it an excellent material for heat transfer or thermal management projects.
- Formability: Aluminum is easy to bend and shape, making it ideal for projects that require flexibility.
Aluminum Ideal Applications:
- Heat transfer applications
- Structural applications and frameworks
Boyer Steel Is Your Trusted Metal Supply Partner
When it comes to sourcing custom industrial metals, Boyer Steel is backed by years of industry experience in supplying the tube and pipe products our customers need to complete their projects successfully. We regularly stock popular grades, shapes, and types of stainless steel, alloy steel, carbon steel, and aluminum, ensuring we have the products you need to meet your deadlines.
Regardless of the metal tube or pipe you need, the Boyer Steel team will partner with you to ensure you select the best option.
Ready to get started on your next project? Request a quote now!