More Steel
22 Popular Steel Alloys
- These materials all use an Uneven Roughness node to set the
Roughnessvalue.
Carbon Steel
- Carbon Steel New
- Carbon Steel Weathered
Stainless Steel
- 304 Common Stainless Steel
- 316 High-Chromium Stainless Steel
- High-Alloy Stainless Steel
Alloy Steel
- 4140 Steel - Chromium Molybdenum (Cr-Mo)
- 4340 Steel - Nickel-Chromium-Molybdenum (Ni-Cr-Mo)
- Nickel-Vanadium Steel
- Manganese Steel
- Tool Steel
- Spring Steel
- Structural Steel
- A36 Structural Steel
- A572 Structural Steel
Specialty Steels
- Case-Hardened Steel
- HSLA Steel (High-Strength, Low-Alloy Steel)
- Maraging Steel
- Free-Machining Steel
- Galvanized Steel
- Weathering Steel
- Virgin Weathering Steel
A type of carbon steel with a variety of finishes, suitable for a wide range of applications. New Carbon Steel can have a variety of finishes, from a smooth, machine-finished surface to a slightly brushed finish.
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Common Uses: Machinery, tools, automotive panels.
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Color: #A0A0A9
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Roughness: 0.2 - 0.4
- Lower Roughness: 0.2 - 0.3 — This will create a more reflective surface, suitable for a smooth, polished new steel look.
- Medium Roughness: 0.35 - 0.4 — This will provide a good balance between reflection and some surface imperfections, representing a typical finish for new steel.
Carbon steel designed to develop a protective rust-like coating, used for outdoor structures requiring a weathered aesthetic. Weathered Carbon Steel develops a rough, oxidized surface over time.
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Common Uses: Bridges, sculptures, architectural facades.
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Color: #4D4D4F
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Roughness: 0.5 - 0.8
- Higher Roughness: 0.5 - 0.7 — This will create a less reflective surface with a noticeable texture, capturing the roughness of weathered steel.
- Very High Roughness: 0.75 - 0.8 — This will result in a very matte surface with minimal reflection, suitable for heavily weathered or rusted steel.
A versatile and widely used stainless steel grade with excellent corrosion resistance. This grade is often used in applications requiring good corrosion resistance and formability. It typically has a #4 (mill finish) or brushed finish.
- Common Uses: Sinks, cookware, utensils, automotive trim.
- Color: #D3D3D3
- Roughness: 0.1 - 0.3 This range captures the balance between a slightly reflective surface (mill finish) and a more subdued shine with some visible brush marks.
A stainless steel grade with superior corrosion resistance, suitable for marine and chemical applications. This grade offers even better corrosion resistance than 304 and is often used in marine environments or for food processing equipment. It can have a variety of finishes, but a common one is a #8 (polished finish).
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Common Uses: Marine equipment, chemical processing, medical devices.
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Color: #E0E0E6
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Roughness: 0.05 - 0.25 This range represents a smoother and more reflective surface compared to 304 stainless steel.
- Lower Roughness: 0.05 for a mirror-like finish
- Higher Roughness: 0.2 for a more realistic polished look
A stainless steel alloy with increased chromium, nickel, and additional alloying elements for enhanced corrosion resistance and mechanical properties.
- Common Uses: Chemical processing equipment, marine applications, surgical instruments.
- Color: #C0C0C0
- Roughness: 0.2 - 0.4
A high-strength alloy steel known for its toughness and wear resistance.
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Common Uses: Automotive parts, machinery components, tooling.
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Color: #808080
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Roughness: 0.2 - 0.3
- Lower Roughness: 0.2 - 0.3 for machined parts
- Higher Roughness: 0.4 - 0.5 for components like forgings
An alloy steel with high strength and toughness, suitable for critical applications. The roughness of 4340 steel depends on the finishing process it has undergone.
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Common Uses: Aircraft landing gear, crankshafts, structural tubing.
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Color: #A0A0A9
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Roughness: 0.4 - 0.5
- Lower Roughness: 0.1 - 0.2 for a polished or machined finish, suitable for parts that require a smooth surface.
- Medium Roughness: 0.25 - 0.35 for a hot-rolled or sandblasted finish, commonly used for components like shafts or gears.
- Higher Roughness: 0.4 for a rougher surface, applicable to parts that may have been forged or have a scale on the surface.
A steel alloy with nickel and vanadium for improved strength and toughness.
- Common Uses: Springs, turbine blades, high-performance tools.
- Color: #9E9E9E
- Roughness: 0.4 - 0.6
A steel alloy with high manganese content for improved toughness and wear resistance.
- Common Uses: Railroad tracks, rock crushing equipment, excavator buckets.
- Color: #707070
- Roughness: 0.5 - 0.7
A high-carbon steel alloy designed for making cutting tools, dies, and molds. Specially formulated for exceptional hardness and wear resistance.
- Common Uses: Drill bits, lathe tools, injection molds.
- Color: #43464B
- Roughness: 0.3 - 0.5
A high-carbon steel known for its elasticity and resilience, used for springs and flexible parts.
- Common Uses: Suspension springs, clutch plates, firearm components.
- Color: #808080
- Roughness: 0.3 - 0.5
A steel alloy designed for structural applications with high strength, durability and load-bearing capacity.
- Common Uses: Beams, columns, bridges, building frameworks.
- Color: #6E6E6E
- Roughness: 0.2 - 0.4
A mild carbon steel widely used in construction for its versatility, weldability and affordability.
- Common Uses: Building frames, structural components, machinery parts.
- Color: #7F7F7F
- Roughness: 0.2 - 0.4
A high-strength, low-alloy steel used in construction for its superior strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance. It's often used in demanding structures like high-rise buildings and bridges which require greater strength than A36.
- Common Uses: Bridge components, structural beams, transmission towers.
- Color: #717171
- Roughness: 0.2 - 0.4
Steel treated to develop a hard surface layer for improved wear resistance. Case-Hardened Steel can have a smooth or matte finish depending on the specific treatment.
- Common Uses: Gears, bearings, firearm components.
- Color: #423F3E
- Roughness: 0.2 - 0.3
- Color: #5A554D
- Roughness: 0.4 - 0.5
A steel alloy offering a good balance of strength and weight, and improved corrosion resistance making it ideal for pipelines, machinery, and construction projects.
- Common Uses: Automotive chassis, pressure vessels, offshore structures.
- Color: #828282
- Roughness: 0.2 - 0.4
A high-strength steel alloy known for exceptional strength-to-weight ratio, resistance to corrosion, and toughness even at high temperatures. Used in aerospace and defense industries.
- Common Uses: Aircraft components, missile casings, high-performance tools.
- Color: #6D6D6D
- Roughness: 0.2 - 0.4
A steel alloy with added sulfur or lead to improve machinability, used for precision machining applications.
- Common Uses: Gears, screws, fittings, automotive components.
- Color: #8C8C8C
- Roughness: 0.3 - 0.5
A steel coated with zinc for corrosion resistance, used in construction and manufacturing. Galvanized steel has a light gray, almost silvery appearance due to the zinc coating. This material sends a Metal Flake node into the Normal to simulate the microscopic imperfections on the zinc coating.
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Common Uses: Roofing, gutters, fencing, automotive panels.
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Color: #D3D3D3
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Roughness: 0.3 - 0.5
- Hot-Dip Galvanized Steel: 0.3 - 0.5 for a matte to slightly rough surface. Most common.
- Pre-Galvanized Steel: 0.1 - 0.3 for a smoother, pre-finished surface.
A steel alloy used for outdoor structures. Also known as COR-TEN steel, it develops a stable rust layer that protects the underlying steel from further corrosion.
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Common Uses: Bridges, sculptures, architectural facades.
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Color: Weathering steel develops a characteristic brown rust layer over time.
- Slightly Weathered: #C67C6C — A rusty brown with hints of the original steel color
- Moderately Weathered: #A0522D — A darker, richer rust brown
- Heavily Weathered: #6F4E3C — A deep, almost black-brown color
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Roughness: 0.6 - 0.8
Weathering Steel in its original, un-weathered state.
- Color: #848484
- Roughness: 0.2 - 0.4 — a moderate smoothness, similar to other structural steels before exposure to the elements.