4 Key Factors to Consider when Choosing Metal

Application, Performance Requirement & Cost Factor Considerations

Project metal considerations should include design requirements and materials selection criteria that optimize the end product&#;s performance, reliability, and cost. The metal forming application should also be considered, including product specification requirements and comparisons to differing metal alloys.

Identify the Design Requirements

Prior to production, it is vital to discern proper design requirements. Identifying these necessary conditions will provide a complete perspective of the metal fabrication process and the features the metal must offer the design. Metal forming design considerations can include the following:

• Size, shape, and mass requirements
• Cost requirements
• Manufacturing and assembly requirements
• Industry standards
• Performance & reliability standards
• Government regulations

Identify Project Metal Criteria

A metal&#;s properties will provide a broad sense of what tasks it can and cannot perform. Strong metals such as steel and aluminum provide a greater yield strength than softer metals such as copper and tin. Before choosing a metal for your project, it is crucial that the minimum yield stress is accurately determined. Also, consider each material&#;s range of values when determining which materials fit your needs. Assessing the metal&#;s benefits will provide an easy to compare similar alloys.

How to Choose the Best Metal Fabrication Material?

Choosing the best material for a metal forming task can be a harrowing ordeal, especially if there is no clear-cut favorite. The only way to know you&#;re making the right choice is by making an informed decision. When it comes to metal fabrication, informed decisions are made by assessing the needs of your project compared to the values of the metal alloys under consideration. The fundamental properties to consider include the following:

Tensile Strength

A metal&#;s tensile strength represents the force it can withstand without snapping. Tensile strength is a critical factor, especially for projects that will experience significant force.

Corrosion Resistance

Specific metal forming applications require a metal that does not corrode when exposed to certain conditions, such as salt water and wet environments. Corrosion-resistant metals such as stainless steel and aluminum contain trace elements that protect their metal substrates from harmful corrosion, preserving the integrity of the metal.

Weldability

Some metals are easier to weld than others. If you choose a metal that isn&#;t easily welded, the manufacturing process will require additional time and expertise, which may impact your timeline and budget. Examples of easily welded metals include aluminum, copper, iron, chromoly steel, Hastelloy, Inconel, and Kovar.

Machinability

Machinability describes the ease with which a metal can be cut with a blade. A less machinable metal may require specialty tools, which can increase expenses and lead times.

Ductility & Formability

Ductility and formability determine what shapes a metal can become. A metal with lower ductility cannot easily be shaped into a wire, and a less formable metal can&#;t be bent without snapping. A highly formable metal may be the best option if your metal project requires significant shaping.

What are the Most Common Metals Used for Fabrication?

Several metals are commonly used within the metal fabrication process. Premium metal-forming fabrication metals are sought after due to their valuable features and benefits, allowing them to be used for nearly limitless applications. Common metal types used within metal fabrication include:

What is Sheet Metal Fabrication?

When sheet metal is converted from its original state, it is fabricated. Sheet metal can be fabricated through various cutting or forming processes to reach your application&#;s desired outcome. Sheet metal is manufactured via a blueprint and a manual or computerized cutting or forming process, determining the sheet metal&#;s final result.

The IMS Difference

What separates IMS from other metals companies? With an abundance of metal options and customer service that is second to none, IMS has you covered with the following advantages:
 

• Next-day delivery of processed material via our trucks
• Same-day pick-up in Will-Call
• No minimum purchase
• Unprecedented customer service
• Support of Just-in-Time manufacturing processes
• Salespeople that act as an extension of your purchasing department (we will get any metal products you need)
• Material management (stocking and delivery on a scheduled basis)
• Credit lines with good terms
• Seven stores are open six days a week (check each location for specific times)
• Shop by metal alloy

Precision Metal Fabrication Materials

In the market for premium metal products and accessories? IMS stocks a wide selection of high-quality metal products in the sizes and styles you need. We also provide 

Choosing a suitable metal for a project is much like choosing the right bullet for a gun. If the characteristics and specifications of the bullet and gun do not properly align, the gun will not be able to fire. The same is true for metal. Each metal is created with the intrinsic qualities that make it unique. Certain metals are stronger than others, while others provide advanced corrosion protection and elevated melting temperatures. Four key factors determine metal fabrication qualities and considerations for steel, stainless steel, and aluminum materials.Project metal considerations should include design requirements and materials selection criteria that optimize the end product&#;s performance, reliability, and cost. The metal forming application should also be considered, including product specification requirements and comparisons to differing metal alloys.Prior to production, it is vital to discern proper design requirements. Identifying these necessary conditions will provide a complete perspective of the metal fabrication process and the features the metal must offer the design. Metal forming design considerations can include the following:A metal&#;s properties will provide a broad sense of what tasks it can and cannot perform. Strong metals such as steel and aluminum provide a greater yield strength than softer metals such as copper and tin. Before choosing a metal for your project, it is crucial that the minimum yield stress is accurately determined. Also, consider each material&#;s range of values when determining which materials fit your needs. Assessing the metal&#;s benefits will provide an easy to compare similar alloys.Choosing the best material for a metal forming task can be a harrowing ordeal, especially if there is no clear-cut favorite. The only way to know you&#;re making the right choice is by making an informed decision. When it comes to metal fabrication, informed decisions are made by assessing the needs of your project compared to the values of the metal alloys under consideration. The fundamental properties to consider include the following:A metal&#;s tensile strength represents the force it can withstand without snapping. Tensile strength is a critical factor, especially for projects that will experience significant force.Specific metal forming applications require a metal that does not corrode when exposed to certain conditions, such as salt water and wet environments. Corrosion-resistant metals such as stainless steel and aluminum contain trace elements that protect their metal substrates from harmful corrosion, preserving the integrity of the metal.Some metals are easier to weld than others. If you choose a metal that isn&#;t easily welded, the manufacturing process will require additional time and expertise, which may impact your timeline and budget. Examples of easily welded metals include aluminum, copper, iron, chromoly steel, Hastelloy, Inconel, and Kovar.Machinability describes the ease with which a metal can be cut with a blade. A less machinable metal may require specialty tools, which can increase expenses and lead times.Ductility and formability determine what shapes a metal can become. A metal with lower ductility cannot easily be shaped into a wire, and a less formable metal can&#;t be bent without snapping. A highly formable metal may be the best option if your metal project requires significant shaping.Several metals are commonly used within the metal fabrication process. Premium metal-forming fabrication metals are sought after due to their valuable features and benefits, allowing them to be used for nearly limitless applications. Common metal types used within metal fabrication include:When sheet metal is converted from its original state, it is fabricated. Sheet metal can be fabricated through various cutting or forming processes to reach your application&#;s desired outcome. Sheet metal is manufactured via a blueprint and a manual or computerized cutting or forming process, determining the sheet metal&#;s final result.What separates IMS from other metals companies? With an abundance of metal options and customer service that is second to none, IMS has you covered with the following advantages:In the market for premium metal products and accessories? IMS stocks a wide selection of high-quality metal products in the sizes and styles you need. We also provide metal cutting services to make purchasing easy and convenient. Stop by one of our California or Arizona locations or request a quote today.

Goto KLS to know more.

Aluminum and steel are the two most commonly used metals in manufacturing. However, despite their different properties and applications, it can be difficult to distinguish between them by appearance alone.

Furthermore, aluminum and stainless steel come in countless different metals and grades, some of which look identical.

Ideally, metals come with some kind of identifying marking or common metal identification feature. However, this is not the case in most scenarios, especially when dealing with a scrap

If you&#;re unsure how to identify metals and their origin, stick around as we demystify this mystery.

When working with steel, aluminum, cast iron, or any other type of metal, it&#;s important to know how to tell the difference between them. Depending on the metal, identification methods may be as simple as comparing colors or as complex as conducting an OES Analysis.

However, many metals look virtually identical so it can be hard to get accurate results from sight alone. Fortunately, there are other techniques, such as the magnet test, to determine what material you&#;re dealing with.

Below, we detail a few simple metal identification methods to help distinguish between steel and aluminum, different grades of aluminum, and other metals such as copper, bronze, and titanium.

How to Tell the Difference Between Steel and Aluminum

Aluminum and stainless steel have significantly different mechanical properties that can be used to differentiate between them. Here are some simple tests for identifying aluminum and steel.

Magnet Test

The easiest method for distinguishing these two metals is by using a magnet. Ferrous materials, like stainless and low carbon steel, are magnetic, while most non ferrous metals are non magnetic.

To conduct this magnet test, simply press a magnet to the metal&#;it will stick to stainless steel but not aluminum. Although, it&#;s important to note that some stainless steels are magnetic, while other metal types are not.

Hardness Test

Aluminum is also a much softer metal than steel, and this property is easy to test if you don&#;t mind scratching the piece of metal.

Press a key into a piece of unknown metal that may be aluminum or steel. If the piece is aluminum, it will scratch easily and deeply with light pressure. Steel grades will scratch, but they take much more pressure and won&#;t be as deep.

This metal identification method gets easier as you practice and get used to how aluminum feels under the key versus how galvanized steel alloys feel.

For a more precise assessment, you can use a Rockwell hardness test. This test measures the hardness of the metal by determining the depth of penetration under a standardized load. Aluminum will typically show a lower Rockwell hardness value compared to steel.

 

Buy Certified High-Quality Metals for Industrial Solutions

Contact us to discuss your requirements of brass clad steel. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

New Aluminum

New Steel

New Stainless Steel

Reliable supply: Consistent, certified aluminum stock you can trust.
High-quality material: Superior-grade aluminum for precision needs.
Custom cuts: Accurate cuts down to thousandths of an inch.Durability and strength: Reliable for projects needing long-lasting, tough materials.
Cost-effective: Quality steel that offers strength without breaking the bank.
Custom cutting: Precise cuts tailored to exact needs with top-tier cutting tools.Sustainability: Highly eco-friendly as the most recyclable metal on earth.
High durability: Resistant to corrosion and wear, ensuring long-lasting performance.
Custom precision cuts: Tailored to your specifications with quick, accurate results.

 

How to Identify Different Aluminum Alloys

There are numerous aluminum alloys, each with distinct properties. Some aluminum alloys are easy to weld, while others are not. Certain alloys can undergo heat treatment, whereas others cannot.

Distinguishing aluminum alloys from one another without sophisticated equipment isn&#;t easy, but there are metal identification methods that can provide some useful information about an alloy.

For example, to determine if a piece of aluminum can be welded, examine its surface finish. A bright and easily polished surface typically indicates that it can be welded, whereas a dull surface suggests it may not be suitable for welding.

Determining the exact alloy requires equipment capable of measuring the material&#;s composition. This equipment applies energy to a sample and measures the frequencies of the resulting emissions, a process known as OES analysis (Optical Emission Spectroscopy).

The methods used can be either destructive, such as atomic emission spectroscopy, which atomizes or burns the material, or non-destructive, like X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, which energizes the material by scanning it with X-rays.

To accurately identify the aluminum alloy, you will need assistance from a lab or a metal professional with access to these elemental composition identification methods.

Other Scrap Metal Identification Methods

What about identifying ferrous metals other than stainless steel and aluminum? Many metals have distinctive colors that can help with identification. If a metal is bright, shiny, and reddish-brown, it&#;s most likely either copper or red brass. Copper also forms a pale green patina over time when exposed to the elements&#;this is the reason for the Statue of Liberty&#;s color.

Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, so it has a reddish-brown color very similar to copper. Bronze has a dull gold, darker finish, while copper has a more pinkish-orange color. Bronze is also much more brittle than copper, so if a copper-colored metal is easy to bend, it&#;s copper.

Gold-colored metals are usually brass. Yellow brass has a similar color to metallic gold, but gold is darker and less yellow. Gold is also heavier and is much rarer, so it&#;s likely your gold-colored metal is brass.

Keep in mind that metals may be oxidized, coated, or painted, so trying to identify scrap metal based on color can be misleading.

Purchase or Recycle Metals with a Local Metal Supplier

Whether you&#;re a machine shop owner, a metalworker, or you just need to recycle some scrap metal, Industrial Metal Service can help. We have been supplying steel, aluminum, and other ferrous metals to the San Francisco Bay Area and nationwide for over two decades.

What if you need to recycle scrap metal, but you still don&#;t know what type it is after trying the metal identification methods above? No problem. We verify scrap metal using x-ray fluorescence technology.

Our handheld Thermo-Fisher XRF analyzers can identify metals and their compositions so we can ensure that you&#;re getting the alloy and grade you need and you know you&#;re getting a fair price for your scrap metal.

For more information, please visit copper composite material.