Technical Terms

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Glossary

• Stainless Steel Sheet (Grade 304), Brushed Polished finish

  This material is not magnetic and looks like you might see on a kitchen appliance. It is characterized by short, parallel polishing lines, which extend uniformly along the length of the coil. Also known as a #4 polished finish.

• Stainless Steel Sheet (Grade 304), Mill finish

  This material is not magnetic and is unpolished. It is dull in appearance, resembling a cloudy mirror. Also known as a #2B finish.

• Stainless Steel Sheet (Grade 430), Bright Annealed finish

  This material is magnetic and it has a mirror-like appearance, but it is not a true mirror. It has been bright annealed and then passed between highly polished rolls. Also known as a BA or 2BA finish.

• Steel Bar, Annealed

  Annealing is a heat treatment process in which the metal is heated to a specific temperature and then allowed to cool slowly. This increases the ductility of the material and reduces its hardness, so it can be easier to work with. May be known as Condition C when associated with aircraft alloy steel.

• Steel Bar, Cold Finished

  This is basically an umbrella term for steel bar that has had some sort of surface treatment. It can be cold drawn (CD); turned and polished (T&P); turned, ground and polished (TGP); or centerless ground (CG). Certain steel bar grades could be available as either Cold Finished or Hot Rolled. When compared to Hot Rolled steel bars, Cold Finished bars are produced to tighter tolerances, are straighter, and have a smoother surface finish. They are generally more expensive and may be harder to work with than Hot Rolled bars due to the increased carbon content.

• Steel Bar, Hot Rolled

  This is a steel bar product that is produced at a high temperature (minimum 1700 deg F) and is softer and more pliable than Cold Finished material. It may have a rougher surface finish, as well as impurities or imperfections, and more rounded edges (in flats and squares).

• Steel Bar, Normalized & Tempered

  Normalizing refers to the process of heating the steel bar above its critical temperature and then cooling it in open or standing air. Tempering is the process of reheating the material below the transformation range and then cooling it to the desired rate. The primary reasons are to decrease the hardness and increase the strength, as well as to relieve internal stresses. Abbreviated as “N & T” and also known as Condition E4 when associated with aircraft alloy steel. 4340 is a common grade of steel that may be supplied in this condition.

• Steel Bar, Quenched & Tempered

  Quenching and tempering are processes that strengthen and harden materials like steel and other iron-based alloys. Quenching involves heating the material and then rapidly cooling in water, oil, forced air or inert gases such as nitrogen. Tempering is accomplished by heating that material to below the critical point for a set period of time, then allowing it to cool in still air. Abbreviated as “Q & T” and also known as Condition F4 when associated with aircraft alloy steel. Although used only in specific situations, 4130 is a common grade of steel that may be supplied in this condition.