Hot Rolled Steel vs. Cold Rolled Steel

An Overview of Hot Rolled Steel

Hot rolled steel is steel that has undergone the rolling process at a temperature above its recrystallization temperature (usually 1700° F or greater). According to Google snippets, hot rolled steel is more malleable, easier to work with, and generally cheaper, making it suitable for large structural applications. It exhibits greater formability and workability compared to unprocessed steel, facilitating subsequent processing operations.

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The manufacturing process begins with a large, rectangular slab of metal known as a billet. The billet is heated and compressed into a large roll. While still hot, it passes through a series of rotating rollers to reach the desired dimensions. For sheet metal production, the rolled steel is coiled into rolls and left to cool. In other forms, the processed material is cut into specified units.

Benefits of Hot Rolled Steel

Hot rolled steel offers various manufacturing benefits, including:

• Lower cost: Hot rolled steel is generally less expensive than cold rolled steel as it involves fewer processing steps.
• Better workability: The elevated temperatures during the hot rolling process make the material easy to form and shape.
• Minimal internal stress: Gradually cooling the steel during the hot rolling process normalizes its structure, reducing internal stresses.

Applications of Hot Rolled Steel

Due to slight shrinkage during cooling, hot rolled steel is less precise in terms of final dimensions. It is typically used in applications that do not require extremely tight tolerances, such as:

• Agricultural equipment
• Automobile parts (e.g., frames and wheel rims)
• Construction materials (e.g., I-beams)
• Railroad equipment (e.g., tracks and railcar components)

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The steel industry heavily relies on cold rolling, where metal sheets are passed between rollers to achieve the desired thickness. (Read more about different types of rolling mills and how to choose the rolling mill machine)

What is Cold Rolling?

Cold rolling starts with hot rolled metal that is further processed at lower temperatures. The metal is cooled to room temperature before "pickling," which removes scale left from hot rolling.

Process Details

The cooled metal is passed through rollers below its recrystallization temperature to relieve stress, making it stronger and harder. Each cold rolling phase reduces the metal's thickness by 50 to 90% and increases dimensional accuracy by up to 20%.

Flat Rolling vs. Profile Rolling

Flat rolling is used for sheets or harder, firmer metals, while profile rolling is suited for rods or bars.

Advantages of Cold Rolled Steel

Cold rolled steel offers the following benefits:

• Improved surface finish
• Higher tolerance precision
• Increased strength and hardness

Disadvantages of Cold Rolled Steel

While beneficial, the cold rolling process is more labor-intensive and costly than hot rolling. It’s typically employed where tighter tolerances and higher quality surface finishes are required.

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