What You Need to Know About Steel Slabs and Its Cost
Steel is probably one of the greatest accomplishments of modern man. This metal has enabled us to build super structures that our ancestors would not even have begun to imagine. Steel has made bridges hundreds of miles long and buildings thousands of feet high entirely possible. Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon which is the most widely used construction material for the world’s various industries. This means that it is steel that powers the multi-billion dollar industries that make the world go round. This is truly an amazing feat for any metal.
Like some other slabs made from other metals or rocks, steel slabs are also considered as ‘raw materials.’ You see, in the literal sense of the word, steel is not mined. Steel does not lie dormant behind cracks and crevices of the earth’s rich mountains. No. Steel is made. It is made from iron and carbon,and it is these two materials that are mined. So, as raw materials, steel slabs are rarely ever the final product.
In fact, the people who usually avail of these steel slabs are the ones who have their own steel making companies. Unfortunately for most people, it is not safe at all to handle steel slabs if you do not have your own steel mill.
However, it should be noted that steel slabs are not to be confused with steel blooms or still billets, though they are all raw materials. You see, steel slabs are the ones which are converted into flat products such as steel plates and steel strips. Steel blooms or billets, n the other hand,are used for steel bars, such as that used in the construction of the frameworks of some megastructures. The steel slabs are usually run through complex machinery that exposes the slabs to intense heat (greater than 1000C) in a furnace for more than three hours. Once done, the steel slabs become more malleable and therefore easier to handle and to manipulate into the shapes and forms that the owners want them to be.
Where are Steel Slabs Used?
As stated in the previous paragraph, steel slabs are used to make steel plates and steel strips. Steel plates are usually converted into the pipelines which carry our oils and gases and steam. Steel strips, which are smaller and a lot thinner than the steel plates, are also used for making pipelines, albeit, they are mostly used for the smaller ones.
Other companies use the steel slabs to create machinery parts or automobile parts. There are also some other companies, particularly those involved in military matters, who use these steel slabs to create parts of their weapons and their ships and tanks.
How Much Do Steel Slabs Cost?
The cost of the slabs actually depends on the company. Some price it for $180 – $190 per ton, but be prepared to pay an additional $40 to convert these slabs into strips or plates.
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