Cold Rolled Vs Hot Rolled Steel Sheet

In this article we will compare hot rolled vs cold rolled steel sheets.

Cold rolled vs hot rolled steel sheet.

Basic difference between hot rolled and cold rolled steel is the way they are processed. Cold rolled has a smooth and shiny finish while hot rolled has a grey and scaly finish. Hot rolled steel involves rolling the steel at high temperatures where cold rolled steel is processed further in cold reduction mills where the material is cooled followed by annealing and or tempers rolling. The differences between hot rolled steel and cold rolled steel relates to the way these metals are processed at the mill and not the product specification or grade.

During cold rolling the steel is annealed or exposed to heat and allowed to cool which improves ductility. During the hot rolling process steel is heated to its melting point while being worked changing the composition of the steel to make it more malleable. When the hot rolled metal cools it will reconfigure making the finished product with a looser tolerance when compared to the cold rolled metal. Hot rolled steel has rounded edges a rough surface texture and no grease on its finish.

Alternatively cold rolled steel has sharp edges a very smooth surface texture and an oily or greasy feel to it. This looser tolerance makes it easier to force the metal into a variety of different shapes. There are some fundamental differences between these two types of metal. Cold formed is manufactured in two steps.

When to use hot rolled steel the pros and cons of hot rolled steel come down to strength versus price. Cold rolled has sharper corners and more precise dimensions than hot rolled. Hot rolling is mainly used to produce simple cross sections or sheet metal. Hot rolled steel involves rolling the steel above re crystallization temperatures.

Hot rolling and cold rolling are two methods of shaping steel.