Differences between hot rolled steel and cold rolled steel

A common question that arises when choosing metal materials is the difference between hot rolled steel and cold rolled steel. Today we are going to share the main differences between these two types of steel, to generate a better understanding on which is the one indicated according to the project.

The main difference between these two lies in the way the steel is rolled, being hot rolled for hot rolled steel, and cold rolled steel is cold rolled. The application of heat or cold to the steel leads to results with different material finishes.

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Steel is rolled at a temperature above 1600 F. exceeding the recrystallization temperature, and turning steel into a moldable material. This procedure is more basic than cold rolling and therefore it is less expensive, however as soon as the steel begins to cool it will shrink slightly, so an exact size and shape of the product cannot be assured, something that is possible with the cold rolled.

Cold rolled steel is one that after having been hot rolled requires an additional process, which consists of process the material in cold reduction mills and then go through a tempering process, which allows finishes without imperfections, more varied, polished and with straighter edges, in addition to becoming a material with a higher resistance than coll rolled steel

See below the difference between the final effect achieved for a hot rolled steel railing on the left and a cold rolled steel railing on the right.

BELT is a 35 years experienced company specialized in ornamental metalwork for the luxury market