Appearance: The appearance of stainless steel is bright silver, while the color of carbon steel is gray and dark.
Corrosion resistance: Carbon steel is easily oxidized and rusted when exposed to the environment. Stainless steel has chromium added so it is stronger than carbon steel.
Wear resistance: Carbon steel is harder than stainless steel.
Price: In the production of stainless steel, a large number of other alloys are added, while carbon steel does not, so the price of stainless steel is more expensive than carbon steel.
Ductility: Stainless steel is more ductile than carbon steel because of its high nickel content.
1. Different appearance
Stainless steel is composed of some metals such as chromium and nickel, so the appearance of stainless steel is bright silver, smooth in appearance, and has very good gloss. The composition of carbon steel is an alloy of carbon and iron, so the color of carbon steel is gray, and the surface is rougher than stainless steel.
2. Different corrosion resistance
Both carbon steel and stainless steel contain iron, and we all know that iron itself will slowly oxidize when exposed to the environment, causing the surface to rust. But stainless steel is added with chromium, which is more likely to combine with oxygen than iron. As long as chromium is on oxygen, it will form a chromium oxide layer, which can directly protect the steel from degradation and corrosion. The chromium content of carbon steel will also be lower, so that a small amount of chromium cannot form a chromium oxide layer, so the corrosion resistance of stainless steel will be better than that of carbon steel.
3. Different wear resistance
Carbon steel will be harder than stainless steel, but it will be heavier and less ductile. Therefore, in terms of wear resistance, its carbon steel is far more wear-resistant than stainless steel.
4. Different prices
In the process of making stainless steel, a certain amount of other alloys must be added, but carbon steel is completely different from adding a large amount of other alloys, so the price of stainless steel is far more expensive than carbon steel.
5. Different ductility
The ductility of stainless steel is better than that of carbon steel, mainly because the nickel content in stainless steel is relatively high, and the ductility of these elements is also better, so the ductility of stainless steel will be better. Carbon steel contains less nickel, which can be ignored directly, but has poor ductility.