What are the grades of steel??

[finsruskw]

From regular hot roll or drawn on up to the harder stuff??
Is there a chart somewhere that explains all this??

 

[JimDawson]

That is a tough question to answer, there are hundreds of steel alloys.

This may help you https://www.pmtsco.com/metalproducts.php

 

[benmychree]

Look for the more common ones in McMaster Carr Catalog.

 

[RJSakowski]

While not infinite, the number of steel aloys is very large. Add to that the possible heat treatment options and it is a huge amount of data.

McMaster Carr has a page at the beginning of their metals section that gives some basic information. Beyond that, Mat Web has some good information on properties of various materials. http://www.matweb.com/search/datasheet.aspx?bassnum=MS0001&ckck=1
The various steel manufacturers and vendors also list properties for their steels.

 

[pontiac428]

The basic characterization of steels and alloys are readily found in the thick reference books, Machinery's Handbook, etc. It's hard to walk across the room without tripping over some reference that contains the data. Spreadsheets and charts abound on the web, too. You only need to pay attention to the popular alloys, they're popular for a reason.

 

[Dudemanrod]

They are hard, harder, and hardest

 

[NortonDommi]

Good little booklet here that explains the basics:

 

[Tim9]

I agree with the recommendations to look at McMaster. They have really good reliable descriptions. Their prices are also fair and McMaster has the best service one can ask for. Plus the shipping charges are not jacked up. Can’t beat McMaster.

 

[Dudemanrod]

The mail order metal suppliers have a pretty good description of the metals they sell including hardness and quantities of allowing elements and what the metal is primarily used for. I use the cheapest that will do the job I'm sure we all do that.