If your business operates in harsh environments, such as the marine, offshore oil and gas, the highest-Why choose Special Metal Alloys for your alloy steel solutions?

For more than three decades, our expertise and focus on exceeding the highest international industry demands and compliance standards have made Special Metal Alloys the preferred alloy steel supplier and steel stockholder to clients in industries worldwide.

We understand the nuances and complexities of selecting tailored solutions for the unique demands and specific performance criteria in each industry to complete every project successfully.

Join the scores of satisfied clients who trust us and appreciate our fast delivery for their steel stock needs.

Contact us now to get a quote

. Discuss your particular needs and challenges with our expert team and explore how our extensive portfolio of superior products can elevate your projects.

Get an online quote,  call +44 (0)161 278 2386 or email sales@specialmetalalloys.co.uk.

What products and services can you expect from Special Metal Alloys?

Diversity

We supply the most comprehensive range of alloy steel stock products, including engineering steels and tool steel, with exceptional strength, corrosion resistance and durability, sourced from the most dependable international steel mills.

We supply a full range of steel grades, including carbon, high-alloy, high-strength-low-alloy (HSLA), low-alloy, stainless steel, nickel steel, chromium-molybdenum steel, vanadium steel, manganese steel, tungsten steel, and carbon steel.

We offer a broad selection of bright, hardened, and tempered alloy steel tubing, plates, sheets, profiles, and other forms, so customers can choose the best solutions and products for their projects.

Alloy steel fasteners, renowned for their strength and resistance to heat, corrosion, and stress, are used in high-strength and wear-resistant fastening solutions for critical components in bridges, buildings, aircraft, vehicle engines, and transmission systems.

Grade 10.9 alloy steel fasteners are usually made from medium carbon steel, with elements such as chromium, molybdenum, and manganese that are added to improve strength and toughness.

To meet all customer requirements, we supply both metric and imperial sizes, as well as value-added high-technology laser cutting services.

We also supply all other metal alloys in all shapes, forms, and sizes, ensuring customers have access to a complete range of products for their industry requirements.

Quality and special properties of our alloy steels

Our alloy steels exceed customer expectations for all applications in demanding conditions, guaranteeing the highest standards of strength, hardness, toughness, and wear and corrosion resistance.

Alloy steel offers improved mechanical properties such as strength, hardness, hot hardness, toughness, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and hardenability, by far exceeding standard carbon steel grades, making it ideal for demanding applications.

Depending on the specific application, the mechanical and performance qualities of alloy steels are improved by the addition of varying compositions and quantities of elements such as nickel, chromium, molybdenum, and vanadium.

Strength

The strength of steel can be divided into tensile, yield, and fatigue strength.

Tensile strength

This refers to the maximum force the steel can withstand before it breaks, while yield strength refers to the stress level at which the material will start to deform permanently.

Tensile strength typically varies from 300 MPa to more than 3000 MPa, based on the amount of carbon and alloy elements and heat treatment.

It is important for cutting and shaping tools and for extremely demanding applications such as aerospace.

Yield strength

This is a crucial property of alloy steel that determines the maximum load a structure or component can handle, making it vital for structural integrity and machine parts, preventing catastrophic failure. 

Fatigue strength 

This quality refers to its ability to withstand a certain number of repeated loading and unloading stress cycles, such as bending or torsion, without failing or fracturing due to metal fatigue. It is of particular importance in applications where dynamic or fluctuating loads are experienced, such as aircraft and aerospace components, automotive and industrial engines, gears, automotive and engineering structures, and bridges.

Hardness

The hardness of alloy steel varies widely, according to the specific alloy composition, heat treatment, microstructure, and other factors.

Hardness and toughness of steel are measured on the Rockwell scale. Softer alloys are typically between 70 and 95 (HRB), and harder alloys between 30 and 65 (HRC). Some alloys, like 4140 alloy steel, can be heat-treated to achieve a hardness of 20 to 25 HRC in their annealed state, while some can be hardened even further.

The hardness affects the wear resistance of the steel, although if hardened too much, it may become brittle or difficult to machine.

Hot hardness

Hot hardness in alloy steel refers to its ability to maintain hardness and strength at higher temperatures, typically above 650°C. 

It is improved by adding alloying elements such as tungsten, molybdenum, and vanadium.

It is important in applications such as hot work tooling or high-speed machining. 

Hardenability

Hardenability is distinct from the steel’s hardness. It indicates the depth to which the steel can be hardened for greater resistance to indentation and surface damage. 

Alloy steel with good hardenability can be hardened to a significant depth, while low hardenability means it is limited to the surface. 

It is influenced by the carbon content, alloying elements, austenite grain size, and the cooling rate when fabricating the alloy steel.

This property is important in components and profiles that are required to withstand distortion and residual stress.

Corrosion resistance

Alloy steel, varying according to its alloy composition for different applications, offers significantly better corrosion resistance than carbon steel or other materials.

The addition of alloying elements like chromium, nickel, and molybdenum typically creates a protective layer on the surface that prevents reaction with oxygen and moisture.

Alloy steel grades

Here are examples of the most common grades of alloy steel and their distinctive properties:

• 4330 alloy steel is part of the nickel-chromium-molybdenum steel family, acclaimed for its exceptional strength and resilience.
• 300M alloy steel is a modified version of 4340 steel, further enhancing its mechanical properties with vanadium and a higher silicon content. It has a perfect combination of strength, toughness, fatigue strength, and good ductility.
• 15CDV6 is a low-carbon steel with very good yield strength and excellent weldability. It’s a chromium-molybdenum-vanadium steel that is often used in demanding applications like aerospace, motorsport, and high-performance engineering. 
• M50 alloy steel is a premium, high-speed tool steel popular in aerospace applications subjected to high stress, abrasion, and extreme temperatures, and in high-precision applications and components like bearings, because of its exceptional hardness, wear resistance, and ability to maintain strength at high temperatures. It derives its unique properties, in particular, from molybdenum.
• S156 (or BS 156) alloy has high strength and is manufactured using the vacuum arc remelting (VAR) process to ensure high purity and consistent properties. It has been specifically designed for aerospace and high-performance applications. 
• ASTM A572, ASTM A709, and ASTM A992 are typically used as structural steel, and ASTM A36 for general construction. 
• Inconel 625 and 718 are very popular in the oil and gas sectors, particularly for wellhead applications.
• AISI 4130, 4140, 4340, 6150, and 8620, each offering a unique balance of characteristics, are typical engineering steels.
• Some of the other alloy steel grades include 4130,4145, 4330, 4340, and 8620, commonly used in aerospace, oil and gas, and automotive industries where high-performance materials are essential because of their outstanding combinations of strength and toughness. 

Which Industries use our alloy steel?

Almost every industry uses our alloy steel products, especially those that require high-performance alloys, such as aeronautics, aerospace, oil and gas, military, power generation, construction, and engineering.

Our products are widely used in demanding environments, particularly in equipment and machinery that require high-strength, wear-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials.

Logistics and Delivery

Based in the UK, we have an extensive, proven global network of trusted steel mills, providing direct access to quality products and logistics partners that deliver promptly to locations anywhere in the world.

• We are committed to providing fast and efficient delivery services, ensuring customers receive their products on time and in the required condition.
• Our reliable logistics network enables us to supply steel from our stock or directly from the mills, through a range of delivery options on time to customers across the UK and abroad, providing export and import customs services.

Certifications and Compliance

• We hold ISO certification, ensuring our products and services meet the highest standards of quality and compliance.
• Our products comply with industry standards, including those for oil and gas, power generation, and construction.
• We are committed to ensuring our products meet customer requirements and industry standards, providing certification and compliance documentation as required.
• Our expertise in steel supply enables us to provide products that meet the highest standards of quality, safety, and environmental responsibility.

Contact us for a quote online, call +44 (0)161 278 2386 or email sales@specialmetalalloys.co.uk.

29 Riding Fold Lane
Worsley
Manchester
M28 2UR
United Kingdom