steel recycling Archives | National Material Company

14 01, 2022

A Deeper Dive into Steel & Steel Processing

Cara2022-08-05T16:28:02+00:00January 14th, 2022|News Blog|

In an ancient Greek myth, Prometheus steals fire from the gods so that humans may escape their wretched situation on Earth. A modern rendition of this myth may have Prometheus bringing us steel rather than fire.

It is steel, strong and versatile, which releases modern humans from the constraints of nature. It is a stalwart in everything from medical equipment to structural elements, to specialty parts in aerospace, automotive, shipbuilding, military, and infrastructure industries. Today, our steel researchers, metallurgists, technicians, and engineers put on the garb of Prometheus as they continue to perfect different grades and specialty steel.

What are some of the aspects that go into steel processing?

Steel Grades Make Steel Processing Easier

In the modern world, there is a specialist for every job. It’s no different with steel. The “grade” of steel is a descriptor that identifies both the physical properties of the steel as well as its composition, among other descriptors. Currently, there are more than 3,500 grades of steel, each tailored towards a specific task. Of these, the grand majority were developed just in the last 25 years.

Thanks to this variety, steel processors can offer their clients the perfect “specialist” for the job.

Steel Processing: Earth-Friendly

No modern industry can claim to be for the benefit of mankind without being sustainable. For this reason, steel sustainability has made huge leaps in the last decades towards social responsibility.

Fortunately, as a material, steel is very compatible with sustainable goals. Steel is 100% recyclable. It is also very long-lasting and improves the performance of transportation vehicles, which makes for greener rides. Recently with the increased prominence of electric arc furnaces, more and more steel recycling has given new life to old steel. All this is done without reductions in quality or performance.

Creating Better Steel for Steel Processing

The creation of new grades of steel involves transformation of the chemical composition of steel alloys as well as using different physical processes to transform steel.

Steel can be categorized into four basic groups based on the chemical compositions:

Carbon steel
Alloy steel
Stainless steel
Tool steel

Check out this page to learn more about each of those categories.

Steel Processing: A Huge Enterprise

2020 saw the production of 1.88 billion metric tonnes (Mt) globally, which was actually 0.3% above the pre-pandemic 2019 production numbers. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic caused many industries to grind to a halt, which – in turn, decreased the demand for steel. However, in 2022 demand promises to bounce back. The Worldsteel Association predicts that “steel demand will grow by 4.5% in 2021 and reach 1,855.4 Mt after 0.1% growth in 2020. In 2022, steel demand will see a further increase of 2.2% to 1,896.4 Mt. The current forecast assumes that, with the progress of vaccinations across the world, the spread of variants of the COVID virus will be less damaging and disruptive than seen in previous waves.”

Steel Processing of Advanced High Strength Steels

A thematic characteristic of steel and steel processing is that it’s a forward-looking industry […]

6 08, 2020

Steel and Recycling: Fun Facts!

andre2020-08-06T19:53:22+00:00August 6th, 2020|News Blog|

Here at National Material Company, we thought we’d pause, reflect, and share some good news and fun, interesting facts about the steel industry.

In 2016, Azo CleanTech reported that steel is the most recycled material in North America. The metal comes not only from cans but also from construction scraps, automobiles, and appliances, and it can be turned right back into steel that can be used in the same applications.

Recycling is at the core of the steel industry’s commitment to sustainability. According to steel.org, the North American steel-making furnaces “consume nearly 70 million tons of domestic steel scrap in the production of new steel.” By using steel scrap to make new steel, the North American steel industry conserves energy, emissions, raw materials, and natural resources. This commitment drives the reduction of steel’s environmental footprint, while producing advanced, highly-recycled steel products that meet an advancing society’s needs.

Here are some fun facts about steel and recycling:

Steel products can be recycled repeatedly without loss of strength.
Recycling steel saves the equivalent energy to power about 18 million households for a year.
More than 80 million tons of steel are recycled each year in North America.
For every ton of steel recycled, 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,400 pounds of coal, and 120 pounds of limestone are conserved.
Almost 69 percent of all steel is recycled in North America each year – more than paper, aluminum, plastic, & glass combined. North America’s average steel recycling rate has been in excess of 60 percent since 1970.
More than 95 percent of the water used for making steel in North America is recycled.
One scrapped car produces more than four steel utility poles.
95 percent of the steel taken from commercial construction demolition sites was recycled and made into new steel products in 2002.
100 percent of a steel roof can be recycled. Asphalt roofs – zero percent. (Steel roofs provide your family with excellent protection against wind, water, snow, ice, and fire and are even hail-resistant. Asphalt roofs actually weigh twice as much as steel roofs. Steel roofs can last over 50 years, while traditional roofs last only 17 years!
Steel food cans are the most recycled food package. 24,000 community recycling programs in North America collect steel cans. Canned food is as nutritious as its fresh and frozen counterparts upon preparation! Canned goods do not contain preservatives!!
All 99 pounds of steel in the average major appliance can be recycled to make
new steel products.

Also, according to Utah Recycles, there are many more encouraging examples of how the steel industry’s commitment to recycling is helping to save the planet. Steel only takes up to 100 years to fully decompose in a landfill, whereas it takes plastic 1000 years to break down (aluminum can take 200 years, tin can take decades)! Recycling steel takes 25% less energy and creates only 25% of the water and air pollution required to produce steel from raw materials. About 70% of all metal is […]

24 06, 2019

10 Fun Facts You Didn’t Know About American Steel and the Steel Industry

Nathalia and Jorge2019-09-12T18:25:28+00:00June 24th, 2019|News Blog|

After achieving the mass production of steel, American steel industrialists pushed steelmaking to greater innovative levels. By the year 1920, 60 million tons of American steel were circulating around the world annually, making the United States the biggest global player in the steel service industry. Steel processing became a bulwark of the economy, engraving itself into the nation’s identity.

Today, National Material Company carries on the metal service and steel processing tradition. With the following 10 little-known facts, we salute those who paved the way by transforming the world through metal work.

The Man of Steel could have been the Man of Tungsten.

But that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, now does it? According to Thaddeus Howze — author, editor, podcaster, and self-proclaimed answer-man on all things comics –Superman got the name Man of Steel because steel was the most common of the strong metals: Steel, Titanium, Tungsten and Inconel. (It may also have something to do with the fact that “Man of Steel” is much snappier than its clunky counterparts.)

Superman was created to symbolize the extraordinary capacity of the everyday man. Thus, steel won out as metal of choice because of the household name it had made for itself, thanks to the wide proliferation of the steel industry at the time.

“Superman was a ‘man of steel’ stronger than anything you could imagine, and yet something as close as the building you were standing in or the car you desired and one day hope to own […] Steel was everywhere and steel was the king of industrial metals during this period [1940]. Steel wasn’t just the metal of tomorrow; it was also the metal of yesterday. Places in the world that had developed steel before modern industries had long-lasting cultures and it was the development of steel which made the industrial age what it was.”( Source: Quora)

2. Showers, Star Wars memes, and steel.

The month of May is well-known for its rain showers. And Star Wars enthusiasts rejoice on May the Fourth Be with You. And let’s not forget – steel.

Yes, that’s right. In the 1960s, as the nation infused steel into its structure and character, Lyndon Johnson saw it fit to raise a pedestal for steel in the pantheon of American achievement. Therefore, he designated May as a national month for celebrating the steel industry.

“Steel is the core of industrial America. It has helped to make American productivity and technology the wonder of the world. This vital product which we produce in unmatched abundance is basic to our economy and essential to our security. It supports our buildings, spans our rivers, arms our fighting men. It […]