Cold Rolled Vs Hot Rolled Steel Sheet

Hot rolling and cold rolling are two methods of shaping steel.

Cold rolled vs hot rolled steel sheet.

Cold formed is manufactured in two steps. Hot rolled is manufactured in a single or two step process heating pre rolled steel beam blanks to such a high temperature that it allows it to be easily shaped and formed into sheet pile. Alternatively cold rolled steel has sharp edges a very smooth surface texture and an oily or greasy feel to it. This looser tolerance makes it easier to force the metal into a variety of different shapes.

In this article we will compare hot rolled vs cold rolled steel sheets. Cold rolled has sharper corners and more precise dimensions than hot rolled. During the hot rolling process steel is heated to its melting point while being worked changing the composition of the steel to make it more malleable. When to use hot rolled steel the pros and cons of hot rolled steel come down to strength versus price.

The differences between hot rolled steel and cold rolled steel relates to the way these metals are processed at the mill and not the product specification or grade. Cold rolled has a smooth and shiny finish while hot rolled has a grey and scaly finish. When the hot rolled metal cools it will reconfigure making the finished product with a looser tolerance when compared to the cold rolled metal. During cold rolling the steel is annealed or exposed to heat and allowed to cool which improves ductility.

Whereas cold rolled steel is processed in cold reduction mills followed by annealing and tempering. Hot rolling is mainly used to produce simple cross sections or sheet metal. There are some fundamental differences between these two types of metal. Hot rolled steel is rolled or shaped at a high temperature while cold rolled steel is rolled at room temperature.

Hot rolled steel has rounded edges a rough surface texture and no grease on its finish.