Specialist Sheet and Tube Steel Manufacturers | Dymond

Steel

We are specialist steel manufacturers. We use sheet, tube or wire – and any combination of these. Working with both mild steel and stainless steel, we provide a comprehensive range of metal fabrication capabilities on-site at our Devon-based factory in Barnstaple where we efficiently design-engineer, manufacture, and finish your custom metal products.

Specialising in these materials means we have the capability and expertise to make a wide range of custom and bespoke metal products. Our clients include manufacturers, joinery companies, installers and fit-out companies. We also work with a number of direct clients including schools and colleges.

Mild Steel

Mild steel is also known as carbon steel or plain carbon steel. This is due to its composition from iron and carbon, plus lesser elements. The lesser elements are too minimal to affect the properties of the alloy.

The term ‘mild steel’ refers to steels that have a low carbon content (max of 0.3%), but which also have material properties which are highly suitable for fabrication. Properties include: its good strength, its suitability to be bent and formed into a wide variety of shapes and its ability to be welded. This makes it ideal for many uses.

It is also the least expensive type of steel, which combined with its usefulness, makes it the most common steel used.

About Mild Steel....

Properties of Mild Steel
Having a low carbon content of 0.05% to 0.3% means it is neither extremely brittle nor extremely flexible. The low carbon content makes it soft, like iron so whilst it is tough and durable, it is also malleable and ductile which is ideal for us to engineer and form. It is also less expensive, although it rusts easily. A higher carbon content would make it stronger but also harder, less flexible and more difficult for us to weld because it has a lower melting point, as well as being more expensive. Mild steel comes in different forms. At Dymond we use it in sheet, tubular and wire form to fabricate our metal products.

Fabrication of Mild Steel
The nature of mild steel makes it very suitable for engineering and fabrication which is why it is so popular, and why we work with it. The low carbon content makes it less brittle enabling it to flex so we can bend, fold, punch and laser cut it into shapes and forms without it breaking. It also has higher heat resistance so we can weld it. Mild steel easily rusts and therefore must be protected by a seal. We use EPC powder coating or electro-plating to prevent damage from rust, and give an attractive, durable finish.

Versatile material for everyday and industrial use
Ideal for large-scale metal fabrication projects
Used for frames, stands, and enclosures
Perfect for retail displays and components

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Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is a steel alloy which contains at least 10.5% chromium.

It is because of the chromium that stainless steel does not easily corrode, rust or stain like mild steel does, although it is not fully stain-proof, particularly in adverse conditions such as salt or lack of air.

Stainless steel is ideal in environments which need both a resistance to corrosion and the properties of steel, as well as for its aesthetic appearance.

About stainless steel...

Properties of Stainless Steel
Unlike mild steel, which rusts readily when exposed to air and moisture, the chromium in stainless steel forms a corrosion-resistant and invisible chromium oxide film. This film is resistant to water and air and therefore prevents corrosion both on and beneath the surface. It is also lustrous and tough, and if the film is scratched or damaged it reforms quickly in oxygen, thus repairing itself (called passivation).

Fabrication of Stainless Steel
Stainless lends itself to fabrication as well as mild steel. It can be cut, formed, welded, and machined from tube, coil, sheet and blanks.

Uses of Stainless Steel
Stainless steel’s resistance to corrosion and staining, its attractive appearance and its lack of maintenance make it ideal for many applications. There are more than 60 grades or specifications of stainless steel and surface finishes which makes it suitable for a wide range of different environments so it’s important to know which grade to use for a particular purpose. As the grade changes, so does the workability of the material. Grade 304 is the most versatile and most widely used stainless specification, available in a wider range of forms and finishes than any other. It is ideal for fabrication and welding, and it is the grade we work with at Dymond.