The Top Five Metals, Their Properties and Custom Metal Fabrication Options

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If you’re looking for the best metals for your business, it is important to understand the properties of those metals and what metal fabrication options are available. Here are the top five metals that you can buy, the properties of the metals that they are made from, and the custom metal fabrication options that you have.

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Business owners are often faced with the responsibility of choosing the right product for their business. If you want to use metals that will be the most effective for your project or your product, it is very useful to know the properties and reliability of different metals before you decide which one to use. You wouldn’t want to order a bulk shipment of metal only to find out that it brings the quality of your product down. What kind of metal do you need? It all comes down to what you want to do with it, and how you intend to use it.

Steel

Steel is one of the more common metals you can get your hands on, and it has a whole range of applications. It has an amazing durability-to-weight ratio, which makes it perfect for bigger construction projects. You may have seen whole buildings made from steel, large vehicles, and more. Steel is strong, very durable, and it’s also used to make a wide range of tools. That includes things like sharp knives and other eating tools. It’s tough, easy to work with, and rust-resistant. It’s a bit more costly to get your hands on than iron, but it’s perfect for producing something with more luxurious properties.

Iron

Iron’s main benefit is being very resistant to heat. It’s perfect for things that are going to be exposed to a lot of heat, like heavy-duty equipment. Cast-iron cooking utensils, furnaces, and wood burners are all great examples of where you would see iron being used – it’s tough, it’s heavy, and it’s relatively cheap. Iron is very vulnerable to rust, so it’s not ideal for anything that needs to be used outside of the home.

Copper

If you want to buy something that can be easily fabricated, copper is a great choice. Copper is used for many different things, including a number of very popular applications like wires and pipes. Copper is very malleable in comparison to other metals, which is why it makes for such a great metal for electricity, but also because it is extremely resistant to corrosion. It’s fantastic for plumbing, and you probably have it in your home. Copper is often processed through metalworks services to produce intricate designs because of its machinability.

Aluminum

Aluminum is another metal that can be easily machinated, and it’s great for its durability. It’s not as strong as steel, but it’s perfect for many items that aren’t going to be used in construction. It’s very useful for making intricate designs, signs that are strong, or even small things that are easy to ship like canned drinks. It’s a very useful metal, and if you’re looking to have custom metal fabrication done – this is likely your best choice.

Zinc

Metals are not perfect, but zinc can make them stronger. Zinc helps to protect metals by acting as a protective coating, and is not used as a material by itself. Things like steel and iron can be strengthened by galvanizing them. The material is melted down and then immersed in molten zinc at a high temperature, which bonds it to the steel. As a result of this, steel and iron are made much tougher and weather-resistant.

For more information about metals and materials you can use for your business, check out Westbrook Metals today for all your metal fabrication needs.