Elements used to make steel

Answer 1

Steel is an alloy made by combining iron and other elements, the most common of these being carbon. When carbon is used, its content in the steel is between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Other alloying elements sometimes used are manganese, chromium, vanadium and tungsten.

Answer 2

Iron, the metallic element with chemical symbol Fe and atomic number 26, osmium, the chemical element with the symbol Os and atomic number 76 and Carbon (the fourth most abundant element in the universe by mass after hydrogen, helium, and oxygen)

Osmium? There may be special alloys using osmium to gain particular characteristics, but it's not an essential additive for steel per se.

Steel is just Iron and a trace of Carbon.

The amount governs the hardening ability of the steel, but add too much and it precipitates as graphite within the iron to give Cast Iron; highly fluid when molten, easy to machine (below its hard skin) and with good bearing qualities. Wrought-iron is more or less pure iron, and remains viscous when melted.

Other metallic elements may be trace-alloyed with steel for particular purposes:

Chromium and/or nickel for stainless-steel and stainless-iron (the Earth's Core is considered to be a ball of Stainless-iron: Fe and Ni) ,

Lead for improved machineability,

Vanadium for toughness,

Manganese for high abrasion-resistance,

Etc.

Answer 3

Steel is mainly Iron (Fe) and Carbon (C). This is the most common alloy for steel, but manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten can replace Carbon as the hardening agent as well. The Carbon and Iron mix is the most cost effective.

Answer 4

Steel is made from Iron, and a small percentage of Carbon (around 0.2 - 2%). Other alloying additions can be used to change various properties of the steel. Chromium can be added, for example, to make stainless steel, which is highly resistant to corrosion.