Large Volumes of Steel in a Modern Society

The carbon content of machine steels is increased to 0.35-0.45%. Addition of sulfur (0.2%) gives so called free cutting steels with very good qualities for drilling, turning and mUling. 

Heat treatment steels, intended for hardening and induction hardening, are usually alloyed with chromium, nickel and molybdenum, which improve the deep hardening. 

Stainless steels are described in connection with the element chromium in 

Some years after Word War 11, the USA, the Soviet Union and Western Europe accounted for 90% of the world steel production. In 1981, the total for these three regions had decreased to 50%. Asian countries had become big producers. During the period 1990-93, Japan was the biggest steel producer in the world and China was third. In the year 2000 China and Japan were second and third, after the European Union as shown in Table 8.6. 

The iron country of Sweden, which in the 18 century (along with Russia) was the leading exporter of iron, is nowadays not an important country in relation to the total quantity of steel produced Sweden has, however, kept its position as a significant manulacturer of special steels. Important Swedish products are tool steels, especially high-speed steels, and stainless steels. 

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