Mild Steel Enclosures vs. Stainless Steel Enclosures

With growing business and industrial demands, we have seen the rapid growth of use of electrical and electronic steel enclosures. Mild Steel and Stainless Steel both are used to design the enclosures demand on the requirements for applications it will be used for. In this article, let see the difference between the Mild Steel Enclosures and Stainless Steel Enclosures. We will also look at the applications in which these both type of enclosures are used.

Difference Between Mild Steel and Stainless Steel

Both of these steels are alloys of iron and carbon and sometime of some other elements. Stainless steel is mainly made up of carbon, chromium, iron, nickel, and molybdenum. Lets take a deep look at their difference below:

Higher Carbon Content

The Mild Steel has higher carbon content present than stainless steel that is 0.05 to up to 3 percent all depends on the grades. On the other hand, stainless steel has very less carbon as compared to mild steel which is less than 0.05. The primary characteristics of carbon steel are:

• Lack of corrosion resistance
• The degree of carbon content
• Strength and hardness

Corrosion Resistance

Stainless steel resists staining due to corrosion. The iron-based metals like steel are susceptible to oxidation (rust and corrosion). The stainless steel prevents oxidation due to the higher presence of chromium content inside it that is likely by 10.5 percent by mass. The chromium corrosion resistance feature in stainless steel helps to protect the iron content from exposure to oxygen hence make it corrosion resistant. On the other hand, the mild steel has higher carbon content that makes it durable but it lacks the corrosion property that make it exposure to oxygen easily.

Applications For Stainless Steel and Mild Steel Enclosures

The stainless steel are mainly seen in the industrial applications use due to its extreme environmental conditions. They protect their enclosures from the exposure of moisture, corrosion, and higher temperatures. These type of enclosures are highly used in industrial applications and are easily customized for specific industrial applications use. Some examples of stainless steel industrial uses are:

• Hospitals
• Pharmaceutical manufacturing and production
• Oil and gas production
• Wastewater treatment
• Food supply handling and processing
• And many more…

On the other hand, mild steel comes under four different grades depending on the carbon content inside. The manufacturers use depending on different categories of carbon steel to create various industrial equipment and parts. The four grade types are as follows:

Low Steel: As name implies, it contains small amount of carbon content. Are low cost, less strength and durable and highly malleable. They are only used in the construction purposes.

Medium Steel: They are more durable than low steel ones and are used to make shafts and axles.

High Steel: These are the most commonly used and most durable carbon steel alloys that are used to create springs and wires.

Ultra High Steel: These steel type is used in manufacturing of axles and cutting tools.

The mild steel enclosure as compared to stainless steel requires more finishing like paint and powder coating for higher protection from the elements. On the other hand, our 316 stainless steel has built in higher protective chromium components that protects it from rust, resist, and corrosion.