Carbon steel, also referred to as C-steel or, according to DIN EN 10020, as high-carbon quality steel, is characterized by a high carbon content of 0.2 to 2 percent and comparatively small amounts of high-grade alloying elements, such as manganese and chromium.

In their soft state, carbon steels are easy to process. Compared with stainless steels, they offer the advantage that very high hardness values can be achieved through quenching and tempering. They are used for the manufacturing of heavily stressed components where a combination of high tensile strength, wear resistance and toughness are required. Carbon steels have no corrosion protection.

The spring steel C75S (1.1248) is used most frequently. With a carbon content of approx. 0.75%, this material is very well suited for springs and wear parts that are not subject to corrosion requirements. BWS uses its experience to set the yield strength of the material very precisely in order to achieve efficient production at the customer’s site. On request, the material is also available as a low-hardness distortion variant.