5 Questions to Ask Your Steel Distributor - SRJ Steel, LLC

Author: GE

Sep. 08, 2025

5 Questions to Ask Your Steel Distributor - SRJ Steel, LLC

Before you select a steel distributor for enameled steel – ask these 5 questions

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Jinxinda.

When it’s time to find a new steel distributor to obtain your enameled steel for your manufacturing processes, It can be hard to try to determine which steel distributor is going to serve your needs best. Keeping that in mind here are the 5 key questions to ask a potential cold rolled steel distributor before signing the dotted line. Each item will help you to pinpoint which steel distributor is going to be able to serve your needs.

1. What Types of Steel Do You Stock?

One of the first questions you should speak to a prospective distributor about is what types of steel do they carry. Of course, you want to find out if they deal with the enameled steel that you’ll need, but it can be helpful to learn if they deal in other types of steel. You never know when your needs may change, so it’s always a good idea to know if they will be able to keep up your future demands. Find out the steel chemistry specifications, they should be able to provide this type of detailed information. If they can’t you may want to continue your search.

2. Ask: “How Do You Provide Competitive Pricing without Affecting Quality / What’s Your Cost Model?”

The quality of the steel that you’re using to manufacture your goods is going to have a significant impact on the quality of your product. That being said, no one wants to pay more than they have to for good quality steel. Talking with the steel distributor upfront about how they can save you money without cutting corners on quality can give you an idea of what you can expect when you select your supplier. Many distributors (like SRJ) work with long-established relationships, use strategically located providers in various regions and implement JIT (Just in Time) inventory practices to reduce costs.

3. How Many Years Have You Been in the Industry?

Experience always plays a big role when it comes to making partnerships. It’s helpful to have a steel supplier on your side that has been in the industry for enough time to have created their own network. A newer supplier may not have access to relationships that can get you the high-quality steel you want at a price that’s reasonable.

4. What Types of Customers Do You Usually Work With?

This fundamental question can help you to determine if they are familiar with the type of projects you’re currently manufacturing so they can best serve your sourcing needs. If the majority of their customers are in other niches or have lower quantity needs than you, it may mean that this steel distributor might not be the best fit for your company.

5. What Types of Services Can You Offer?

A steel distributor that offers other services that you can take advantage of is an excellent partner to have. Check to see if your new potential distributor offers steel slitting services, cut to length sheets, and inventory stocking services that allow you to get the steel you need, the way you need it, when you need it.

20 questions about steel - SSAB

Product material data > 20 questions about steel

20 questions about steel

1. What is steel?

Steel is a metallic alloy made primarily from iron and carbon, with small amounts of other elements such as manganese, nickel and boron. The properties of steel can be modified through various heat treatment processes and the addition of different alloying elements. Steel is known for its strength, durability and versatility, and is used in a wide range of applications, including; construction, transportation, machinery and appliances. 

2. How is steel made step by step?

The raw material for steel is iron ore and/or recycled steel scrap. The molten iron, which is produced in a blast furnace (BF) or electric arc furnace (EAF), is purified in a converter. The required alloying elements are added in the secondary metallurgy. Finally, the steel is cast into slabs, which are then rolled and heat treated. Before delivery, the material can be leveled, blasted, galvanized, metal and color coated. 

3. What is the density of steel?

The density of steel is approx. 7.85 g/cm3 or 490 lb/ft3. 

Are you interested in learning more about cold rolled steel supplier? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

4. How do the material properties change after forming?

When deforming a piece of steel, the resistance against further deformation increases. This is strain or deformation hardening. Yield strength and hardness will increase, while some ductility is lost.

5. What is the tensile test for steel?

Tensile testing is one of the best-known tests for steel and can be defined by standard EN . Controlled displacement is applied on a standard specimen. The relation between load and elongation is recorded and used to determine a number of material properties, e.g. yield strength and tensile strength. 

6. What is the yield strength and the tensile strength of steel?

Yield strength is the maximum stress level that steel can withstand before plastic deformation occurs. Above this stress level, steel will no longer return to its initial dimensions or shape. Ultimate tensile strength is the stress level where the load is at a maximum during tensile testing and using the original cross section area.

7. What is the stress-strain curve for steel?

The stress-strain curve for steel shows the relationship between applied load and elongation during tensile testing. It is used to determine mechanical properties of the material, including modulus of elasticity, yield strength, and ultimate tensile strength. The load values are transformed into stress values and the elongation is transformed into strain, resulting in a curve that provides important information on how the material behaves under different loading conditions.

8. What is yield ratio in steel?

The yield ratio is yield strength (Rp0.2, fy, Reh) divided by tensile strength (Rm, fu). This value can give an indication of the ductility of the steel, the strain hardenability and an intuitive safety margin against plastic instability or failure. 

9. What is the difference between MPa and ksi?

MPa (mega pascal) is the metric unit and ksi (kilopound per square inch) is the imperial unit for stress (force per unit area). 1 MPa ≈ 0.145 ksi or 1 ksi ≈ 6.89 MPa.

10. What is the Young's modulus of steel?

Young’s modulus, or modulus of elasticity, is the slope of the stress-strain curve in the initial elastic regime. It is defined by the initial linear part of a stress-strain curve. Young’s modulus of steel is approximately 200 GPa or 29 000 ksi at room temperature.

11. What is the difference between steel stiffness and strength?

Stiffness is the ability of the material to resist elastic deformation, which is closely related to the modulus of elasticity. Strength is the ability to resist plastic deformation or failure. The stiffness and load carrying capacity of a real structure (e.g. a car body) are also determined by its geometry. 

13. What are the thermal properties of steel?

Thermal Conductivity, Thermal Expansion Coefficient and Specific Heat are some examples of the thermal properties of steels. They vary with the chemical composition of the steel and with the temperature.

17. What is Poisson's ratio for steel?

Poisson's ratio (ν) measures the deformation in the material in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the applied force. Poisson’s ratio for SSAB steels is approximately 0.3. 

18. Is steel magnetic?

Yes, all SSAB steels are ferritic and thus magnetic. Some plates might contain residual magnetism. 

19. How many different types of steel are there?

Steels can be categorized in many different ways, for instance based on their microstructure, mechanical properties, application and/or their carbon or alloying content. SSAB is a supplier of some steel types such as structural, pressure vessel, wear plate and tooling steels. 

20. What are the residual elements of steel?

A residual element in steel is an element not wanted, but cannot be eliminate in the steel-making process. An element can be an intentional alloying element in one grade and residual element in another grade. In general, the residual elements are coming from the input raw materials as iron ore or recycled steel scrap. The content of the unwanted residual elements in SSAB plates is always lower than the critical levels. 

Category and tags

Product material data 20 questions about steel

Contact Technical support

Want more information on Nano Film Laminated Steel Coil? Feel free to contact us.

19

0

Comments

Please Join Us to post.

0/2000

All Comments ( 0 )

Guest Posts

If you are interested in sending in a Guest Blogger Submission,welcome to write for us!

Your Name: (required)

Your Email: (required)

Subject:

Your Message: (required)