Hot Rolled or Cold Rolled steel? – Our Expert’s Guide

Looking for steel products and not exactly sure what type you need? Turn to the experts at Metal Supermarkets to guide you in the right direction.

When deciding between Hot Rolled and Cold Rolled steel, all you need to know is what the material will be used for, how it will be used, and the size requirements. The Metal Supermarkets team will use these details to determine which type of steel will be best for your project.

Dwayne Swenson, owner of Metal Supermarkets Seattle (Kent) and Tacoma in Washington and Portland, Oregon, talks about the popularity of Hot Rolled and Cold Finished steel products, “Hot Rolled steel is the most popular type of steel we offer. Construction grade A36 Hot Rolled (mild steel) bar is the bread-and-butter steel product for a lot of industries because it is more ductile (pliable) and generally less expensive than Cold Finished drawn products.”

Hot Rolled Steel vs Cold Rolled Steel

The first thing to remember is that the terms Hot Rolled and Cold Rolled do not refer to any grades or strengths, but merely the process used to create the bar product at the mill.

Hot Rolled Steel is softer and more pliable than Cold Rolled Steel. Hot Rolled Steel has a light- grey, rough finish and rounded edges (in Flat and Square Bars), and Hot Rolled products are typically oversized.

Hot Rolled steel bars are used in the welding and construction trades where the items being constructed do not require super precise shapes and tight tolerances.

Cold Rolled Steel typically has a smooth, somewhat shiny finish with square edges (in Flat and Square Bars), and the sizes are more precise.

Cold Finished steel bars are preferred in the machining world where the quality of the steel is an important factor of the quality of the final product, and the appearance of the steel is also an important factor.

Want to learn more about the differences between these metals? Visit our blog post on the topic! “Differences Between Hot Rolled and Cold Rolled Steel”

Buy Hot Rolled Steel and Cold Rolled Steel