Aluminum

Made from high-quality aluminum, this angle metal combines lightweight properties with excellent strength and corrosion resistance. Unlike its steel counterparts, aluminum angle does not rust, making it perfect for use in environments prone to moisture, such as marine settings and outdoor structures, and in manufacturing vehicles and trailers. Its natural corrosion resistance can be further enhanced through treatments such as anodizing, painting, or powder coating, extending its lifespan and aesthetic appeal.

The ease of machining and welding aluminum angle allows for quick customization and adaptation to specific design requirements, catering to various projects from architectural frameworks to intricate decorative elements. Additionally, its ability to conduct electricity and heat efficiently makes it suitable for various electrical and thermal applications.

Mild Steel

This type of angle metal is fabricated from mild steel, a low-carbon steel variant, which offers an optimal balance between strength and malleability. The reduced carbon content ensures that mild steel angles are easier to work with than higher carbon steels, allowing for cutting, welding, and shaping with less difficulty, making them highly versatile for many structural tasks.

The primary advantage of mild steel angle iron lies in its robustness and structural integrity. It can support significant loads and stresses, making it indispensable in building frameworks, reinforcements, racks, and brackets. Although mild steel is more susceptible to corrosion than its galvanized or stainless counterparts, it can be treated with protective coatings such as paint or powder to resist rust and extend its lifespan.

Stainless Steel

Crafted from high-grade stainless steel, this angle metal combines superior durability with exceptional corrosion resistance. This is attributed to its alloy composition, which includes chromium, nickel, and sometimes molybdenum. These elements ensure that stainless steel angle iron can withstand harsh environments without rust or degradation, including those exposed to corrosive chemicals, extreme temperatures, and high moisture levels.

Stainless steel angle is more challenging to machine and weld than mild steel due to its hardness and high melting point. However, with the right equipment and techniques, it can be successfully incorporated into complex designs, offering unparalleled strength and longevity.

Types of Metal Angles

Metal Angle is available in equal leg (legs are the same length) or unequal leg (legs are different lengths). Equal leg angle features two sides of the same length that form a 90-degree angle. This symmetry makes it incredibly versatile, providing consistent structural strength along both dimensions. Equal leg angles are extensively used in various applications, including framing, brackets, trim, and supports in construction and industrial projects. Their uniformity allows for easier calculation and prediction of load-bearing capacities, making them a staple in architectural and engineering designs.

Unequal leg angle has legs of different lengths, offering a unique set of properties for specialized applications where unequal stress distribution is anticipated. These angles are beneficial in scenarios where a structure might need more support on one side than the other, such as in staircases, framing where different materials meet or supports for uneven loads. The versatility of unequal leg angles makes them ideal for custom projects, providing the necessary flexibility to meet specific design requirements while ensuring structural integrity.

Properties of Metal Angle

The properties of metal angle make it an indispensable material in construction, manufacturing, and various DIY projects.

Strength and Durability

Angle exhibits high tensile strength, allowing it to withstand significant force without breaking. This makes it suitable for supporting structures under tension. It also has excellent compressive strength, enabling it to maintain its shape under heavy loads, which is essential for columns, beams, and other structural elements. Made from steel and aluminum, angle is designed to last. It can endure harsh environmental conditions, making it a reliable choice for indoor and outdoor applications.

Corrosion Resistance

Certain types of metal angle, especially those made from stainless steel or aluminum, offer superior corrosion resistance. Stainless steel angle iron, for example, contains chromium, which forms a protective layer that resists oxidation and rust. Aluminum naturally generates a protective oxide coating, further enhancing its corrosion resistance.

Flexibility and Workability

Angle metal can be bent or shaped to fit various design specifications, especially materials like aluminum, known for their malleability. Most angle metals can be easily welded, allowing for the fabrication of complex structures and the ability to make strong, durable joints.

Weight

Aluminum angle offers a lightweight yet strong alternative to heavier metals like steel. This property is particularly beneficial in applications where reducing the structure’s overall weight is a priority, such as in automotive or aerospace manufacturing.

Aesthetic Appeal

Stainless steel angle, with its sleek surface, can contribute to the aesthetic appeal of a project. It can be polished to achieve a mirror-like finish, making it suitable for decorative applications.

Environmental Impact

Angle metals are highly recyclable, contributing to sustainable construction and manufacturing practices. Recycling angle reduces the need for new raw materials, conserves energy, and decreases greenhouse gas emissions.

Metal Angle Applications

Metal angle’s versatility, strength, and ease of use make it a preferred choice for various applications across various industries, including trailer manufacturing, safety cages, walkways, farming equipment, and anywhere where it is important to improve the structure’s rigidity.

Construction and Architecture

Metal angle is extensively used in constructing frameworks for buildings due to its strength and flexibility, providing essential support and stability. It serves as a critical component in beams and columns, bearing loads and contributing to the structural integrity of constructions. Angle is used for cross-bracing in structures, enhancing their ability to withstand various forces and stresses. It offers a robust solution for building staircases and railings, ensuring safety while accommodating aesthetic considerations.

Industrial and Manufacturing

In warehouses and storage facilities, angle is used to construct shelving and racks, optimize space, and support heavy loads. It forms the structural base for workbenches and machinery frames, providing a sturdy and reliable workspace. Angle is utilized in creating mounts for equipment, ensuring secure placement and operation within industrial settings.

Infrastructure and Utilities

Its application in bridges and communication towers highlights its capacity to support substantial weight and endure environmental challenges. Angle provides pathways and supports for piping and cabling systems, facilitating organized and efficient utility distribution.

Automotive and Transportation

In the automotive industry, metal angle contributes to the structural framing of vehicles, offering a balance of strength and weight. It is used in building trailers, providing a durable foundation and framework that can withstand the rigours of transportation.

DIY Projects and Home Improvement

Angle finds its way into home improvement projects, including custom furniture, frames, and decorative elements, allowing for creativity and personalization. For outdoor applications, it is used in constructing garden structures like trellises and benches, combining functionality with aesthetic appeal.

Specialized Applications

Angle is also used in renewable energy sectors, such as mounting frames for solar panels, underlining its role in sustainable development. The material’s adaptability makes it suitable for custom fabrications in specialized equipment and installations, addressing unique requirements across different fields.

How is Angle Manufactured?

The manufacturing of metal angle transforms raw steel or aluminum into the finished L-shaped profiles widely used in construction, manufacturing, and various other industries. The process can vary slightly depending on the material (steel, stainless steel, aluminum) and the specific requirements of the finished product, such as dimensions and thickness.

The process begins with selecting the raw material, usually steel or aluminum, in large billets, slabs, or coils, depending on the production method used. The raw material is heated in a furnace to a temperature that makes it pliable. For steel, this is typically above 1,200°C (2,200°F), which helps in the rolling process by reducing the force required to deform the metal.

The heated metal is passed through a series of rollers that gradually shape it into an angle. This is done in a rolling mill. The initial passes may involve breaking down the material into smaller sizes before it reaches the finishing mill, where it is shaped into its final L-shaped profile. During the rolling process, adjustments can be made to the rollers to achieve the desired dimensions of the angle iron, including the width of the legs and the thickness of the material.

After the metal has been rolled to the correct shape and size, it is cooled. This can be done through air cooling or quenching in water, depending on the desired material properties, such as hardness and internal stresses. Once cooled, the angle is cut to the desired lengths using mechanical shears, saws, or torches.

Additional finishing processes may include straightening, which ensures the angles are perfectly aligned, and surface treatments, such as galvanizing for steel angle iron, which improves corrosion resistance. Stainless steel angles might be pickled (to remove scale and impurities) and passivated (to enhance corrosion resistance).

How is Angle Measured?

An angle is measured first by the lengths of the legs and then the thickness of the legs. This standard measurement method provides clarity and consistency across various angle metals, whether you’re working with carbon steel, stainless steel, or aluminum.

For equal leg angle, both legs will have the same length. This is typically noted as “L x L,” where L represents the length of one side. For instance, an equal angle metal might be described as “12 x 12,” indicating that both legs are 12-inches long.

For unequal leg angle, the legs will have different lengths. This is noted as “L1 x L2,” where L1 and L2 represent the lengths of the longer and shorter legs, respectively. An example would be “18 x 12,” showing that one leg is 18 inches long and the other is 12 inches.

After the lengths of the legs, the next measurement is the thickness of these legs, which is noted after the lengths of the legs. For example, an angle metal might be described as “12 x 12 x 2,” where the “2” indicates the thickness of the legs.

Metal Supermarkets offers a wide selection of angle in various sizes, materials, and thicknesses to suit your specific needs. Find your nearest store or shop online now!