Every grade we stock, each with its own datasheet: typical mechanical properties, machinability and weldability notes from our shop floor, and the cross-standard equivalents to read a drawing from anywhere in the world.
General structural mild steel — sections, plate, weldments. The default for fabrication.
BS EN 10025-2Higher-strength structural steel — same weldability as S275 with ~30% more yield.
BS 970 230M07Free-cutting bright mild steel — first choice for high-volume machined parts, studs, fittings.
BS 970 070M20General bright mild steel bar — weldable, case-hardenable, good all-rounder for machined parts.
BS 970 080M40Medium-carbon steel — shafts, studs, gears, keys. Through-hardenable to moderate strength.
The standard high-tensile bolt class — general structural and machine fasteners. Medium-carbon (or boron) steel, quenched & tempered.
ISO 898-1 property class 10.9High-strength class — preloaded structural assemblies (EN 14399/HSFG type) and high-duty machine fasteners.
ISO 898-1 property class 12.9The socket-screw class — highest standard property class. Alloy steel, tightly controlled Q&T; usually self-colour/black.
General-purpose cold-work tool steel — gauges, jigs, punches, form tools, knives. Sold as “ground flat stock / gauge plate”.
BS 4659 BD2 / 1.2379Wear-resistant cold-work tool steel — blanking and forming dies, shear blades, slitters. Semi-stainless (12% Cr).
Free-machining austenitic stainless — fittings, shafts, fasteners where corrosion + machining matter.
BS EN 10088 1.4301The workhorse austenitic stainless — food, architectural, general corrosion resistance, weldable.
BS EN 10088 1.4401Molybdenum-bearing austenitic — the default grade for marine, chemical and chloride environments.
BS EN 10088 1.4016Ferritic, magnetic, nickel-free stainless — trim, appliance panels, splashbacks. Cheaper than 304 with lower corrosion resistance and toughness.
The UK structural aluminium — frames, machined parts, marine. Best strength of the 6xxx weldables.
ASTM B221 6061General-purpose heat-treatable aluminium (US-origin) — very similar to 6082, widely stocked.
ASTM B211 7075Highest-strength common aluminium (Al-Zn) — aerospace, tooling, jigs. Not for welding/marine.
BS EN 573 5083Non-heat-treatable Al-Mg — marine, hulls, tanks. Best-in-class corrosion + weldability.
ASTM B211 2011Free-machining aluminium (Pb/Bi) — high-volume turned parts, connectors, fittings.
Standard free-machining brass — fittings, valves, terminals, decorative. The brass to reach for.
BS EN 12163 CW451KTin-phosphor bronze — bearings, bushes, springs, wear parts. Excellent wear + corrosion.
BS 1400 LG2 / CC491KLeaded gunmetal — bearings, bushes, valve bodies, pump parts. Good bearing + corrosion, castable.
Tough, wear-resistant nylon — gears, rollers, wear pads, bushes. Cast grade for larger sections.
POM-C / POM-H (Delrin)Low-friction, dimensionally stable engineering plastic — precision parts, gears, bushes, manifolds.
PTFEChemically inert, very low friction, wide temperature range — seals, slides, insulators, chem parts.
UHMW polyethyleneUltra-high wear + impact resistance, self-lubricating — wear strips, guides, chute liners, star wheels.
PC (Lexan / Makrolon)Transparent and extremely impact-resistant — machine guards, glazing, light covers. Scratches unless hard-coated; attacked by solvents.
PE-HD (PE300)Low-cost, chemically resistant, food-safe — cutting boards, tank fabrications, chute liners, packers. Tough and easy to machine.
