What Is Carbon Steel?

Carbon steel is an alloy of iron, varying levels of carbon, manganese and silicone. Carbon steels are commonly made into shafts, cables, wires, pipes, pressure vessels, and many more. Regular steels contain low carbon, as low as 0.05%, while carbon steels have 0.3-2.5% carbon content. Higher carbon content means higher strength and lower ductility. Addition of manganese mainly aims to desulfurize the steel (get rid of sulfur impurities), meanwhile silicone is added as a deoxidizer (to remove oxygen during steelmaking process). Both can be added in slightly higher amounts, up to 1%, to help strengthen the steel.

Benefits of Carbon Steel

Carbon steel is one of the most widely used materials in the manufacturing industry because it possesses these characteristics:

• Durability: It is strong and resistant to shock, making it suitable for construction projects.
• Safety: It is easy and safe to handle, commonly used in cookware because it does not release harmful chemicals into food.
• Affordability: It is cheaper to manufacture certain products with carbon steel compared to other metals.
• Good mechanical properties: It can be cut, welded, and processed with heat easily. It has abrasion resistance and machinability, making it less likely to break under pressure than other types of steel.

Environmental Impact of Carbon Steel

The steel industry is one of the most energy-intensive industries, resulting in around 8% contribution to global carbon dioxide emissions. Some factors contributing to emissions from carbon steel are:

• Raw material extraction: The production of carbon steel is heavily dependent on coal, which is used as a reducing agent to extract iron from iron ore and to provide the carbon content.
• Production: Fabrication of primary steel uses a blast furnace to produce molten iron from iron ore, coking coal, and limestone. Then, a basic oxygen furnace is used to convert molten iron into steel. Meanwhile, the production of secondary steel - which uses steel scraps as the main input - is typically done using an electric arc furnace. Overall, the energy intensity of blast and basic oxygen furnaces is significantly higher than electric arc furnaces.
• Maintenance: Emissions from carbon steel increase every 10 years due to regular maintenance required to suppress corrosion. Meanwhile, stainless steel does not need maintenance as they possess films that prevent corrosion. If we look at the overall lifetime of 110 years, emissions from carbon steel reach around 2-3 times the emissions of stainless steel.

To minimize the environmental impacts, steel companies can consider these key actions:

• Capture and reuse exhaust gas from furnaces for combustion.
• Move to scrap-based steel production using electric arc furnaces.
• Use hydrogen for direct reduction of iron.
• Use renewable energy for steel production facilities. A proven example is Hitachi Energy that procured carbon-free electricity - mainly sourced from hydropower - for H2 Green Steel, the steel company they invested in.
• Increase the production of sustainable steel. Demand for low-emission supplies are rising as companies are demanded to reduce their scope 3 (indirect) emissions.
• Utilize digital tools to monitor CO2 emissions and other sustainability metrics.

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References:

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International Energy Agency. (2023). Steel. IEA. https://www.iea.org/energy-system/industry/steel

McClements, D. (2022). All About Carbon Steel as a Manufacturing Material. Xometry. https://www.xometry.com/resources/materials/carbon-steel/

Mitchell, P., & Stall, R. (2021). Five actions to improve the sustainability of steel. EY. https://www.ey.com/en_us/insights/energy-resources/five-actions-to-improve-the-sustainability-of-steel

Perl, K. (2016). Changes in steel production reduce energy intensity - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). EIA. https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=27292

Stamm, H., & Naujok, N. (2023). How the steel industry could lead the way in decarbonization. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/08/why-steel-can-be-an-unexpected-leader-in-decarbonization/

Three D Metals . (2021). The Benefits of Using Carbon Steel in Construction. Three D Metals. https://threedmetals.com/blog/the-benefits-of-using-carbon-steel-in-construction/

worldstainless. (2025). CO2 Emissions Report. Worldstainless. https://worldstainless.org/pdf-viewer/viewer.html?file=https%3A%2F%2Fworldstainless.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F02%2Fworldstainless_CO2_Emissions_Report.pdf#page=10