Solving Common Steel Issues

Overview

Dura-Bar is an ideal alternative for many steel applications, particularly for carbon steel grades such as 1010, 1018, 1040, 1045, 1141, 1144, 1212, 1214, 1215, 1218, and 12L18. Depending on the application, even some grades of alloy bar are an excellent fit for Dura-Bar.

Many companies are putting Dura-Bar to work in place of traditional steel grades. They are casting off old ideas about iron and discovering the benefits of continuous cast ductile iron from Dura-Bar. Usually the switch is made because Dura-Bar lowers the cost to produce their part. However, they also realize Dura-Bar doesn't have other issues that plague the steel market, like spot shortages, allocations and fluctuating prices.

Dura-Bar's consistent material performance, distribution network and commitment to customers are unmatched in the industry. Click on the links below to see how Dura-Bar provides solutions to common steel issues.

Contact us today to see how easy it is to put Dura-Bar to work for you!

Call Dura-Bar toll free at 1-800-BAR-MILL

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Performance

Performance in an application is the ultimate test of material. There are many grades of steel, generally referred to as low-carbon, medium carbon and alloy steel. Dura-Bar has two primary grades of ductile that can be considered as a replacement for most carbon steel applications and some alloy steel grades.

Dura-Bar 65-45-12 – An excellent replacement for low-carbon leaded steels as well as rephosphorized and resulfurized free machining grades, including: 1010, 1018, 1020, 1212, 12L14 and 1215.

Dura-Bar 80-55-06 – Less machinable than 65-45-12, but has better wear resistance and higher strengths. A good replacement for medium-carbon steels including: 1040, 1045, 1060, 1141 and 1144.

Dura-Bar excels in applications involving:
	Wear
	Compression
	Thermal Conductivity
	Vibration and Noise Damping
	Fatigue Strength
	Lead free material

And in applications where processing includes:
	Turning
	Milling
	Drilling and Tapping
	Heat Treating
	Surface treatments – plating, oxidizing, etc.

Most grades of material have differences in some mechanical or physical properties. These attributes are often measured in different ways and many are not important in a given application. All these factors can complicate a material decision.

We have a trained team of sales engineers and distributor sales people who can help determine if Dura-Bar makes sense for you. Give us a call and start the process today.

Learn more about Dura-Bar Advantages

Request a Steel Alternative Kit. This packet of information will walk you through the process of determining if Dura-Bar is right for your application.

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Rising Prices

Dura-Bar has a solid track record of consistent pricing. We are constantly improving our process and controlling our costs to keep our prices in line. In fact, we recently lowered the cost of some of our more popular small diameter bars.

Since Dura-Bar is a ferrous-based material, like all steels, it requires steel scrap or pig iron in the manufacturing process. Like all mills, we are not immune to the rise and fall of the raw materials market. To keep the impact of such swings to a minimum, we utilize a monthly raw material surcharge or surcredit that is a straight pass-through of our raw material cost.

The material cost of Dura-Bar is not where most customers see the real savings. While our product’s in-the-door cost is competitive with many steel grades, the real advantage is Dura-Bar’s excellent machinability. Many customers see a 20 to 50% reduction in machining costs so the out-the-door cost is almost always lower.

It only takes a few minutes with one of our sales engineers to determine if Dura-Bar can lower your total cost. Contact us today so you can make more tomorrow.

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Dura-Bar Pricing

The steel market is full of different alloys, finishes and sizes making a specific price comparison difficult. In general, Dura-Bar ductile iron is price competitive with many grades of carbon steel on a per pound basis. Factor in that iron is 8% lighter than steel, so less weight is bought, and it makes sense to seriously consider using Dura-Bar as an alternative.

Usually, the biggest cost savings of using Dura-Bar comes from taking advantage of its machinability. Even if the material cost is higher than carbon steel, the excellent machinability of Dura-Bar can lower your net cost.

In the table below, the high lighted row shows that even with a 15% higher material cost, the net cost can be decreased by as much as 20% depending on the cycle time savings. In fact, many customers find a decrease of 20-40% of a product's cycle time is not unusual!

In manufacturing, time IS money. So finding a material that performs similar to steel, but machines much faster, will make more parts - and profits - per hour. Dura-Bar ductile iron is a logical and lower net cost replacement material for many carbon steel applications. With comparable mechanical strengths and superior machinability, you can realize significant cost savings. In fact, the more machining you do to a part, the more money you will save with Dura-Bar.

Begin saving money today. E-mail or call us toll free at 1-800-BAR-MILL with your application information.

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