Plate vices are manufactured from low carbon steel, also known as ‘mild’ or ‘plain’ carbon steel – a type of steel which contains a low percentage of carbon.
In carbon steels, the main alloying element is carbon. (An ‘alloy’ refers to a metal created by mixing elements; ‘alloying’). Carbon steel is harder than steels which don’t contain carbon, but less ductile, meaning that it is more difficult to shape into the desired form, and is more likely to break or snap than bend.
Low carbon steel (0.5-0.25% carbon), also called ‘mild steel’, ‘plain-carbon steel’ or ‘low grade steel’, is generally available at an affordable cost and has a lower carbon content than other steels, making it more malleable (easy to bend), but weaker.
