General Information about 1018 Steel Bar and 1018 Round Bar
1018 round bar is a standard carbon steel grade supplied in a variety of sizes, lengths and conditions.
1018 steel bar may also appear as:
- SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers)
- SAE 1018
- AISI (American Iron and Steel Institute)
- AISI 1018
1018 round bar may be supplied as hot rolled, cold drawn, rough turned or tuned polished. While it is true that many other grades have higher mechanical properties than 1018, 1018 steel bar is often preferred because it is more easily machined, thus cutting production costs. 1018 round bar can also be cold drawn, affecting the steel’s mechanical properties such as hardness and tensile strength.
Cold drawing 1018 round bar will also improve the size tolerance and enhance the surface. 1018 round bar may be purchased in a full range of sizes, lengths & conditions. A common length for this grade of steel bar is 20’. Certain mills have the capacity to produce other lengths in certain diameters depending on the end application. It may also be supplied in wire rod form. A typical wire rod coil weighs around 4,000 #. In general, this steel bar grade offers good formability and weldabilty at a competitive price.
Applications
1018 steel bar is a low carbon product that is very useful in applications consisting of forming and welding. It offers strength & ductility, while being relatively inexpensive compared to other grades. As such, it is one of the more common grades used in a variety of applications.
Examples of products that may use 1018 round bar are:
- Fasteners
- Anchor bolts
- Pins
- Rods
- Structural type parts
Composition
1018 steel bar has a chemical composition consisting of carbon, .15/.20, manganese, .60/.90, phosphorus, .04 (max.), sulfur, .05 (max.) and silicon .15/.35.



