Metal fabricators bend, cut, emboss, and punch sheet metal to create products for commercial, residential, and industrial use. Manufacturers can transform many types of metals and metal alloys into durable sheet metal for a variety of applications. Explore the most common types of sheet metal materials and their properties.

Aluminum

Fabricators fashion aluminum sheets into products for many industries, including the automotive, construction, and aviation industries. One pivotal quality of aluminum is its light weight, which makes it a perfect material to use on ships, planes, and automobiles where less weight saves fuel. Aluminum is also ductile and corrosion-resistant.

Steel and Steel Alloys

Steel is one of the most common types of sheet metal materials in part due to its high durability. It’s also a versatile material, especially when alloyed with other metals to achieve desirable characteristics. For example, stainless steel is a mix of steel and chromium, molybdenum, or nickel. Stainless steel’s corrosion resistance makes it an excellent material to use in commercial kitchens.

Carbon steel has less than 10.5% alloy content. Depending on the percentage of carbon, people classify carbon steel as low-carbon steel, medium-carbon steel, or high-carbon steel. The higher the carbon content, the harder the steel and the harder it is to bend.

Copper

Copper’s warm, red-orange color distinguishes it from most metals and makes it a popular aesthetic choice for stylized products such as home gutters. Copper’s high electrical conductivity and heat capacity also make it the preferred sheet metal choice for heat exchanger components and electrical equipment.

Titanium

Titanium’s high strength-to-weight ratio makes it an ideal material for equipment used in aviation, construction, and medical settings. Titanium is about two-thirds heavier than aluminum, but it is better suited than aluminum for projects that require high-strength materials.



Let Architectural System Fabricators (ASF) provide you with sheet metal bending services. Our knowledge, experience, and top-of-the-line machinery make us a top fabricator in New England. Contact us today to see how we can fulfill your metal fabrication needs.