SAE/AISI 4150 STEEL – THE ULTIMATE FAQ GUIDE

If you’re eager to know more information about what SAE or AISI 4150 steel is, you’re just in the right page because today, we’ll be detailing what the SAE/AISI 4150 steel is.

This guide will be dedicated to help and assist you in providing information about this particular steel grade. By the end of this guide, you’ll have high levels of knowledge and skill on what SAE or AISI 4150 steel is.

As a bonus, you will also have the skill to select the best and the most trusted SAE/AISI 4150 steel manufacturer and supplier in the market today!

WHAT IS SAE OR AISI 4150 STEEL?

AISI 4150 steel is a type of steel that contains high levels of carbon with additions of molybdenum, chromium, and manganese as its alloys.

What SAE or AISI 4150 steel looks like

You can get this particular steel grade in multiple conditions and varieties. The most common ones include hot rolled, heat treated, turned ground and polished, cold drawn annealed, etc.

WHAT IS C50 STEEL?

C50 steel, or more commonly known as EN 1.0540 steel, is a type of carbon steel that does not have any alloy and are strictly made and formulate to be formed into wrought goods and products.

Image of how a C50 steel looks like

Similar to the SAE/AISI 4150 steel, the C50 steel contains high levels of carbon, which makes its toughness and its hardness part of the top-tiers.

WHAT DOES AISI STAND FOR IN STEEL?

The AISI is a short term or an abbreviation for the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).

You would often see the AISI partnered up with the SAE, which stands for the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), so, are they the same?

No, the SAE and the AISI aren’t similar to each other.

The reason why the SAE and the AISI are always shown together is because the AISI adopted the system of the SAE.

Their difference is that the AISI added a prefix to symbolize the procedure or the process of steelmaking.

Therefore, you shouldn’t be confused with what SAE and AISI is – they’re two different things, they just somehow follow the same naming convention.

HOW DO YOU PERFORM HEAT TREATMENT IN 4150 STEEL?

Many experts and businesses in the metalworking industry consider heating AISI 4150 steel in temperatures around 899 degrees Celsius to initialize the heating procedure.

HOW THE AISI 4150 STEEL IS DESIGNATED

The naming convention of the AISI is quite unique because they were able to compress the names and the codes in just a few numbers and figures.

To help you understand further, the first two (2) numbers denote the type of material used to create the steel. The last two (2) numbers, on the opposite end of the thread denotes the amount of carbon that’s present in the steel.

NOTE: Stainless steels are distinguished to have three-digit numbers that stat with 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Here’s a table that shows a few of the most popular and the most famous AISI steel grades:

AISI Steel	Specifications
Carbon Steels	10xx
Manganese Steels	13xx
Nickel Steels	23xx
Nickel Chromium Steel	25xx
Chromium Molybdenum Steels	41xx
Chromium Vanadium Steels	61xx
Nickel Chromium Molybdenum Steel	81xx/93xx

These are the most common steel grades and their base steels. There are other specifications on the steel grade. What this means is that carbon steels aren’t just limited to the 10xx family, there are other families, too!

Should you require more information about it, you can refer to this page to be better skilled in distinguishing the different elements and compounds in these steels.

HOW HARD IS 4150 STEEL?

How hard is AISI 4150 steel really? To give you a quick glimpse of its true hardness, its typical tensile strength stretches between 114,000 psi and 156,000 psi.

4150 HT STEEL PROPERTIES

The properties of steel are the traits and the characteristics that they have.

You would want to know them because you can use it as your basis whether or not it’s the type of alloy steel you can use.

Here are some of the most important properties of the AISI 4150 steel:

• Tensile Strength: 731 MPa or 106,000 psi
• Yield Strength: 380 MPa or 55,100 psi
• Machinability: 55 (annealed and cold drawn)
• Thermal Conductivity: 44.5 W/mK
• Melting Point: 1,427 degrees Celsius or 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit

IS AISI 4130 STAINLESS STEEL?

The AISI 4130 is part of the 41xx family, where both the 4140 and the 4150 belong. What this means is that it’s a chromium molybdenum steel base with added alloying elements.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 4140 AND 4150 STEEL?

A lot of people think that the AISI 4140 and 4150 steel is “closely” similar.

CAN YOU WELD 4140 AND 4150 STEELS?

Yes, steels that are part of the 41xx family are weldable. In fact, you will be able to weld them quite the same with how you weld steels that have lower levels of carbon.

Their only difference is that high carbon level steels have the chance to break or ruin the weld. Cracking is among the many results of welding steels with moderate-to-higher carbon content.

4150 TYPICAL WELDING PROCEDURE

Should you find yourself in need of important information and guide on how to weld 4150 steels, you can follow this general structure of welding SAE/AISI 4150 steel:

1. Qualification of the base metal
2. Inspection of the tool or die
3. Work on defective areas and preheat
4. The temperature for preheating should be between 600 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit for one (1) hour per one (1) inch of thickness
5. Choose a specific welding procedure:
   1. GMAW
   2. GTAW
   3. SMAW
6. Select the particular alloy metal that fits the requirement of the operation
7. Perform the welding operation
8. Machines and dies MUST be preheated or post heated to 700 degrees Fahrenheit to equalize temperature and weld deposit condition
9. Slowly cool by controlling temperature to 150 degrees Fahrenheit
10. Then lastly, slowly cool it to room temperature

WHAT IS 4150 STEEL’S HARDENABILITY?

Hardenability, in case you’re not aware, is simply the measurement of which a certain metal alloy is capable of being hardened through heat treatment process.

A lot of people mistake hardenability for the “hardness” of the steel. When, in actuality, the hardness is the typical measure of how hard a steel is, and hardenability is the ability of the steel to be hardened!

It’s easy, hardness is the modifier, while hardenability is the distinction of whether or not a steel is capable of being hardened.

WHAT SHAPES CAN YOU PURCHASE AISI 4150 IN?

Akin to different types of carbon and alloy metals, you can purchase the SAE/AISI 4150 steel in quite a few different supply forms and shapes.

The most common ones include a sheet, a steel plate, round bar, flat bar, square-shaped steel, and many more!

You can actually have the shape of your AISI 4150 to be custom and specific to your business needs, too!

AISI 4150 EQUIVALENT MATERIALS

The AISI is just one of the many standards that is present in the metal and steel industry. That makes it just one of the many standards for metal and steel.

Equivalent materials don’t necessarily mean that their composition is at the same levels. For instance, the AISI 4150 contains levels of molybdenum that could be within 0.15 and 0.25%, while a different steel could be at 0.10 to 0.40%, you get the idea.

Nevertheless, the equivalent of the AISI 4150 steel are:

• DIN 1.7228
• AFNOR 51CDV4
• ASTM A1031 Grade 8640
• JIS SCM445
• ISO 50CrMo4
• UNS G41500
• And many more!

NOTE: Always remember that the AISI 4150 isn’t 100% identical to its equivalent steel grades. They might be similar in terms of alloy, but they will always have different content levels.

WHAT GRADE OF STEEL IS USED FOR GUNS

Firearms have been in the world for quite some time now, and to no surprise, they were made to be able to resist the impact, pressure, and whatever’s going on inside them.

And the most customary and the most common steel grade used to create and manufacture these firearms are the AISI 4140 and the 4150. Because of their property of having Chrome and Molybdenum, they’re the most ideal to use for firearms like guns.

In fact, they’re also the grade of steel most commonly used to create and manufacture gun barrels.

WHAT APPLICATIONS CAN YOU HAVE WITH AISI 4150 STEEL?

There are a lot of applications you can have with the AISI 4150 steel. However, the most common and the most customary ones include:

• Axles and Spindles
• Shafts
• Valves
• Gears
• Automotive and Aerospace Parts

Thanks to their uniform and consistent toughness and wear resistance, you can make use of them in applications that involve hard and tedious activity.

FINDING THE BEST AISI 4150 STEEL SUPPLIERS

The market is filled with numerous metalworking suppliers and manufacturing companies. So, you wouldn’t really have any problems in finding the best and the most compatible for you and your business.

However, if you really want to be at a different level, then you can go and work with Chinese AISI 4150 steel suppliers and manufacturers.

THE BEST CHINESE AISI 4150 MANUFACTURER

Across the entire country, no other AISI 4150 steel manufacturer and supplier is trusted but us here at Waldun Steel.

We are equipped with the best, the most appropriate, and the most skilled steel experts and engineers to procure the most accurate types of steel for you.

So, whatever shape or supply form you request it to be in, we will help and assist you! Thanks to our Research & Development (R&D) team, we’re able to have successful experimentations and calibrations!

The technical performance of the AISI 4150 steels that we have and offer would truly be within all your expectations. In fact, it will even exceed whatever you’re looking for!

WHY WORK WITH WALDUN STEEL?

Waldun Steel is a company that will never disappoint you. Wherever you are in the world, you can consider us as your primary one-stop solution for all your business needs and requirements!

Contact us now and we will get you a free quotation of the orders you require! Enjoy world-class quality AISI 4150 steels without costing a fortune!

Talk to us and we’ll always be ready and prepared to help! Across the entire country, only at Waldun Steel will you be able to find precise and accurate custom AISI 4150 steels you need!

Work with us and never experience bad and low-quality 4150 steels ever again!