mild steel
- noun
- /maɪld stiːl/
- Specialized
:
acero dulce
- The artist used mild steel to create a beautiful sculpture that would withstand the elements.
- mild steel tubing
Here I have a piece of mild steel pipe which is mainly iron.
- Here I have a piece of mild steel pipe which is mainly iron.
Examples
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That's still cheaper than aluminum or mild steel at the factory gate.
Blog text (1) -
Here I have a piece of mild steel pipe which is mainly iron.
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Or I may just try regular mild steel and silver plate it.
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And it's, you know, it's like that kind of mild steel wire built in the West.
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This is a mild steel stove made in India called Tara.
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This is close to the endurance limit of mild steel with a reasonable factor of safety.
Academic text (1998) -
Tap capacity is rated at up to 1/2 in. in aluminum and up to 1/4 in. in mild steel.
Academic text (1994) -
And the outer laminates are a softer, either mild steel or a soft stainless.
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Originally, the acceptor had been stamped entirely from mild steel on a set of progressive dies.
Academic text (2009) -
Mild steel is commonly used to construct frameworks for buildings due to its strength and ease of shaping.
Synonyms
Steel with very little carbon that is easy to shape
Steel with little carbon that is soft and easy to shape and weld
Antonyms
- Specialized
Steel with more carbon that is very strong and not easy to bend, often used for tools and blades
How Hard
- Specialized
1
5.5
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
10
4.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
A B1 learner who knows 'mild' (not severe/strong) and 'steel' (the metal) can reasonably infer that 'mild steel' means a relatively soft or less hard type of steel that is easy to shape, so the core sense is compositional. However, the precise metallurgical meaning (specific low carbon content and technical properties) is specialized and not fully predictable from the words alone, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The term mild steel comes from the older use of mild to mean 'not strong' or 'soft'. So mild steel is literally a softer kind of steel, which is why it refers to steel with little carbon that is easy to shape and weld.