What is a steel blank?
Related Terms
Metal Blank
A metal blank is a flat piece of metal cut to a specific size or shape, ready to be formed, stamped, machined, or processed further. It's the starting material before a part is finished.
A36 Steel(A36)
A36 is the most common structural carbon steel grade in the US, defined by ASTM standard A36. It is weldable, machinable, and widely available as plate, sheet, and bar stock.
Hot-Rolled Steel(HR)
Hot-rolled steel is produced by rolling steel at high temperature (above recrystallization point). It has a rough mill scale surface and looser tolerances than cold-rolled, but is less expensive and widely stocked.
Cold-Rolled Steel(CR)
Cold-rolled steel is processed further after hot-rolling by passing through rollers at room temperature. It has tighter dimensional tolerances, a smoother surface finish, and higher strength than hot-rolled.
Blanking
Blanking is a stamping process where a punch forces metal through a die to cut out a flat shape — the blank — from a sheet. The blank is the desired part; the surrounding sheet is the scrap.