Round Bars

General information on round bars

The Klockner online shop stocks a variety of round and half round bars in steel, stainless and aluminium. Their defining cylindrical shape can be achieved through cold drawing, pre-turning or hot rolling manufacturing methods. Within different industries round bars may also be referred to as steel round bar, steel bar, steel rod, rod bar, steel round bar or steel bar stock. Rounds are readily available and their popularity throughout multiple industries can in part be accredited to their quick and low-cost manufacturing. Different quality alloys, custom lengths and surface treatments help customise Kloeckner rounds to tailor products to specific areas of application.

How are round bars manufactured?

The standard hot rolling process is started with the melting of primary steel products (blooms, ingots and billets) using a furnace. At 1200° Celsius the alloy composition of the melt is analysed and monitored. Depending on the material characteristics required the melt can be manipulated by adding or removing alloying elements. The most common alloying elements to alter steel characteristics are manganese, nickel, chromium, molybdenum, titanium, vanadium, tungsten, cobalt, niobium and boron. The addition of chromium and nickel are especially important as high levels can create a particularly corrosion resistant material also known as stainless steel. Hot rolling allows drastic reshaping using only a few rolling cycles. Subjection to high temperatures leads to the formation of mill scale on the steel surface, which can be removed at a later stage using shot blasting, oiling or pickling processes. Rods can also be manufactured using a cold drawing technique. Here, a round stencil is utilised - through which material is pushed and pulled – to create a round end product. Generally, production method and temperature should always be chosen to match end product application.

Which industries utilise round bars in their manufacture?

Rods tend to find application in a large variety of industries. Due to their versatility, solid rounds are utilised in construction, architectural applications, infrastructure as structural support in pedestrian bridges, buildings, handrails and alike.

Steel rods fabricated from aluminium, stainless or those that are cold drawn are more popular in interior design and furniture manufacture due to their brighter more visually appealing surface finish.

What are the benefits of using round bars?

Cold drawing, similar to cold rolling creates a stable, smooth, bright product with very precise measurements. Benefits associates with cold treated solid steel rounds are improved size accuracy and tighter tolerances, a brighter, polished surface finish, improved straightness as well as hardness (better yield and tensile strength). Harder than hot manufactured steel products yet easily manipulated and connected without the need of specialist tooling or machinery, thus reducing costs for machining. Metal bar, especially those with high carbon contents are extremely durable and long lasting and require minimal to no maintenance. Steel rods are hence a sustainable, environmentally friendly choice.