How can I judge the quality of steel?
Various ways: Carry out mechanical testing on it to see how strong it is. eg. Tensile testing, hardness testing, impact testing. Examine a cleaned up sample on the steel under a microscope to see what the steel grain structure is like and what condition it is in (hardened etc.) Or the easiest way is to ask the supplier what it is and then find a specification sheet giving you all the above information.
The quality of the alloy can be very well be judged by its appearance and lustrous surface. The more luster on the surface the more refine will the steel be. To judge its tenacity and endurance, the alloy can be subjected to a series of procedures involving stress and shock. There are many more scientific methods of measuring the quality of the alloy such as texture measurement technique etc are also employed. In layman’s term the quality can be measured by the hardness of surface, brightness and smoothness of the surface and absence of any depressions or troughs.
