By road, rail, air, and water, our world has never had more opportunities for travel. Each of these methods of transportation has an entire industry supporting it, and each requires untold amounts of custom metal fabrication to make possible. From the vehicles themselves to the infrastructure that a...

Stainless steel is a steel alloy that contains a minimum of 10.5% chromium, though the average is between 16–18%. The addition of chromium, along with a small amount of nickel, gives stainless steel unique corrosion-resistance properties that make it ideal for food and beverage applications. In fa...

Aluminum sheet metal has nearly endless applications across a range of industries and is used in automotive and aircraft body panels, electrical housings, tools and equipment, cookware and appliances, roofing, and many other common parts and products. Here are six key advantages of aluminum sheet me...

All metals can be classified under the standard alloy numbering system as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Steel metals are further classified by the unified numbering system (UNS). Let’s take a look at two types of steel: No. 2...

From food and beverage equipment to roofing and gutters, shipping containers, and HVAC systems, there are nearly endless applications of aluminum sheet metal across several industries. It is so widely used because of its many advantages. For instance, it is easy to fabricate and resists corrosion be...

Carbon steel and stainless steel have countless applications and are two of the most common materials that custom fabricators work with. Both materials are extremely durable, but each can be more durable than the other depending on the application. Let’s take a closer look at carbon steel and stai...

Like most vehicles, boats and ships require fuel to operate. Unlike automobiles and aircraft, however, marine vessels must contend with saltwater, an element that can quickly degrade certain materials that are not strong enough to resist it. And you certainly wouldn’t want your fuel tanks degradin...

The finish of stainless steel refers to the appearance of the material’s surface after processing. Some finishes are smooth and shiny, creating a mirror-like effect. Others can feature a grain pattern that adds texture to the surface. The choice of finish is largely dependent on blueprint specific...

While different types of metal can have vastly different properties, they all fall into two general groups: ferrous and non-ferrous. The key and easiest-to-remember difference between the two is that ferrous metals contain iron and non-ferrous metals do not. The history of how these metals have been...