Steel grade comparisons
Side-by-side tables for the pairs engineers and buyers actually choose between, with the numbers from both standards, the cost and fabrication differences, and a clear verdict on when each grade is right.
1.4301 vs 1.44041.4301 vs 1.4404 (V2A vs V4A): 1.4404 adds 2–2.5 % Mo for chloride resistance (PREN 24 vs 18), costs 25–40 % more; strength, magnetism and weldability are equal. EN 10088 numbers side by side and when V4A is worth it.SAE 1010 vs SAE 1018SAE 1010 vs 1018: 0.10 % carbon against 0.18 %, and the gap decides everything — forming and welding against machining and case hardening.1018 vs 41401018 vs 4140 steel: cold-drawn 1018 ≈ 370 MPa yield, not hardenable, weldable; 4140 ≈ 415 MPa annealed and 900–1600 MPa heat-treated, hardenable to 55 HRC, hard to weld. Full table and when each is right.1045 vs 41401045 vs 4140: same 0.45 % carbon, but 4140's Cr-Mo gives deep hardenability (50–75 mm vs 20 mm), higher Q&T strength (to 1600 MPa) and better toughness. 1045 is cheaper and machines easier. Table and buying guide.304 vs 316304 vs 316 stainless steel: 316 adds 2–3 % molybdenum for chloride resistance (PREN 24 vs 18) at 20–40 % higher cost; strength, magnetism and weldability are the same. Full table and when to pay for 316.304 vs 430304 vs 430: austenitic 18/8 against ferritic 17 % chromium with no nickel — one costs more and goes outdoors, the other is magnetic and stays inside.316 vs 316L316 vs 316L: the same 16.5–18.5 Cr, 10–13 Ni, 2–2.5 Mo alloy with carbon capped at 0.08 % or at 0.030 % — a difference that only shows at the weld.4140 vs 43404140 vs 4340: chromium-molybdenum against nickel-chromium-molybdenum — the same carbon, and nickel buys depth of hardening and toughness.A36 vs 1018A36 vs 1018: A36 is an ASTM structural spec (≥ 250 MPa yield, loose chemistry, plate/shapes); 1018 is an AISI chemistry grade (0.18 % C, no guaranteed strength, cold-drawn bar ≈ 370 MPa). Same family of mild steel, different rules — table and when each applies.A36 vs A572 Grade 50A36 vs A572 Grade 50: yield 250 vs 345 MPa (36 vs 50 ksi), tensile 400–550 vs ≥ 450 MPa, price +3–8 %, weight saving 25–30 % in strength-governed members. Chemistry, weldability, forming and when each US structural steel is right.A36 vs Q235A36 vs Q235: 250 MPa yield with no impact test against 235 MPa in four quality classes — the American and Chinese answers to the same structural job.A36 vs S235JRA36 vs S235JR: US and EU mild structural steels — yield 250 vs 235 MPa, tensile 400–550 vs 360–510 MPa, Charpy none vs 27 J at +20 °C, carbon ≤ 0.25–0.29 vs 0.17 %. Substitution rules in both directions and the S275 option.DC01 vs DD11DC01 vs DD11: the same job — sheet that has to bend — done cold or hot. Thickness, surface, tolerance and price all follow from that one difference.DC01 vs DX51DDC01 vs DX51D: DC01 is uncoated cold-rolled sheet (EN 10130, yield 140–280 MPa, 28 % elongation); DX51D is hot-dip galvanized bending-quality sheet (EN 10346, no yield minimum, 22 %). Same steel, coated or not — table, coating codes and which to buy.DC01 vs S235JRDC01 vs S235JR: DC01 is cold-rolled forming sheet (EN 10130, yield 140–280 MPa, no minimum guarantee); S235JR is hot-rolled structural steel (EN 10025-2, yield ≥ 235 MPa, 27 J impact). Same low-carbon steel, different guarantees — table and buying guide.DD11 vs S235JRDD11 vs S235JR: EN 10111 forming sheet against EN 10025-2 structural steel — a yield range of 170–360 MPa with no minimum, against a guaranteed 235 MPa.DX51D vs DX52DDX51D vs DX52D: the same galvanized coil, one forming class apart. DX51D bends, DX52D draws — and the difference shows up as cracks at the radius, not on the certificate.P355GH vs S355J2P355 vs S355: the same 355 MPa yield at room temperature, but P is a pressure grade proven at 400 °C and S is a structural grade proven at −20 °C. The letter decides which code you may design in.S235JR vs P265GHS235JR vs P265GH (and P235GH): structural vs pressure-vessel steel — similar strength (235–265 MPa yield) but P…GH adds guaranteed yield to 400 °C, −20 °C impact, S ≤ 0.010 %, normalizing and per-plate PED testing. Why you cannot swap them, with the full table.S235JR vs S235J0S235JR vs S235J0: identical strength, identical chemistry limits in most respects, one difference that matters — the temperature at which 27 joules of impact energy is proven, +20 °C against 0 °C.S235JR vs S355J2S235 vs S355: yield 235 vs 355 MPa, tensile 360–510 vs 470–630 MPa, price +5–10 %, weldability CEV 0.35 vs 0.45. Which EN 10025 structural steel to choose, with the full side-by-side table.S235JR vs S355JRS235JR vs S355JR: both tested at +20 °C, both the entry impact quality of their grade, 235 against 355 MPa yield — the comparison that matters when the section is already fixed and only the grade is in question.S275JR vs S355JRS275 vs S355: 275 against 355 MPa minimum yield, the same EN 10025-2 family and delivery condition, a 29 % strength gap that rarely changes the section but often changes the price and the weld procedure.SPHC vs DD11SPHC vs DD11: JIS G3131 commercial hot-rolled sheet against EN 10111 forming steel — the same class guaranteed from opposite ends.St 37-2 vs S235JRSt 37-2 and S235JR are the same steel under two names: DIN 17100 was withdrawn in 1994 and EN 10025-2 replaced it. The differences are in the paperwork, not the metal.St37 vs St52St37 vs St52 (DIN 17100): yield 235 vs 355 MPa, tensile 340–470 vs 490–630 MPa. Both withdrawn — today S235JR and S355J2. Side-by-side table, the St44 middle grade, and what to order now.St 52-3 vs S355JRSt 52-3 is the withdrawn DIN name for what EN 10025-2 calls S355. The catch: St 52-3 included an impact requirement, so its true successor is S355J2, not plain S355JR.
How to compare two steel grades
Compare on five axes in this order: (1) guaranteed strength — minimum yield and tensile in the thickness you will use, not the typical values; (2) toughness — Charpy energy and temperature, or its absence; (3) chemistry that drives fabrication — carbon and carbon equivalent for welding, sulphur for machining, Mo/Cr/N for corrosion; (4) delivery condition and testing — normalized or as-rolled, per-heat or per-plate certification, code acceptance; (5) cost and availability in the form you need. A grade that wins on strength but loses on weldability or code status is usually the wrong choice.
Missing a comparison?
Every grade page lists its nearest alternatives with a graded equivalence and reason; start from the steel grades chart or the search box.