Mead Metals Blog: Annealed Spring Steel

Common Uses for Spring Steel

Posted by: Dani Weinhandl on February 23, 2023 | 3 min. read

Spring steel, commonly referred to as annealed spring steel, is known as a “general use” steel because of its many uses and applications. Mead Metals offers a wide variety of spring steel products, including various grades, sizes, gauges, and more. 

What Is Annealing in Metal?

Posted by: Dani Weinhandl on January 16, 2023 | 3 min. read

As anyone in the metal industry will tell you, not all metals are created equal. But that’s because metals are made differently depending on their unique uses. For example, tempering and annealing are methods of heat-treating metal, but both have their differences when it comes to the desired outcome. 

For the purposes of this article, let's focus on the definition of annealed metal, the process for annealing metal, and how it's used.

How Market Volatility Affects Steel Prices and What That Means for Order Quantities

Posted by: Brian Rothstein on July 20, 2022 | 3 min. read

If you’ve paid any attention to the news over the past two years, you’ve noticed markets across many industries falling victim to volatility brought on by lagging production and increased demand. Many influences have caused this, most notably the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the potential recessions many countries are currently facing. 

Steel is no stranger to fluctuating market conditions, and many fear the possibility of a volatile steel market where demand and price plummet, leaving suppliers with large quantities of steel and nobody to purchase. Let’s look at what market volatility is, what it means to the steel industry, what some of the causes may be, and how it affects demand and price. 

What is the Difference: Tempering vs. Annealing?

Posted by: Dani Weinhandl on November 16, 2021 | 3 min. read

Tempering and annealing are both methods of heat treating metal. The purpose of heat treating is to intentionally alter the physical (and chemical) properties of metal to get it ready for manufacturing. Heat treatments can affect many properties of a metal product, including strength, hardness, formability, ductility, malleability, and machinability.

Mead Metals Customer Feature: Engel Diversified Industries

Posted by: Brian Rothstein on January 12, 2021 | 2 min. read

The customer relationships that stand the test of time have so much to teach us. Recently, I had the opportunity to talk to someone who’s worked with Mead Metals to source material for over 28 years—as long as they’ve been with the company. Below, I’ve shared some highlights from this conversation with the VP of Sales and Marketing at Engel Diversified Industries. 

3 Uses for Spring Steel that Might Surprise You

Posted by: Brian Rothstein on January 17, 2020 | 4 min. read

Need A Guide?

If you're reading this, the chances are that you probably know what spring steel is used for in a general sense. In case you don't, we'll be sure to cover some of the basics with you before we get into some of the more unorthodox ways that it's used by people across the globe. If you're looking for information on the material itself, you can always download our free guides on annealed spring steel and tempered spring steel by following the links for each.

All You Need to Know About Steel Alloys

Posted by: Dani Weinhandl on March 25, 2019 | 3 min. read

If you’ve ever wondered what the most commonly used metal in the world is, you might be surprised (or unsurprised for that matter) to find out that it’s steel. Steel is strong and widely used. Many objects that you and I interact with on a regular basis are made of steel. Yet, with its popularity and applicability, many people are relatively unaware of steel’s various properties, intricacies, and uses. If that rings true for you, you'll likely find some interesting information in this post.  

Steel: Quality is Our Priority

Posted by: Chris Schwartz on March 19, 2018 | 2 min. read

Many variables go into the quality of metal material. Anything from mill marks, scratches, and laminations to waves, twists, and burrs can affect the appearance and machinability of metals. Not to mention, what you see on the outside of a coil isn’t necessarily going to be what you find in the middle. When it comes to ensuring the quality of our steel – and all of our metal materials – we go beyond the basics. Here’s our process :