ABSTRACT
In addition to the variety of shapes, steel is available in many grades. The strength of each grade varies with its carbon content. As the strength of a steel changes, so do other properties, such as brittleness and ductility. The American Society for Testing and Materials, ASTM, assigns each grade of steel a code which lets structural designers look up its strength properties. It is a structural designers responsibility to choose a steel that is appropriate for the application.
