What is cold rolled round bar and Why Do We Use Them?

Jun. 09, 2025

Difference Between Cold Rolled vs Hot Rolled Steel Bars

Know Your Grades of Steel and Uses

To know the difference between cold-rolled vs. hot-rolled steel bars, it is necessary to understand that steel has grades according to its component alloys. For example, there are carbon, nickel, chromium, chromium-vanadium, nickel-chromium, tungsten, molybdenum, silicon-manganese, and Nickel-chromium-molybdenum steel alloys in various types of steel.

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Each steel type has specific properties that react to cold and heat. For example, stainless steel is a chromium-carbon alloy that allows for temperatures of deg. F. for 304 and 316 stainless designations and up to deg. F. for high temp stainless grade 309(S). The temperature range for 310(S) is up to deg. F.

Hot Rolled Steel Bar Grades:

ASTM A36 useful for general structural applications
HR Bars is a medium grade of carbon steel best to use when greater hardness and strength are a must.
HR Bars 11L17 useful for machining
HR Bars is useful for its hardness and strength for axles, bolts, machine parts, studs, shafts, and gears when flame and induction-type hardening is a must.
HR Bars has a uniform heat treatment response for machinability

Cold Rolled Steel Bar Grades:

CR Bars 12L14 – useful in high-end fast machining speeds such as screw machining. It has fine surface quality and flexibility.
CR Bars – Because of its low carbon and medium manganese content, this grade offers only fair use for machinability but can undergo welding and brazing.

What is the Difference Between Cold Rolled vs. Hot Rolled Steel Bars?

In metal manufacturing, the difference between cold-rolled and hot-rolled steel is the process to create and form both. As their names indicate, ambient temperatures are helpful for cold-rolled steel and heat for hot-rolled steel.

The other difference between the two lies in cost. Hot-rolled steel is less expensive since it goes manufacturing quickly and without reheating. The construction and welding industries favor hot-rolled steel. Hot-rolled steel grades are not as significant as the manufacturing process.

Cold-rolled steel tends to shrink after it is created and formed, adding to the metal manufacturing time.

Hot Rolled Steel Bars

Hot-rolled steel bars are useful for I-beams, general fabrication projects, structural supports, walkways, ramps, and trailers.

A steel round bar is often seen in machined parts like axles, frameworks, supports, bolts, etc. A steel round bar is available in hot or cold-rolled steel.

In metal manufacturing, a round steel bar is measured in diameter. Cold-rolled round bars are cylindrical and commonly useful for rods, spindles, sprockets, and shafts.

Hot rolled round bars are formable, challenging, and preferred for welded steel materials. It is easily shaped and easy to drill.

How Metal Fabricators Choose Cold Rolled vs. Hot Rolled Steel

Whenever metal fabricators take on projects that require cold-rolled or hot-rolled steel, they must first decide on the need for precise dimensions and the quality of the steel surface.

When choosing a metal fabricator for a project, they should work closely with metal manufacturers in various industries and offer precision services for the hot-rolled or cold-rolled steel required. These services should include the following:

Straightening
Custom machining
Polishing
Precision Grinding
Centerless grinding
Chamfering

Metal fabricators use hot and cold rolled steel that requires precision grinding of a precision-ground bar to produce according to customer specifications. Working with hot and cold rolled steel to shape, form, bevel, and grind for various uses has become an industrial art form.

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For example, the ratio of metal fabricators in the U.S. is under 25,000. This keeps a metal fabricator like Advance Grinding Services Inc. continuously busy when customers request the number of metal grinding projects has grown by overwhelming numbers.

Advance Grinding is an Industry Leader

A critical feature of the skilled staff of Advance Grinding Services Inc. is that they are certified by ISO : standards. This symbolizes the excellent quality set by the Advanced Grinding Services team. In addition, Advanced Grinding Services takes pride in maintaining SOTA (state-of-the-art) technology.

This ensures customer satisfaction which is an Advanced Grinding Services priority. In addition to exceptional performance, the staff maintains timely service customers rely on to expedite their projects and needs.

All About Steel: Cold Rolled vs. Cold Drawn vs. Hot Rolled

In the steel industry, you may have heard the terms “cold rolled,” “hot rolled,” and “cold drawn.” Understanding how these types of steel are processed, as well as proper applications for each type, is crucial in making sure you are getting the right material for your project. Buying the correct type of steel will save you both time and money, and ensure you are offering the best quality products to your customers.

Cold Rolled Steel

Steel can be processed using a variety of machinery and at a variety of temperatures. One of these processes involves sending the steel through a pair of rollers that shapes the metal to a specific thickness. When comparing cold rolled steel to hot rolled steel, the difference begins with the temperature at which the metal is processed. Cold rolling is done when the metal is below its recrystallization temperature, which is the temperature at which the steel grain structure can be altered. Cold rolling is done close to or at room temperature.

Because cold rolled steel is processed at this lower temperature, it requires additional pressure to form the finished product. It will often require multiple passes through the rollers to reach the necessary thickness. This process results in steel with high tensile strength, meaning it is more resistant to deforming or breaking under tension.

Steel doesn’t melt during the cold rolling process, so the finished product will maintain a more precise and consistent thickness. The pressure of cold rolling also results in a more polished finish. This steel is ideal for products that require consistent thickness and a smooth, aesthetic finish, such as home appliances, metal furniture, and certain construction materials.

Cold Drawn Steel vs. Cold Rolled Steel

Cold drawn steel, like cold rolled steel, is processed at room temperature. However, while cold rolling produces a flat product, cold drawn steel produces a thin shape, like a rod or wire. This is accomplished by hammering down hot rolled steel to fit through a die: a machine that turns and pulls the metal into its final elongated shape. The cross section of this final shape can be round, square, rectangular, hexagonal, or octagonal, depending on the die. Cold drawn steel is ideal for long products, like shafting and structural parts, as well as consumer products that require an aesthetic finish.

Cold drawn steel has similar benefits to cold rolled steel. The pressure required to make cold drawn steel results in high tensile strength and a smooth, polished finish. Like cold rolled steel, cold drawn steel doesn’t change shape during processing, so the finished product has a predictable thickness and shape. Cold drawn steel usually needs to be drawn multiple times through different dies to achieve the right size, leading to higher production costs.

Hot Rolled Steel vs. Cold Rolled Steel

Like cold rolled steel, hot rolled steel is flat. However, because it goes through the rollers at a much higher temperature, hot rolled steel will change shape and size during the cooling process, making it less ideal for project requiring uniform thickness. Hot rolled steel also has a rougher finish and is not as strong as cold rolled steel.

There are also some benefits when using hot rolled steel instead of cold rolled steel. Hot rolled steel is more malleable, so it is easier to work with both during and after the rolling process. This malleability also means that hot rolled steel is lower cost, due to fewer steps in the hot rolling process. For example, the metal doesn’t need to be cooled before being sent through the rollers, and is able to be significantly reduced in thickness with only one pass (compared to cold rolling, which requires multiple passes). Hot rolled steel is best used for products like rail tracks and I-beams, which are produced in high quantities and do not require a clean finish.

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