Wire Rods

Overview and Definition of Wire Rods

Wire rods are the smallest cross-sectional size among hot-rolled steel sections. In China, hot-rolled round steel bars in eight specifications with diameters ranging from 5 to 9 millimeters are generally referred to as wire rods. Due to their delivery in the form of coils, they are also known as coil rods. Wire rods are typically made from ordinary carbon steel and high-quality carbon steel. Depending on the steel allocation catalog and intended use, wire rods include ordinary low-carbon steel hot-rolled coil rods, high-quality carbon steel coil rods, carbon welding rod coil rods, quenched and tempered screw coil rods, steel wire rope coil rods, piano wire coil rods, and stainless steel coil rods.

Uses of Wire Rods

1. Telecommunication industry: Such as telephone wires, network cables, optical fibers, etc. Different types and materials of wire rods are required to meet various communication needs.
2. Power industry: Cable wire rods are one of the most important materials in the power industry, used for power transmission, distribution, power transformation, and chemical plant power supply.
3. Construction industry: Wire rods have extensive applications in the construction process, such as steel strands used for reinforcement in concrete structures and stainless steel wire meshes used for exterior wall decoration.
4. Machinery manufacturing: Wire rods are used to manufacture components such as springs and threads.
5. Other uses: Wire rods can also be used for wire drawing, nail making, standard parts, and the manufacture of welding electrodes.

Classification of Wire Rods

1. Classification by Chemical Composition:
   • Carbon steel: Further divided into low-carbon steel, medium-carbon steel, and high-carbon steel.
   • Alloy steel: Steel with specific alloy elements.
2. Classification by Cross-Sectional Shape:
   • Round: The most common shape of wire rods.
   • Square: Less common.
   • Elliptical, trapezoidal, and irregular shapes: Less common but used for specific needs.
3. Classification by Use:
   • Construction wire rods: Such as steel bars.
   • Drawing wire rods: Used as raw materials for wire drawing, requiring uniform and stable chemical composition and physical properties.
4. Classification by Rolling Mill Type:
   • High-speed wire rods (high-speed wires): Produced by high-speed wire rod rolling mills.
   • Ordinary wire rods (ordinary wires): Produced by ordinary wire rod rolling mills.
5. Classification by Insulation Material:
   • Silicone wires
   • Low-smoke zero-halogen electronic wires (XLPE electronic wires)
   • PVC wires
   • Teflon and other types

Common Steel Grade Brands

Common grades of wire rods are typically divided into Q195, Q215, and Q235. Among them, only Q215 and Q235 are used for construction steel wire rods. For example, Q235 (Q refers to the yield strength of steel, and 235 means the yield strength is not less than 235 Mpa). In addition, there are other special-purpose wire rods such as stainless steel wires, aluminum wires, copper wires, etc., which have different compositions and applications to meet various specific needs.