What is steel wire rod?
Steel Wire Rod is a long piece of steel that is hot rolled and when cooled, it gets wound into a coil. There are different types of shapes such as round, square, semicircle, and hexagonal.
- Steel wire rods are almost identical to GI or galvanized iron wires.
- They look very similar, but different materials form steel wire rods than galvanized iron. Also, the manufacturing of each varies.
- Billets function as a steel to produce steel wire rods.

How to Manufacture steel wire rod?
Billets are considered semi-finished metal pieces. When processed further, the semi-finished pieces become valued products. There are many steps in the process of manufacturing steel wire rod including:

- Billets usually come in the form of a square, circle, or rectangle which has areas below 36 sq. inches. A process called extrusion is how wire rods are produced. The billets push through a die. Then, the billets mold into the shape of the die opening.
- The dies, which can be circular, rectangular, or square-shaped, have a typical diameter from 5 – 42 millimeters.
- The billets are not pre-heated before going through the dies but heated as they pass within the molds.
- At the end of the extrusion process, the semi-finished wire rods then go through a specialized winder which winds the wire rods into loose coil stacks.
- Since the freshly wound wire rods are still hot, they are cooled using either air or a forced cooling process. The forced cooling process makes use of large fans, while the other one uses the surrounding air without the use of any cooling machine.
- The wire rods are glowing red hot after the whole extrusion and winding process which is why accelerated cooling is more preferred, or else a lengthy amount of cooling time will be required.
What are the main specifications for steel wire rods?

- Wire rods are produced with different grades. These grades each have their own specifications and corresponding applications. These specifications help the end-user or other manufacturers in choosing which grade of wire rods to purchase.
- For an SAE 1008 wire rod, grades include Q195, Q215, Q235, 1006B, 1008B, 1012B, 1017B, and 1018B. The Q195, Q215, Q235 grades are used primarily in the field of construction and drawing wires.
- The diameter sizes of each grade are as follows:
GRADE | DIAMETER (Φ) |
Q195 | 5.5 mm - 16 mm |
Q215 | 5.5 mm - 16 mm |
Q235 | 5.5 mm - 16 mm |
1006B | 5.5 mm - 16 mm |
1008B | 5.5 mm - 16 mm |
1012B | 5.5 mm - 16 mm |
1017B | 5.5 mm - 16 mm |
1018B | 5.5 mm - 16 mm |
What are the Chemical Composition and Mechanical Properties of typical steel wire rod?

A typical steel wire rod has a chemical composition of the following:
- Carbon
- Manganese
- Silicon
- Phosphorous
- Sulfur
- Boron
Its mechanical properties are as follows:
GRADE | Yield Strength | Tensile Strength |
Q195 | ≥195 | 315 - 430Mpa |
Q235 | ≥235 | 375 - 500Mpa |
SAE1006 | ≥210 |
210 - 370 Mpa |
SAE1008 | ≥195 | 315 - 430Mpa |
What are the main applications of steel wire rod?

- Steel wire rods have many potential applications, mainly
- wire drawing
- construction uses
- tools manufacturing
GI or galvanized iron wires are actually made from steel wire rods which have been coated by zinc in order to prevent it from corrosion and rusting.
Steel wire rods are also used to manufacture nails and other construction materials.
Where to Buy steel wire rod

You may be able to find Steel Wire Rod in small quantities in your area. But if you want to buy large quantities of steel wire rod, it is preferable to import directly from the manufacturers. They can issue certifications and provide cost savings which is better than buying the steel in small quantities locally or from a distributor.
If you require bulk quantities of this steel, you can buy Steel Wire Rod on our website.
Here at Camasteel we have steel wire rod for sale. We export worldwide, so you can contact us for a FREE quotation today via email [email protected] or send a message on WhatsApp for a fast response +86-131-2037-9271.