Grey Iron has been the most widely used form of Cast Iron over many decades; however it still has an important part to play in today’s engineering environment. Grey or Cast Iron is also known as Flake Graphite Iron. A micro structure of this material reveals that the graphite is in the form of flakes that run through the ferrite / pearlite matrix. This graphite structure offers very little ductility but the many benefits that this material has to offer are:

Cost

Grey Iron is the cheapest of the Iron range to manufacture.

Fluidity

Although this material has a low melting temperature it retains a high degree of fluidity in the molten condition. This allows complex Grey Iron casting shapes to be manufactured with thin wall sections

Wear Properties

As a result of the material structure Grey Iron has excellent wear characteristics.

Machinability

Grey Iron is a superb material to machine. Although there are many forms of Grey Iron all will machine very easily. With the addition of various alloys the mechanical properties can be enhanced but the hardness figure on the highest grade will be below 275BHN.

Damping Properties

This material is the perfect choice for applications where damping properties is a priority.

Excellent Bearing Properties

The graphite within the structure of Grey Iron provides excellent lubrication properties.

Compressive Strength

Grey Iron has compressive strength comparable to low and medium alloy Carbon Steel.

Resistance to Deformation

Casting applications subject to deformation should be specified as Grey Iron.