Silicon Steel

Electrical steel, also called lamination steel, silicon electrical steel, silicon steel or transformer steel, is a material used to produce certain magnetic cores, such as stators and rotors in transformers and motors. Electrical steel is also an indispensable material for the power, electronics and military industries.

Non-oriented electrical steel usually contains a level of 2%-3.5% silicon. It has similar magnetic properties in all directions, the so-called isotropy. Grain-oriented electrical steel usually contains a level of 3% silicon and is processed in a way to develop ideal properties in the rolling direction. Cold-rolled non-grain-oriented steel (CRNGO) is less expensive than cold-rolled grain-oriented steel (CRGO). CRNGO can be used in cost-oriented applications with the inconstant direction of magnetic flux, such as electric motors and generators. CRGO is usually in coil form and has to be cut into laminations further, being used in transformer core applications, such as certain internal parts in audio output transformers.