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carbon steel

American  

noun

  1. steel owing its properties principally to its carbon content; ordinary, unalloyed steel.


carbon steel British  

noun

  1. steel whose characteristics are determined by the amount of carbon it contains

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of carbon steel

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Consequently, some manufacturers have begun pairing carbon steel with an aluminum core for more even heating, creating hybrid nonsticks with a three-ply construction similar to better stainless steel pans.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 24, 2025

From ingenious herb savers and handcrafted carbon steel roasters to powerful appliances and artisanal dinnerware, every item has been chosen with care to bring both beauty and practicality to the kitchen and beyond.

From Salon Dec. 17, 2024

Geothermal wells are usually constructed with carbon steel, she explains, but that quickly loses strength when temperatures exceed 200°C.

From BBC Oct. 17, 2024

The carbon steel art piece depicts the press conference table that Ali, Brown and others sat at following their meeting 56 years ago, a moment captured in an iconic photograph.

From Seattle Times Oct. 11, 2023

Monday arrived cold and raw, with a rising wind that brought a smell of snow from a sky the color of plain carbon steel.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

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