The difference between forged steel balls and cast steel balls
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- 、Saskia
- Issue Time
- Jul 23,2025
Summary
The essential difference between forged steel balls and cast steel balls is reflected in four aspects: raw materials, production process, physical properties and application scenarios.
The difference between forged steel balls and cast steel balls
he essential difference between forged steel balls and cast steel balls is reflected in four aspects: raw materials, production process, physical properties and application scenarios.
Forged steel balls are made of high-quality steel and forged at high temperature. They have the characteristics of high hardness, good toughness and strong wear resistance.
Cast steel balls are produced by melting and casting process with scrap steel as raw materials. The cost is low but the comprehensive performance is weak.
Differences in raw materials and production process
1.Raw materials
Forged steel balls: special round steel from large steel mills such as Baotou Steel is selected, with a carbon content of <1.0% and a chromium content of 0.1%-0.5%.
Cast steel balls: scrap steel, iron filings and other waste metals are used, with a carbon content of 2.2%-3.5% (essentially iron-based materials).
2.Production process
Forging process: cutting → electric heating → forging/rotary cutting → quenching → tempering, with a compression ratio of more than ten times and dense organization.
Casting process: scrap steel melting → mold pouring → simple heat treatment, with defects such as pores and inclusions.
Physical properties comparison
1,Hardness distribution
Forged steel ball: core surface hardness difference 2-3 HRC (such as 100mm diameter sphere surface hardness ≥60 HRC, core ≥57 HRC).
Cast steel ball: core surface hardness difference 3-5 HRC (high chromium casting ball surface hardness ≥58 HRC, core ≤53 HRC).
2,Impact toughness
Forged steel ball: impact value ≥15 J/cm², crushing rate <1%.
Cast steel ball: impact value only 3.5-6 J/cm², crushing rate ≥3%.
3,Density and wear resistance.
Forged steel balls: density 7.85-7.89 g/cm³, wear resistance is 2-5 times that of cast balls.
Cast steel balls: density 7.35-7.65 g/cm³, ball consumption per ton of raw ore is more than twice that of forged steel balls.
Application scenario selection
1,Applicable mill specifications
Forged steel balls: large mills with a diameter of 1.5-11m and above, especially steel balls with a diameter of more than 100mm.
Cast steel balls: small and medium-sized mills with a diameter of 1.5-3.8m.
2,Working condition adaptability
Forged steel balls: suitable for wet grinding (slurry environment), strong corrosion resistance.
Cast steel balls: suitable for dry grinding (cement production, etc.), good high temperature resistance.
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