Which term describes steel with other elements added during refining?

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Alloy steel is steel with other elements added during refining. Introducing elements such as chromium, nickel, vanadium, molybdenum, or tungsten changes the steel’s microstructure to improve properties like strength, hardness, wear resistance, toughness, and corrosion resistance. This distinguishes alloy steel from plain carbon steel, which relies mainly on carbon content for its properties. Cast iron has a higher carbon content and is typically brittle; wrought iron contains very little carbon and is more ductile but weaker. The idea of “non-ferrous steel” isn’t a standard category because steel, by definition, contains iron. So the term that describes steel with other elements added during refining is alloy steel.