2090 – 10 – Understanding Normalizing

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Annealing and normalizing share procedural similarities. They both require metal to produce austenite, but their processes begin to differ as metal cools. Normalizing is much faster paced than annealing. Manufacturers achieve this pace by keeping the metal in open air at room temperature. Because this process occurs so much more quickly, normalized metal has distinct surface and interior characteristics.
Normalizing creates a finer pearlite when compared to annealing which can be stronger, harder, and less ductile but more difficult to machine. Picking annealing or normalizing is dependent on the properties needed for the steel.