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Just found out rebar has 3 different strength grades and my whole life is a lie
Was looking up something about driveway mesh and fell down a rabbit hole. Turns out the rebar I been using for gate hinges and small brackets is only grade 40, but the stuff they use in foundations is grade 60 plus. I've been forging with the cheap stuff for 2 years and now I'm wondering if my garden gate is secretly rated for a tank. The tensile difference is like 20,000 psi which is wild when you think about it. Anybody else ever check what their scrap pile was actually rated for?
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gavincampbell29d ago
Did you know the grade numbers actually mean yield strength in thousands of psi, so grade 40 is 40,000 psi and grade 60 is 60,000 psi? That gap you noticed gets even bigger when you look at the actual break point, because the higher grades take way more pull before they snap. The catch with grade 60 is that it often has more carbon in it, which can make it harder to bend and weld without cracking. So your gate probably is not secretly tank rated, but it also is not as weak as you might fear. If you are forging hinges and brackets, the grade 40 stuff is honestly fine for most home projects, and it bends easier too. Just keep an eye on any scrap you pull from a job site, because some of it could be rebar that was already stressed or bent and you never know what it has been through.
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