• Steel comes in a variety of finishes.steel balls image by Igor Shootov from Fotolia.com
  
  Steel comes in many forms besides hot or cold rolled bar stock. For particular applications where only the smallest tolerances are accepted, partly finished steel is the only acceptable material. This type of steel comes in turned, ground or polished form and each is used for a special application where the unique finish is worth the added cost.
  
  

Turned Steel

• Turned or machined steel is created when steel stock is machined using a lathe or mill. This machining forms a steel with a very precise dimension. Turning steel has also been shown to change the surface properties of special alloys of steel. This surface change creates a steel that is harder than non-machined steel.
  
  

Ground Steel

• Ground steel is steel that is ground using different sanding or stone grinding techniques. These steels have a dramatic range of finishes. Steel directly from the mill is often ground to remove surface scale, or oxidization, from the stock. The grinding may also be very fine, producing very clean and flat steel stock.
  
  

Polished

• Polished steel takes grinding to the finest finish level possible. It possesses a very high luster. Polished steel is typically a cosmetic process but it also produces steel that is very clean and appropriate for plating with different metals.