Cold rolled steel is a mill product produced from a hot-rolled pickled coil that has experienced substantial cold reduction at room temperature. The usual end product is characterized by improved surface, greater uniformity in thickness, and improved mechanical properties as compared with hot-rolled sheet. This occurs when the metal below its re-crystallization temperature, which increases the strength via strain hardening up to 20%.
Steel is a variant of iron that has minute amounts of carbon added to it. Steel alloys may also add other elements, such as chrome or nickel, to produce specific characteristics. One method of preparing steel for market is called cold rolling.