Decarburization is a change in the structure and content of steel in which some

of the carbon in the surface layer or layers of the steel is lost. In total
decarburization, the upper layer of the steel is composed primarily of ferrite
materials, while in partial decarburization, a mixture of materials may be
present. Microscopy can be used to identify carbon loss, and other testing
techniques are also available.
In some cases, decarburization may be deliberately accomplished. In other
instances, it's a byproduct of corrosion or poor handling techniques. Classically,
decarburization occurs when steel is heated in an environment where oxygen is
present, leading to oxidation and loss of carbon. As a result of decarburization,
the metal loses some of its strength and ductility, and it may develop cracks
which make it vulnerable to breaking. The surface of the steel may also become
scaly.
When decarburization is viewed as a defect, materials testing is used on steel to
confirm that the level of carbon loss is acceptable. If it is not, the steel will not be
used. Loss of carbon can make structural steel less stable, erode the
performance of steel tools, and cause a variety of other problems with
equipment made from steel. In some settings where it is deliberately desired,
testing can also be used to determine which level of decarburization has been
achieved.

Decarburization (or decarbonization) is the process opposite to carburization, namely the

reduction of carbon content.
The term is typically used in metallurgy, describing the reduction of the content of carbon in
metals (usually steel). Decarburization occurs when the metal is heated to temperatures of
700C or above when carbon in the metal reacts with gases containing oxygen or hydrogen.[1]
Decarburization can be either advantageous or detrimental, depending on the application for
which the metal will be used. It is thus both something that can be done intentionally as a step
in a manufacturing process, or something that happens as a side effect of a process (such as
rolling) and must be either prevented or later reversed (such as via a carburization step).
Chemical reactions[edit]

The most common reactions are:

also called the Boudouard reaction

Other reactions are[1]

Electrical steel

Electrical steel is one material that uses decarburization in its production. To prevent the
atmospheric gases from reacting with the metal itself, electrical steel is annealed in an
atmosphere of nitrogen, hydrogen, and water vapor, where oxidation of the iron is
specifically prevented by the proportions of hydrogen and water vapor so that the only
reacting substance is carbon being made into carbon monoxide.[1]
Stainless Steel

Because the components (like chromium and molybdenum) of some stainless steels are very
oxidizable, these steels can only be decarburized by reacting with dry hydrogen, which has no
water content, unlike wet hydrogen, which is produced in a way that includes some water and
can otherwise be used for decarburization.[1]
As a secondary effect

Incidental decarburization can be detrimental to surface properties in products (where carbon

content is desirable) when done during heat treatment or after rolling or forging, because the
material is only affected to a certain depth according to the temperature and duration of
heating.[1] This can be prevented by using an inert or negative pressure atmosphere, applying
resistive heating for a short duration, by limiting the time that material is under high heat as is
done in a walking beam furnace, or through restorative carburization which uses a
hydrocarbon atmosphere to transfer carbon into the surface of the material during annealing.
[1]
The decarburized surface material can also be removed using a grinding machine.[1]