Metal Glossary

Designed to be a quick reference guide for customers, the Cashmores glossary provides definitions of the latest metal industry terms.

Metal Glossary

Designed to be a quick reference guide for customers, the Cashmores glossary provides definitions of the latest metal industry terms.
  • Mean Diameter
    The sum of any two diameters at right angles divided by two.
  • Mean Wall Thickness
    For a tube this is the sum of four wall thickness measurements, made at 90o intervals around the diameter, divided by four.
  • Melt
    Cast, Heat
    These terms are used interchangeably to refer to the product of a single melting furnace charge. Sometimes the furnace contents are tapped into two or more ladles when the product of each ladle may be called a separate cast. It is always assumed that the chemical composition of an entire cast will be uniform. This is described as the “cast analysis” on a Certificate of Conformity etc.
  • Multi-Hole Die
    An extrusion die, with more than one hole, allowing multiple extrusions to be made simultaneously from one billet.