A SAE 1020 tube has a low hardness and tensile strength. Brinell hardness ranges between 119 and 235, while tensile strength ranges from 410 MPa to 790 MPa for SAE 1020 Tubes. Even though SAE 1020 Tubes lack some of the characteristics of conventional carbon steel grades, they possess important characteristics such as high strength, high machinability, high ductility, and good weldability. As a result of its low carbon content, the pipe is resistant to flame hardening or induction hardening.

SAE 1020 Tubes are primarily composed of carbon and iron with trace amounts of manganese, phosphorus, and sulphur. Heat analysis is used to determine the percentage of elements in SAE 1020 Tubes. The absence of elements in low alloyed steel grades, such as SAE 1020 Tubes, makes them unresponsive to adverse situations such as nitriding. 

It is possible to achieve a hardness value of more than Rc65 by carburizing the alloy. Despite the fact that the core strength of A519 cold drawn seamless tubing remains the same as in the supplied condition. Furthermore, the use of a nitriding treatment could provide certain advantages over conventional carburizing.

In general, SAE 1020 Tubes are used in all automated sectors to enhance properties such as weldability and machinability. SAE 1020 Tubes are well suited for mechanical applications and are often coated with oil to improve corrosion resistance. Either strand-cast or ingot-cast SAE 1020 tubes are available.

A SAE 1020 tube can be round, square or rectangular, hot finished, cold worked, rough turned or ground. Nominal bore sizes range from 5NB to 300NB. SAE 1020 Tubes are used in petroleum, petrochemical, oil and gas, heat exchanger, boiler, and other high temperature and structural applications.

With most traditional methods, the material can be welded without adding filler material. A519 cold drawn seamless tubing does not require preheating or postweld heat treatment.  Additionally, these pipes are self-cleaning and non-clogging. As a result, they require no maintenance. Its lightweight and high strength make it ideal for structural applications.