Bulk Steel Wool Sales

Common uses for steel wool

Steel wool is commonly used by woodworkers, metal craftsmen and jewellers to clean and smooth working surfaces and give them shine. However, when used on oak, remaining traces of iron may react with tannins in the wood to produce blue or black iron stain, and when used on aluminium, brass or other non-ferrous metal surfaces it may cause after-rust which will dull and discolour the surface. Bronze wool and stainless steel wool will not cause these undesirable effects.

Steel wool is often used for professional cleaning processes on glass and porcelain because it is softer than those materials and is able to scrape off deposits without scratching the underlying surface like common abrasives. In many countries, soap-impregnated steel wool pads were sold under various trade names for household cleaning, although those products sometimes no longer contain steel wool.

Other applications

Another use for steel wool is in rodent control. Small holes are plugged with coarse grade steel wool, which, if gnawed on by rodents, causes extreme pain in the mouth and, if ingested, severe internal damage which may lead to death.

When steel wool is heated or allowed to rust, it increases in mass due to the combination of oxygen with iron — a property that makes it useful in chemistry demonstrations and certain industrial processes.

SMI supplies bulk steel wool to retailers, cleaning-product manufacturers, hospitality groups, pest-control specialists and industrial customers across South Africa — in pad, roll and reel formats and in any grade required.