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Scaling- the oxidation of a metal at high temperature, causing heavy layers of oxides on the surface of the metal.

Scrap-material discarded as unusable, but suitable for reprocessing by re-melting.

Shearing- a cutting process, also know as guillotining, whereby the metal is cut by a moving blade, or pair of blades.

Sheet- a flat-rolled product generally below 4mm in thickness.

Shot Blasting- a process of cleaning and descaling metal by propelling, sand, steel grit or other abrasive material at the object using air pressure or centrifugal force.

Silicon- Chemical Symbol Si, Silicon is a non-metallic element, most abundant in the earths crust after oxygen.  As an alloying element it acts a deoxidiser, and improves tensile strength.

Slab- a form of material between ingot and plate, typically double the thickness in width.

Slag- a vitreous non-metallic product resulting from the smelting of a metallic ore.

Solution Heat Treatment- the process where by a metal is heated to a suitable temperature, sustained sufficiently long to allow certain constituents to enter into solid solution, then cooled quickly to allow the constituents to remain in solid solution.

Specific Gravity- density of a substance in relation to the density of water.

Spot Welding- process whereby several small areas are welded between the two pieces to be welded together.

Stainless Steel- a generic term to describe a wide variety of corrosion resistant materials, containing high levels of chromium.

Strain- deformation on a material caused by an outside force.

Stress- Force per unit area. True stress denotes stress determined by measuring force and area at the same time. Conventional stress, as applied to tension and compression tests, is force divided by original area.

Stress Corrosion Cracking- material failure by cracking, induced by a combination of stress and corrosion. 

Sulphur- Chemical Symbol S, a non-metallic element, a pale yellow brittle solid.  As an alloying element it increases machinability, but can be detrimental to hot forming properties.

Super Alloys- alloys developed for service in high temperature where high stresses are encountered and materials with good oxidation resistance is required.

Surface Hardening- a process incorporating a variety of techniques, to improve wear resistance of material without effecting the interior properties.

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