From ASM Handbook Volume 1 Properties and Selection: Irons, Steels, and High Performance Alloys:
Killed steels are fully deoxidized during their manufacture; deoxidation can be accomplished by additions of silicon, aluminum, or both, or by vacuum treatment of the molten steel. Because it is the least costly of these methods, silicon deoxidation is frequently used. For silicon-killed steels, a range of 0.15 to 0.30% Si is often specified, providing the manufacturer with adequate flexibility to compensate for variations in the steelmaking process and ensuring a steel acceptable for most applications. Aluminum-killed or vacuum-deoxidized steels require no silicon; a requirement for minimum silicon content in such steel is unnecessary. A maximum permissible silicon content is appropriate for all killed plain carbon steels; a minimum silicon content implies a restriction that the steel must be silicon killed.
Regards,
Cory
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