The answer to this question depends on (A) What type of metal you plan to cut and (B) How often/how much you plan to cut.

Carbon Steel blades can be used to cut the following: mild steels, aluminum, copper, brass, bronze, and other non ferrous metals. If you only plan to use your machine every now and again, or only have a few pieces to cut, a carbon steel blade will work just fine.

If you use your machine often and plan to cut a lot of material, we suggest using a bi-metal blade. The best way to describe a carbon steel blade is it is an economical band saw blade used for general purpose cutting.

They are used for general purpose cutting of a variety of easy to cut materials including:
• mild steels
• copper
• wood
• plastic
• cork
• brass
• furniture
• resawing
• bronze
• zinc
• fiberglass
• non ferrous metal

Carbon Flexback Blades – These bandsaw blades are made from a solid piece of carbon steel with a flexible back. Their teeth are heat treated to retain their sharp edge.

Carbon blades are a low cost alternative on easy to cut material. Carbon blades have an excellent fatigue factor to give long saw blade life on bandsaws running at high speed, cutting non-ferrous metal, and wood. Its flexible backer is also suitable for absorbing contour cutting stresses.