Without real alloy numbers, SAE designations, you are relying on the marketing departments to make the call. This will not be the last time word craft is used for a company's benefit. These words have a broad meaning to people and some will read into things what they hope for.


Steels use a number of elements to create the characteristics and cost they seek. Generally it's when an alloying element is added in a specific range of content (usually as in %) that the "new" alloy/steel gets a new designation. But some of an element might be present below the level to be called that next/new name. Enterprising ad men (and women) will use this to whatever advantage they can and still not get negative feedback.


An example of this was common during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Cro Moly (be it 4130 or 4140 or other) tubing decals were placed on the only tube that actually was "cro moly", the other tubes often being of lower cost steels. The consumer would see the decal and the spec list description of "cro moly frame" and assume that this meant all the tubes were what the decal said. Were the bike companies lying? Not really, but I sure had a number of customers who felt they were. after they were told of this practice.


Steels have been around for so many decades and have had so many people explore the possibilities of alloying that this stuff is pretty well figured out. Very few bike companies really describe their steel tubing with actual characteristics like elongation, Young's modulus, hardness. Instead they tend to use non specific terms as strength without further details. Remember many alloys of steel can vary their tensile strength with heat treating, for the better or worse and whether intended or as a result of the joining process. Andy