Eutectoid steel, normalised

This steel is of the eutectoid composition. Once the temperature is lowered below the eutectoid temperature the steel becomes simultaneously supersaturated with both ferrite and cementite. A eutectoid transformation results (γ to α + Fe3C). The resultant microstructure, known as pearlite, comprises lamellae of cementite (dark) embedded in ferrite (white). The platelets are parallel to each other and do not follow a specific crystallographic direction