Steel

Normalized fine-grain structural steel — ReH >=420 MPa with Charpy at -20°C (KV >=27J). Between S355N and S460N. Fine grain from Al/Nb/V micro-alloying + normalizing. Used for bridges, crane structures, pressure vessels, and heavy structural applications where TM-rolling (ML grades) is not available or where normalizing is required by code.

High-strength normalized fine-grain structural steel. 420 MPa yield with -50°C impact toughness. Between S355NL and S460NL in the strength ladder. Used for bridges, crane structures, pressure vessels, and structural components in cold environments.

Higher-strength structural steel with 450 MPa yield, 0°C impact. Bridges the gap between S355 and S460 in the EN 10025-2 series. Used for heavily loaded structures, crane components, and building steelwork where S355 is insufficient but normalized fine-grain (EN 10025-3) is not required.

HSLA hot-rolled steel for cold forming. Between S420MC and S500MC in the EN 10149-2 strength ladder. Thermomechanically rolled for fine grain + good formability at 460 MPa yield. Used for crane booms, truck chassis, heavy agricultural equipment, and load-bearing cold-formed structures.

Thermomechanically rolled fine-grain structural steel — ReH >=460 MPa with Charpy at -50°C (KV >=27J). TM rolling = fine grain without normalizing = higher strength at lower CEV = better weldability than S460N. Used for offshore jackets, heavy crane booms, bridges in cold climates, and large welded structures needing high strength + low-temp toughness.

Highest-strength normalized fine-grain structural steel in EN 10025-3. YS 460 MPa with guaranteed weldability and impact toughness. Used for heavy crane structures, offshore platforms, bridges, and any high-load structure where normalized delivery is required.

High-strength normalized fine-grain structural steel with 460 MPa yield and impact testing at -50°C. The highest-strength grade in the EN 10025-3 normalized series. Used for offshore platforms, wind turbine towers, arctic bridges, cranes, and heavy steel structures in cold climates.

High-strength low-alloy (HSLA) hot-rolled steel for cold forming. Thermomechanically rolled for fine grain structure. 500 MPa yield strength with excellent cold formability. Used for automotive chassis, truck frames, crane booms, and agricultural equipment.

High-strength quenched and tempered structural steel — YS 690 MPa min. Part of EN 10025-6 series (S500Q to S960Q). Good weldability despite high strength (CEV controlled). Used for mobile cranes, mining equipment, truck chassis, bridge components, and any structure where weight reduction through higher strength is critical. "Q" = quenched, "L" variants add low-temp impact.

High-strength quenched and tempered fine-grain structural steel with minimum yield strength of 690 MPa. Used for heavily loaded structures like mobile cranes, mining equipment, bridges, and pressure vessels.

Shock-resistant tool steel with excellent toughness at high hardness. Air or oil hardening. Used for chisels, shear blades, punches, rivet sets, and any tooling subjected to heavy impact loading. The primary S-type tool steel in AISI classification.

The highest-strength grade in the EN 10149-2 HSLA series. 700 MPa yield with good cold formability. TMCP for ultra-fine grain structure. Used for telescopic cranes, truck frame rails, dirt-moving equipment, farm equipment, and any application requiring maximum weight reduction in cold-formed steel.

Ultra-high-strength quenched structural steel — YS 960 MPa min. Near the top of EN 10025-6 range. Approaches tool-steel-level strength while remaining weldable (with strict preheat/interpass control). Used for the most weight-critical structural applications: mobile crane booms, mining equipment, military vehicles, and specialty trailer chassis. Significantly reduces section thickness vs S355.

Super duplex stainless steel with PREN >40. Superior corrosion resistance to standard 2205 duplex, especially in chloride and H₂S environments. Used for subsea pipelines, offshore platform components, desalination plants, and chemical processing equipment.

Japanese martensitic stainless steel — the higher-carbon variant of the 420 family (C 0.26-0.40%). Achieves HRC 50-55 after heat treatment. Very good corrosion resistance for a martensitic grade. THE budget knife/cutlery steel worldwide. Also used for surgical instruments, haircutting scissors, and industrial blades. ≈ EN X30Cr13 (1.4028) / Chinese 3Cr13.

Powder metallurgy cold work tool steel by Uddeholm. C 1.4%, Cr 4.7%, Mo 3.5%, V 3.7%. Extremely uniform carbide distribution. Hardness 58–64 HRC. Combines high wear resistance with very good toughness — a PM advantage over D2. Applications: fine blanking, cold forming, powder compacting, food industry knives, plastic injection molds with abrasive fillers.

The simplest and cheapest tool steel — plain high-carbon steel with no significant alloy additions. Water-hardening with shallow hardening depth. Used for cold chisels, center punches, hand tools, scribers, woodworking tools, and simple cutting tools where only the surface needs to be hard.

Air-hardening medium-alloy cold work tool steel, known as AISI A2. 5% Cr provides good through-hardening and excellent dimensional stability during heat treatment — minimal distortion compared to oil-hardening grades. Hardened to 57–62 HRC. Good combination of wear resistance and toughness — tougher than D2 (1.2379) at similar hardness. Used for blanking dies, trimming dies, forming tools, gauges, shear blades, coining tools and precision components requiring minimal distortion.

High-chromium ferritic stainless steel (23–26% Cr) with aluminum (1.2–1.7%) and silicon (0.7–1.4%) additions for maximum scaling resistance up to 1150°C. The highest oxidation resistance among ferritic stainless steels. Non-hardenable. Resistant to sulfur compounds and reducing gases. Used for furnace linings, kiln rollers, burner parts, thermocouple protection tubes, steam boiler superheater elements, and extreme-temperature components. Equivalent to AISI 446.

High-chromium creep-resistant martensitic steel equivalent to ASTM Grade 91 (P91/T91/F91). V and Nb additions with controlled N provide exceptional creep rupture strength at temperatures up to 580°C. The foundation steel of modern ultra-supercritical (USC) power plants worldwide. Used for main steam pipes, boiler headers, superheater tubes, and high-temperature pressure components in fossil and nuclear power generation.

Work-hardening austenitic stainless — AISI 301. Higher C (0.05-0.15%) than 301LN enables extreme cold-work strengthening to UTS 1300+ MPa in full-hard temper. THE spring-temper stainless: used for flat springs, retaining clips, conveyor belts, automotive structural parts, and rail car body panels. Corrosion resistance similar to 304 in annealed state.

Advanced creep-resistant martensitic steel equivalent to ASTM Grade 92 (P92/T92/F92). Improved version of P91 with 1.5-2.0% tungsten addition for 25-30% higher creep rupture strength. Currently the strongest commercially available steam pipe steel. Enables ultra-supercritical power plant operation up to 300 bar / 600°C. Used for main steam pipes, headers, and pressure components in the most advanced fossil power plants worldwide.

Basic martensitic stainless steel with 12% chromium — the DIN/EN designation for AISI 410. Heat-treatable to a wide range of mechanical properties from soft-annealed (≤730 MPa) to quenched and tempered (650–850 MPa in QT650). Good scaling resistance up to 650°C. Used for cutlery, surgical instruments, turbine blades, shafts, bolts, valve components, and pump parts. Machinability similar to carbon steels at same hardness.

Free-cutting ferritic stainless — AISI 430F equivalent. S 0.15-0.35% + Mo 0.2-0.5% for machinability and slight improvement in pitting resistance. THE ferritic Automatenstahl for CNC screw machines. Used for screws, nuts, bushings, fittings, and automotive components where ferritische Korrosionsbeständigkeit with machinability is needed. Magnetic, not weldable.