Steel grades have a steel name and a material number. Reading both quickly shows whether two details mean the same grade and which properties to expect.
Steel name and material number
To EN 10027-1, the steel name describes use or composition. In S355J2, S stands for structural steel, 355 for the minimum yield strength in megapascals and J2 for an impact energy of 27 joules at minus 20 degrees. C45 is a non-alloy steel with about 0.45 percent carbon. In 42CrMo4, 42 stands for 0.42 percent carbon and Cr and Mo for the alloying elements chromium and molybdenum.
To EN 10027-2, every grade also has a material number, for example 1.0577 for S355J2 or 1.4301 for a stainless chromium-nickel steel. The first digit 1 stands for steel. The material number often helps with older drawings whose steel names are no longer in use.
What a request for steel should contain
- steel grade as steel name or material number
- product form and dimensions
- delivery condition, for example normalised or quenched and tempered
- required inspection certificate
- quantity in pieces, metres or tonnes
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