SSAB Form Tube Zero exceeding requirements of premium furniture applications

Long collaboration means a partnership – not just an account

SSAB and Ekornes AS in Sykkylven, Norway, have a long and well-established history in the precision steel tube business. The collaboration started already in the 1980s and has continued ever since. Over the decades, there have been both ups and downs driven by market fluctuations. However, one thing has remained constant; both parties have consistently benefited from the cooperation and grown stronger together.

Throughout the years, the collaboration has extended beyond sales to all levels of the organizations – from production and technical support to marketing. In challenging situations, after-sales support has played an important role in ensuring customer satisfaction. SSAB provides tubes as cut-to-length, a process carried out at Tibnor in Hyvinkää using state-of-the-art cutting machinery that ensures high quality and tight tolerances.

“The long-term cooperation with Ekornes is a great example of how close partnerships enable continuous improvements in both product quality and service level,” says Outi Wiik, Sales Manager, SSAB Tubular Products.

“From our perspective, SSAB has proven to be a reliable and forward-looking partner, contributing significantly to both product performance and sustainability improvements,” says Jan Kåre Alvestad, Sourcing Director at Ekornes.

SSAB Form Tube 220 Zero journey from scrap to value-adding product

Ekornes is a manufacturer of premium furniture products, such as Stressless® lounge chairs and sofas. These products combine a variety of materials, where precision steel tubes form the structural backbone.

SSAB Form Tube 220 with cold-rolled surface is used in a wide range of sizes, typically round 16x1.5 mm or 20x2.0 mm, but also in larger dimensions up to 76 mm in diameter.
The journey of SSAB Zero™ tubes starts in the electric arc furnace (EAF), where recycled steel is melted and refined for new use. On average, the material consists of 98% recycled steel and only 2% virgin alloying elements. The SSAB Zero™ steel slabs are first hot-rolled, then pickled and cold-rolled to the desired thickness. Before tube forming, the full-width coils are annealed to retain the mechanical properties of the steel and then slit into narrower strips.

Hämeenlinna Tube Works transforms the steel strips into round tubes using a sophisticated and fully automated cold-forming process, primarily on production line H3, which was commissioned in the early 2020s. The finished tube bundles are then shipped in mill lengths to Tibnor, where they are cut to final length and packaged for shipment.

At Tibnor, each tube is carefully cleaned after the cutting process to remove residual particles. All lengths are packed on individual pallets and protected with corrosion-inhibiting VCI paper. The finished products are then shipped to Ekornes’ facilities on the west coast of Norway.

SSAB Form Tube 220 Zero is subject to demanding customer requirements, both in tube manufacturing and further processing. These include strict specifications on straightness, packaging, and the scarfing of the inner weld seam.

“From a technical perspective, SSAB Zero™ tubes meet the same high standards as conventional materials, while significantly reducing the carbon footprint,” says Anders Klang, Technical Development Manager, SSAB Tubular Products.

Stressless® lounge chairs made of SSAB Zero™ steel

Thanks to the high recycled content of SSAB Form Tube Zero, only a fraction of CO₂ emissions is generated compared to conventional blast furnace-based production routes. In practice, the base material generates no fossil carbon emissions in operations, including purchased energy (Scope 1–2 and internal transport between SSAB sites).

In tube manufacturing, emissions are primarily related to processing and the tube mill itself, resulting in approximately 0.76 kg CO₂e per kg of manufactured precision steel tubes (GWP total, A1–A3, according to EN 15804). This compares favourably to conventional blast furnace routes, where emission levels can reach approximately 2.47 kg CO₂e per kg.

“SSAB Zero™ enables our customers to significantly reduce emissions without compromising on quality or performance, which is a key driver across multiple industries today,” says Antti Markkula, Head of Product Management, SSAB Tubular Products.

Production validation at Ekornes

Stressless® lounge chairs consist of several materials, including steel, wood, foam, and various surface finishes. The precision steel tube frame serves as the backbone of the chair and is exposed to demanding bending operations.

Extensive bending tests were carried out at Ekornes in November 2025 using fully automated 3D bending robots. The results confirmed that SSAB Zero™ tubes perform in line with conventional materials, with no deviations observed in quality or processing.

“The bending tests confirmed that SSAB Zero™ tubes perform in line with our existing materials, with no negative impact on production efficiency or product quality,” says Jan Kato Klokk, Production Manager, Ekornes AS.

“This collaboration clearly demonstrates that sustainability and performance can go hand in hand,” summarize Antti Markkula and Jan Kato Klokk.

Closing remarks

“We have several decades of experience working with precision steel tubes. This provides us with a strong foundation for evaluating durability across demanding applications,” Antti Markkula summarizes the successful production trials of SSAB Form Tube 220 Zero.

“At the same time, this cooperation supports our ambition to reduce the climate footprint of our products without compromising quality,” concludes Jan Kåre Alvestad.

More information

More information on SSAB tubular products and precision tube alternatives is available at:
https://www.ssab.com/tubular