The description ‘structural steel’ usually applies to a ductile cold-forming steel with yield strengths from around 350 MPa up to 1300 MPa. Steels with higher yield strengths – typically starting at around 600 MPa – are often called advanced high-strength steel (AHSS).
High-strength steel can be used in thinner dimensions than mild steel and still make the equipment stronger. Bending and welding the steel into a hollow rectangular beam, for example, will give the component a high strength-to-weight ratio.
Reduced thickness makes structural steel components lighter. By upgrading a crane boom from a 650 MPa steel to a 1300MPa steel, new design opportunities open up. A crane boom’s strength can, for example, be increased by 70% for higher lifting capacity while the amount of material required to build the boom is reduced by 40%.
Upgrading to stronger and thinner steel increases payload and saves fuel in operation. This reduces the equipment’s carbon footprint. When manufacturing, less steel needs to be handled and welding is faster and requires less filler material for more cost- and resource-efficient production.
The advantages of using high-strength structural steel
High-strength steel can be used in thinner dimensions than mild steel and still make the equipment stronger. Bending and welding the steel into a hollow rectangular beam, for example, will give the component a high strength-to-weight ratio.
Reduced thickness makes structural steel components lighter. By upgrading a crane boom from a 650 MPa steel to a 1300MPa steel, new design opportunities open up. A crane boom’s strength can, for example, be increased by 70% for higher lifting capacity while the amount of material required to build the boom is reduced by 40%.
Upgrading to stronger and thinner steel increases payload and saves fuel in operation. This reduces the equipment’s carbon footprint. When manufacturing, less steel needs to be handled and welding is faster and requires less filler material for more cost- and resource-efficient production.
Structural steel comes in different shapes
- Hot rolled plate
- Hot rolled strip
- Cold rolled strip
- Metal coated
- Tubes and sections
Where high-strength structural steel is used
High-strength structural steel is a highly multi-purpose material. It is used for steel structures that benefit from the high strength and ductility that characterize this type of steel. It also has high toughness, as measured by a Charpy impact test. This steel has properties that follow common standards such as ASTM A1011, ASTM A1018, ASTM A514, EN 10149 and EN 10025.
In construction machinery it is used for vehicle frames and other load-bearing parts. In heavy transport, structural steel is commonly used for chassis beams and crossmembers, utilizing the steel’s strength to reduce a truck’s total weight and fuel consumption.
The lifting industry relies on structural steel to make high-performing mobile and loader cranes. Crane booms can carry more load and reach higher when made with strong steel in thinner dimensions.
Agricultural equipment also benefits from the use of high-strength structural steel. Strong and light equipment has greater loading capacity and is gentler on the soil when moved empty. Wider reach allows it to cover more ground with fewer passes, increasing the farmers’ productivity.
Cars and truck body manufacturers are always looking to reduce weight while at the same time improving vehicle safety. This is an area where ultra-high-strength steel (UHSS) is becoming more and more common.
Strenx® performance steel for stronger and lighter equipment
Strenx® performance steel is one of the world’s widest ranges of structural steels in terms of strength and dimensional range. It’s available with yield strengths from 600 to 1300 MPa.
Aerial lift trucks take to the sky with Strenx® steel
Horyong aerial lift trucks reach new heights with Strenx® high-strength steel, with the quality, safety, and durability that customers want.
Cold stamping 1500 and 1700 MPa automotive steels
Japanese car OEMs and their Tiers 1s are now cold stamping some body-in-white auto parts made from 1.5 GPa steels.
Other structural steels from SSAB
Docol® steel is specialized for automotive applications
Strong and light applications in Docol® AHSS and UHSS help vehicle designers and manufacturers to reduce CO₂ emissions, lower costs and ensure safety.
SSAB Laser® stays straight when cutting
SSAB Laser® is an advanced high-strength structural steel for laser cutting, with guaranteed maximum flatness deviation of 3.0 mm/m, both before and after laser cutting.
SSAB Domex® is optimized for versatility
SSAB Domex® is a wide range of versatile structural steels at 220-550 MPa that deliver excellent cold forming, machining, and welding performance.
SSAB Multisteel covers the 355 MPa range
SSAB Multisteel is a structural steel which conforms to a number of European and US structural, shipbuilding and pressure vessel standards for 355 MPa steels.