Grades of cold-rolled products

Cold Rolled Product Grades

Cold rolled products are produced by cold rolling, which is a process that involves both pressing and rolling the steel to obtain products of a desired shape, thickness, and form. Cold rolled products can come in the forms of sheets, coils, and strips. There are several different grades of cold rolled products, based on the chemical composition, steel type, and other characteristics.

Low Carbon Steel Grades

Low carbon steels generally contain less than 0.25% carbon content. This type of steel is relatively soft, and is commonly used to manufacture electrical insulation and protective coating. Common low carbon steel grades dubbed as ‘Drawing’ steels include 1006, 1010, and 1012. These grades are particularly suited for drawing, deep drawing, and bending applications.

High Carbon Steel Grades

High carbon steel usually contains higher levels of carbon, up to 0.9 % or 1.0 %. This steel is much harder than low carbon steels and can be used to produce strong springs and components requiring higher levels of hardness. Common grades of high carbon steel include 1045, 1050, and 1060.

High Strength Low Alloy Steels

High Strength Low Alloy (HSLA) steels are designed with greater strength compared to other carbon steels, while producing cold-formed products that range from 1.6mm to 20mm in thickness. This type of steel is commonly used for structural, automotive, and oil and gas applications. Common HSLA grades used for cold rolled products include DX51D and DX57D.

Stainless Steel Grades

Stainless Steel grades are divided into either ferritic or austenitic grades. Ferritic grades are high chromium steels, while austenitic grades possess more nickel content. Cold rolled stainless steel is commonly used for kitchen utensils and appliances, lubricants and oil filters, and medical instruments and equipment. Common cold rolled stainless steel grades include 304, 321, and 410.

EF/ES and Commercial Quality Grades

Gauges in sheet or coil formats fall within the EF/ES and commercial quality categories, where they represent steel that is exposed to low levels of strength and impact. Commonly used grades of EF/ES and commercial quality steel products include DX54D and DX56D, as well as other grades within the range.

Galvannealed Steel Grades

Galvannealed steel is a type of cold rolled product that is coated with zinc. This type of steel is designed to have greater paint adhesion to prevent corrosion of the steel. Common galvannealed steel grades include DX54D and SS220D.

With a wide range of cold rolled steel grades available, the performance characteristics of each grade can vary greatly. By properly evaluating the chemical composition, steel type, form, and application purpose of the product, the appropriate grade of cold rolled steel can be chosen.

Cold rolled products, also called cold heading, are made by rolling or drawing cold rolled coils into required double line plates. Cold rolled products are characterized by excellent workability and homogeneity, as well as good surface finish and freedom from internal and external defects. The variety of cold-rolled products makes it possible to meet the requirements of different areas.

Cold rolled products are divided into galvanized steel sheets, cold-rolled ribbons, tin plates, colored sheets, electrical steel sheets and special-shaped steel, etc. According to the rolling process, it can be divided into pickled cold rolled, hot dip galvanized cold rolled, and cold-rolled tin. According to different markets and applications, the specifications of cold rolled products are also different. They usually refer to different brand symbols (such as 07, 08, 09 and 10 gauges) according to their different thicknesses.

The hot dip galvanized cold roll product is divided into common, structural, deep-drawing and high-performance grades according to its quality, which is usually referred to as SGCC (Japans commercial grade DC53D). Structural steel is usually referred to as SGCD or DX54D, deep-drawing grade steel is usually referred to as SGCED or DX58D, and high-performance grade steel is usually referred to as SGCFE or DX54D+. The thickness of galvanized steel sheet is 0.14-3.5mm (including 0.14-1.0mm for general steel, 1.0-3.5mm for structural grade).

Cold-rolled ribbons, also known as cold-rolled coils, are usually referred to as SPCC (Japan commercial grade). The thinner plates are collectively called

S08ALI (Japan commercial grade). They are divided into common grades (SPCC), drawing grades (SPCD) and deep drawing grades (SPCE). The thickness is 0.3-3.5mm.

The thing plate (for short, the rolling plate) is usually referred to as SPTE. It is divided into grades T2.5, T2.8 and T3. The thickness is 0.1-0.35mm.

The electric steel sheet is usually referred to as GIF. It is divided into three grades, CRGO, CRNGO and CRGL. The thickness is 0.07-1.5mm.

Colored steel sheets are usually referred to as colored steel plates. They are divided into 3YY, 4YB and 5Y. The thickness is 0.2-0.6mm.

The special-shaped steel (commonly known as stamped steel) is divided into common, deep-drawing and high-performance grades. It is usually referred to as “SGC510”. The thickness is 0.2-4.0mm.