GENERAL STEEL INFORMATION

Steel products are divided into two major classifications.

Long Products, which include bars, shapes, wire and rod, have a geometry where thickness approaches width.

Flat Products generally have a ratio of width to thickness that is much greater than for long products. Most flat products start out as coils. Types of flat products include plate, sheet, and strip.

Plate products are classified as cut to length products greater than 0.230” thick. Heavy Gauge hot rolled sheet steels are available up to 1 inch thick in coils only.

Sheet and strip come in coils and cut lengths and may be hot rolled, cold rolled (sheet or strip), or coated. All are available as High Strength Low Alloy.

AVAILABLE STEEL GRADES
A variety of industry specifications exist that describe the myriad of steel grades available in sheet and strip form. General categories for plain carbon and alloy steel grades include the following:

• 10xx series … plain carbon steel (carbon contents less then 1.03%)
• 15xx series … plain carbon, high manganese carbon steels
• 40xx series … molybdenum-based alloy steels
• 41xx series … chromium & molybdenum based alloy steels
• 43xx series … high-nickel, chromium & molybdenum-based alloy steels
• 46xx series … high-nickel & molybdenum-based alloy steels
• 5xxx series … chromium-based alloy steels
• 6xxx series … chromium & vanadium based alloy steels
• 8xxx series … nickel, chromium & molybdenum-based alloy steels
• 9xxx series … high-silicon & chromium-based alloy steels