Composition, Application and Distribution of High-Yield Steel Plate Products

Andy Adams, Business Development Manager at Masteel (UK), talks to AZoM about the composition, application and distribution of high-yield steel plate products.

Can you provide a summary of Masteel UK and your product range?

Masteel UK Limited is a leading independent stockholder, profiler and distributor of high quality steel plate products. Established in 2002 the company has built a reputation for responsiveness, professionalism and the ability to deliver complex and comprehensive steel solutions to our clients.

We specialise in the supply of High Strength Low Alloy Steels, Boiler Plate Steels, Pressure Vessel Steels, (including Hydrogen Induced Cracking (HIC Resistant Steels), and High Temperature Chrome Molybdenum steels to fabricators, oil & gas companies and engineering companies globally.

What are the main application areas for your steels and where is this material distributed based on demand?

Masteel supply high yield steels for many different applications for industries including Mining, Heavy Transporters, Steel Structures, Mobile Crane and Lifting Equipment manufacture. High Yield steels are designed to work under incredible load stresses.

Steels of this type are also supplied as special grades to the offshore industry. Masteel distribute these steels throughout the UK and increasingly to a global client base.

What are the testing requirements for your products?

Our products are tested by the producing Mill in full compliance with the material specification including Chemical Analysis, Tensile Test and Impact Test. All testing is documented on Certification from the producing Mill in accordance with EN10204 3.1.

Masteel offer additional Laboratory testing and in House Ultrasonic Testing as required by our clients on all our stock plates.

Can you describe the main characteristics of your high strength, low alloy material that makes it cost effective for your buyers?

Masteel's range of high strength low alloy steels are engineered to promote excellent strength and toughness which in turn provide an extremely cost effective option for buyers. In many cases, the use of HSLA steel will reduce the volume of material required in a project without compromising the quality and safety of the installation, because it allows the customer to reduce the material thickness.

Can you describe the benefits of using high strength steel?

The following benefits are applicable to the application of high strength steel:

• Reduces the purchasing volume
• Reduces costs for transport and assembly
• Reduced costs during further processing, especially in welding
• Less filler material is required
• Less welding time in fabrication
• Less expense for weld checking.

Are the target manufacturers expanding the product range?

Originally, high strength steels were limited to quenched and tempered products.

In recent years steel manufacturers have started to produce High Strength low alloys steels by Thermo mechanically rolling steels on either the plate or coil mills. This development has many benefits to both the manufacturer and client.

Fine grain materials can be produced therefore lowering CEV’s, improving weldability, strength and toughness. There is a better surface finish due to the thin homogeneous scale.

Throughput on the mill is much higher with not having a quench and temper process.

The development of these High Strength Low Alloy steels has seen an increase in material strengths of up to 1100 N/mm yield strengths.

What grades of high yield material is Masteel able to supply?

From our UK stock range we are able to offer S690QL and S700MC; however, from our Western European supply partners we can offer a much wider range of High Yield Material including S1100QL up to and including S690QL.

Are there any quality approval and certification issues with distributing your high yield material globally?

Masteel operates a Quality Management System certified to ISO 9001. All of our steel products are supplied with minimum certification by the producing Mill to EN10204 3.1. All of our supplying Mills are Western European, ISO 9001 certified and approved to CE mark products in accordance with the European Construction Projects Directive.

Where can we find further information? 

Further information on our High Yield Materials can be found on our website. By following this link you will be able to see all the specific grades we are able to supply and also a Chemical and Mechanical analysis can be found for our supply range.

About Andy Adams

Andy Adams is an Engineering Graduate with 30 years of experience in materials supply, distribution and manufacture.

Initially his career started in the manufacture of electrical generating equipment, moving into material manufacture and distribution in the early 90’s.

Currently, Andy is Business Development Manager at Masteel and develops the supply of new brands and processes for Masteel (UK) Ltd to market.