European Standard Designation Systems for Steel Names
1. Designation & Meaning of Structural Steel Names
- The first letter indicates the type of steel,
- The following digits indicates the yield strength MPa;
- The 2 symbols immediately after the yield strength value indicate the quality grade of the steel;
- The symbols immediately after the quality grade indicate characteristic/uses or treatment, and
- finally a plus sign (+) and a symbol indicate delivery/treatment conditions, coatings or special requirements.
For example,
S235JRC+C Meaning:
- “S” is the abbreviation for Structural steel.
- “235” refers to the yield strength in MPa.
- J indicates Joules (27 J)
- R is the abbreviation for Room temperature (20 °C).
- C means special cold forming (cold flanging, cold roll forming or cold drawing).
- “+C” indicates cold work hardened.
S235JRC+C Meaning: Structural steel (S) with a specified minimum yield strength 235 MPa at room temperature, minimum impact energy 27 J at room temperature 20 °C (JR), suitable for cold flanging (C), delivery condition +C (cold work hardened).
S355J2W Meaning: Structural steel (S) with a specified yield strength ≥355 MPa at room temperature, impact energy ≥27 J at -20 °C (J2), and is weather resistant (W).
S355MC Meaning: Structural steel (S), thermomechanically rolled (M), with a specified minimum yield strength at room temperature of 355 MPa (355) and suitable for cold forming (C).
Basic constituent symbols indicating the quality grades of structural steel | |
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Symbol/Number | Meaning |
S | Structural steel |
235 | Yield strength: 235 MPa |
JR | Joules (27J) at Room temperature (+20°C) |
J0 | Joules (27J) at 0°C |
J2 | Joules (27J) at -20 °C |
J3 | Joules (27J) at -30 °C |
J4 | Joules (27J) at -40 °C |
J5 | Joules (27J) at -50 °C |
J6 | Joules (27J) at -60 °C |
KR | Joules (40J) at Room temperature (+20°C) |
K0 | Joules (40J) at 0°C |
K2 | Joules (40J) at -20 °C |
K3 | Joules (40J) at -30 °C |
K4 | Joules (40J) at -40 °C |
K5 | Joules (40J) at -50 °C |
K6 | Joules (40J) at -60 °C |
LR | Joules (60J) at Room temperature (+20°C) |
L0 | Joules (60J) at 0°C |
L2 | Joules (60J) at -20 °C |
L3 | Joules (60J) at -30 °C |
L4 | Joules (60J) at -40 °C |
L5 | Joules (60J) at -50 °C |
L6 | Joules (60J) at -60 °C |
A | Precipitation hardening |
M | Thermomechanically rolled |
N | Normalized or normalized rolled |
Q | Quenched and tempered |
C | Special cold forming (cold flanging, cold roll forming or cold drawing) |
D | Hot dip coating |
E | Enamelling |
F | Forgings |
H | Hollow section |
L | Low temperature |
P | Sheet piling |
P | For the class with a greater phosphorus content (only in the case of grade S355) |
S | Ship building |
T | Tubes |
W | Weather resistant (improved atmospheric corrosion resistance) |
Symbols that indicate the treatment of steel products | |
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Symbol | Meaning |
+A | Soft annealed |
+AC | annealed to achieve spheroidized carbides |
+AR | as rolled (without any special rolling and/or heat treatment conditions) |
+AT | solution annealed |
+C | cold work hardened |
+Cxxx | cold work hardened with a minimum tensile strength of xxx MPa |
+CPxxx | cold work hardened with a minimum 0,2 % proof strength of xxx MPa |
+CR | cold rolled |
+DC | delivery condition at manufacturer’s discretion |
+FP | treated to ferritic-pearlite structure and hardness range |
+HC | hot rolled followed by cold hardening |
+I | isothermically treated |
+LC | skin passed (temper rolled or cold drawn) |
+M | thermomechanically formed |
+N | normalized or normalized formed |
+NT | normalized and tempered |
+P | precipitation hardened |
+Q | quenched |
+QA | air quenched |
+QO | oil quenched |
+QT | quenched and tempered |
+QW | water quenched |
+RA | recrystallization annealed |
+S | treated for cold shearing |
+SR | stress relieved |
+T | tempered |
+TH | treatment to hardness range |
+U | untreated |
+WW | warm worked |
Symbols for steel products indicating the type of coating | |
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Symbol | Meaning |
+A | hot dip aluminum coating |
+AS | aluminum silicon alloy coating |
+AZ | aluminum zinc alloy (>50 % Al) coating |
+CE | electrolytic chromium/chromium oxide coating (ECCS) |
+CU | copper coating |
+IC | inorganic coating |
+OC | organic coating |
+S | hot dip tin coating |
+SE | electrolytic tin coating |
+T | hot dip lead tin alloy (terne) coating |
+TE | electrolytic lead tin alloy (terne) coating |
+Z | hot dip zinc (galvanized) coating |
+ZA | hot dip zinc aluminum (>50 % Zn) coating |
+ZE | electrolytic zinc coating |
+ZF | hot dip zinc iron (galvannealed) coating |
+ZM | hot dip zinc magnesium coating |
+ZN | electrolytic zinc nickel alloy coating |
Symbols for steel products indicating special requirements | |
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Symbol | Meaning |
+CH | core hardenability |
+H | hardenability |
+Z15 | through thickness property; minimum reduction of area = 15 % |
+Z25 | through thickness property; minimum reduction of area = 25 % |
+Z35 | through thickness property; minimum reduction of area = 35 % |