Surface Finish: 1U 1C 1E 1D 1X 1G 2A 2H 2C 2D 2E 2B 2G 2P 2R 2Q

Type of surface finish and process route of semi-finished products, rods and wires, bars and sections (EN 10088-3)

	Conditions			Recommended use and observations
EN 10088-3	Symbol	Surface finish	Type of process route
Hot formed	1U	Covered with scale (spot ground if necessary). Not free of surface imperfections.	Hot formed, not heat treated, not descaled.	Suitable for products to be further hot formed.
	1C		Hot formed, heat treated , not descaled.	Geeignet für weiterzuverarbeitende Erzeugnisse (warm oder kalt).
	1E	Largely free of scale (but some black spots may remain). Not free of surface imperfections.	Hot formed, heat treated, mechanically descaled	Suitable for products to be further processed (hot or cold).
	1D	Free of scale (spot ground if necessary). Not free of surface imperfections.	Hot formed, heat treated, pickled, coated (optional).	Products used in their present condition or to be further processed (hot or cold).
	1X	Free of scale (but some marks left from machining may remain). Not free of surface imperfections.	Hot formed, heat treated, rough machined
	1G	Appearance bright, but not uniform, Free of surface defects.	Hot formed, heat treated, descaled, rough machined g or shaved in the case of rod. Finishing by removal of material	Suitable for severe applications (extrusion and/or cold or hot heading). Surface roughness can be specified.
Cold processed	2H	Smooth and matt or bright. Not necessarily polished. Not free of surface imperfections	Finishes 1 E, 1 D or 1 X, cold processed, coated (optional).	In products formed by cold drawing without subsequent heat treatment, the tensile strength is substantially increased, particularly in austenitic materials, depending on the degree of cold processing. The surface hardness may be higher than the centre hardness.
	2D	Smooth and matt or bright. Not free of surface imperfections	Finish 2H, heat treated,pickled and skin-passed (optional), coated (optional).	This finish allows the restoration of the mechanical properties after cold processing. Products with good ductility (extrusion) and specific magnetic properties.
	2B	Smooth, uniform and bright. Free of surface imperfections.	Finishes 1E, 1D or 1X, cold processed, mechanically smoothed.	Products used in their present condition or intended for better finishing. In products formed by cold drawing without subsequent heat treatment, the tensile strength is substantially increased, particularly in austenitic materials, depending on the degree of cold processing. The surface hardness may be higher than the centre hardness.
	2G	Smooth, uniform and bright. Free of surface defects.	Finishes 2H, 2D or 2B, centreless ground, mechanically smoothed (optional)	Finish for close tolerances. Unless otherwise agreed the surface roughness shall be Ra ≤ 1,2.
	2P	Smoother and brighter than finish 2B or 2G. Free of surface defects.	Finishes 2H, 2D, 2B or 2G, specular polishing	Products showing a well groomed surface appearance. Surface roughness shall be specified at the time of enquiry and order.

Type of process route and surface finish of sheet, plate and strip (EN 10088-2)

EN 10088-2	Symbol (2)	Type of process route	Surface finish	Notes
Hot rolled	1U	Hot rolled, not heat treated, not descaled	Covered with rolling scale	Suitable for products which are to be further worked e.g. strip for rerolling.
	1C	Hot rolled, heat treated, not descaled	Covered with rolling scale	Suitable for parts which will be descaled or machined in subsequent production or for certain heat-resisting applications.
	1E	Hot rolled, heat treated, mechanically descaled.	Free of scale	The type of mechanical descaling, e.g coarse grinding or shot blasting, depends on the steel grade and the product, and is left to the manufacturer’s discretion, unless otherwise agreed.
	1D	Hot rolled, heat treated, pickled.	Free of scale	Usually standard for most steel types to ensure good corrosion resistance; also common finish for further processing. It is permissible for grinding marks to be present. Not as smooth as 2D or 2B.
Cold rolled	2H	Work hardened	Bright	Cold worked to obtain higher strength level.
	2C	Cold rolled, heat treated, not descaled	Smooth with scale from heat treatment	Suitable for parts which will be descaled or machined in subsequent production or for certain heat-resisting applications.
	2E	Cold rolled, heat treated, mechanically descaled	Free of scale	Usually applied to steels with a scale which is very resistant to pickling solutions. May be followed by pickling. Surface roughness is depending on the mechanical descaling method and may differ if the surface is e.g. shot blasted or brushed.
	2D	Cold rolled, heat treated, pickled	Smooth	Finish for good ductility, but not as smooth as 2B or 2R.
	2B	Cold rolled, heat treated, pickled, skin passed	Smoother than 2D	Most common finish for most steel types to ensure good corrosion resistance, smoothness and flatness. Also common finish for further processing. Skin passing may be by tension levelling.
	2A	Cold rolled, heat treated, bright-pickled, skin passed	Smoother and more reflective than 2D	Typical finish for ferritic grades when high reflectivity is desired.
	2R (3)	Cold rolled, bright annealed	Smooth, bright, reflective	Smoother and brighter than 2B. Also common finish for further processing.
	2Q	Cold rolled, hardened and tempered, scale free	Free of scale	Either hardened and tempered in a protective atmosphere or descaled after heat treatment.
Special finishes	1G or 2G	Ground (4)	See Footnote (5)	Grade of grit or surface roughness can be specified. Unidirectional texture, not very reflective.
	1J or 2J	Brushed or dull polished (4)	Smoother than ground. See Footnote	Grade of brush or polishing belt or surface roughness can be specified. Unidirectional texture, not very reflective.
	1K or 2K	Satin polish (4)	See Footnote (5)	Additional specific requirements to a “J” type finish, in order to achieve adequate corrosion resistance for marine and external architectural applications. Transverse Ra < 0,5 μm with clean cut surface finish.
	1P or 2P	Bright polished (4)	See Footnote (5)	Mechanical polishing. Process or surface roughness can be specified. Non-directional finish, reflective with high degree of image clarity.
	2F	Cold rolled, heat treated, skin passed on roughened rolls	Uniform non-reflective matt surface.	Heat treatment by bright annealing or by annealing and pickling.
	1M	Patterned	Design to be agreed; 2nd surface flat	Chequer plates used for floors.
	2M			A fine texture finish mainly used for architectural applications.
	2W	Corrugated	Design to be agreed	Used to increase strength and/or for cosmetic effect.
	2L	Coloured (2)	Colour to be agreed
	1S or 2S	Surface coated (2)		Coated with e.g. tin, aluminium.

Footnote:

1. Not all process routes and surface finishes are available for all steels.
2. First digit: 1 = hot rolled, 2 = cold rolled.
3. May be skin passed.
4. One surface only, unless specifically agreed at the time of enquiry and order.
5. Within each finish description the surface characteristics can vary, and more specific requirements may need to be agreed between manufacturer and purchaser (e.g. grade of grit or surface roughness).