Both GALVALUME and galvanized sheet steels are made by a "continuous hot dip" process. Coils of cold rolled steel are welded end-to-end and processed continuously on the coating line at speeds up to 600 feet per minute. The uncoiled sheet is first cleaned to remove rolling oils and mill dirt, and to reduce surface oxides so that the surface will accept the coating. These continuous sheets are firs...

The ratio of the amount of product compared with the amount of material input to a process or group of processes.Reproduction of all or part of this glossary is specifically prohibited without the written consent of the author

Walking Beam Furnace 1A hot strip mill reheat furnace where the slab is repeatedly lifted and set down at a more forward point in the furnace; this is in contrast to a batch reheat furnace or a pusher-type reheat furnace.Welding 3Joining of two or more pieces of metal.Wheelabrating, Shotblasting, and Bead Blasting 3Involves pressure blasting metal grid into carbon steel products to remove rust and...

Vacuum DegassingAn advanced steel refining facility that removes oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen under low pressures (in a vacuum) to produce ultra-low-carbon steel for demanding electrical and automotive applications. Normally performed in the ladle, the removal of dissolved gases results in cleaner, higher quality, more pure steel (see Ladle Metallurgy).Vacuum Oxygen Decarburization (VOD)What?Proc...

Unfair Trade SuitA type of lawsuit filed by U.S. companies against their foreign counterparts in response to imports at prices being lower than those in the prices in the U.S. market. Sanctions can be imposed by the ITC and the Commerce Department on foreign producers involved in dumping and government subsidization, if domestic manufacturers can prove material injury

Steel’s profile as a green material has led to growing interest in replacing aging wood electric utility distribution poles with poles made of steel. A detailed life cycle assessment study published in 2013 finds that replacing wood utility poles with galvanized steel utility poles results in several significant environmental benefits, including lower levels of greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions...

Steel and other manufacturing industries are the backbone of our economy. A strong manufacturing sector creates significant benefits for society, including good-paying jobs, investment in research and development, critical materials for our national defense, and high-value exports. Yet manufacturing in North America faces significant challenges to its international competitiveness due to a host of...

TaconiteWhat?Natural mineral containing less than 30% iron. It is the primary ore used in blast furnaces.Why?Domestic supplies of iron-rich ores (greater than 50% iron) were largely depleted in the 1940s, so integrated steel companies now process the lower grade taconite to make it useful.Tailored BlanksA section of sheet or strip that is cut-to-length and trimmed to match specifications for the m...

What does S stands for in steel industry?Sawing 3Cutting metal into customer specified lengths, shapes, or sizes.ScaleThe oxide of iron that forms on the surface of steel after heatingScrap (Ferrous)Ferrous (iron-containing) material that generally is remelted and recast into new steel. Integrated steel mills use scrap for up to 25% of their basic oxygen furnace charge; 100% of the minimills’ raw ...

Reducing AgentEither natural gas or coal can be used to remove the oxygen from iron ore in order to produce a scrap substitute. In gas-based processes, the iron ore is heated in a vessel as reformed natural gas passes through. In coal-based processes, iron ore is combined with gasified or ground coal and heated. The oxygen in the ore combines with carbon and hydrogen in the gas or coal, producing ...

Q-BOPModified Basic Oxygen Furnace in which the oxygen and other gases are blown in from the bottom, rather than from the top. While the Q-BOP stirs the metal bath more vigorously, allowing for faster processing, the design produces essentially the same steel grades as the top-blowing basic oxygen furnace. Today’s state-of-the-art furnace design combines the previous technologies: 60% of the oxyge...

Peak EarningsThe ultimate earnings level of a company at the top of the business cycle. This is the expected profit during the time of the highest commodity demand and the strongest product pricing.Pellets 4Fine particles of iron ore mixed with bonding clay and roasted into hard round balls for blast furnace feed.PicklingWhat?Process that cleans a steel coil of its rust, dirt and oil so that furth...

Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG)Label applied to the pipe products used by petroleum exploration customers. OCTG includes casing, drill pipe, and oil well tubing, which, depending on their use, may be formed through welded or seamless processes.OPEB ExpenseOther Postretirement Employment Benefits: Usually refers to health care obligations to a mill’s retired workers, although its meaning also can ...

Net Operating Loss (NOLs)An income-averaging provision that allows companies with losses to either carry forward the loss up to 15 years to offset otherwise taxable future income, or carry back the NOLs up to three years to receive a refund for taxes previously paid (see FAS 109).Nickel (Ni)An alloying element used as a raw material for certain classes of stainless steel. Nickel provides high degr...

M sections (Bantam Beams™, Junior Beams™)Light footweight beams primarily used in the construction of pre-engineered housing. These beams are produced in lighter footweights, usually six to ten pounds per foot, than traditional structural products.MachiningRefers to performing multiple processes to a piece of metal to produce a customer specified component part.MagnesiumA light, silvery, moderatel...

Ladle 4A “bucket” lined with refractory (heat resistant) bricks, used to transport molten steel from process to process in a steel plant.Ladle Metallurgy Furnace (LMF)An intermediate steel processing unit that further refines the chemistry and temperature of molten steel while it is still in the ladle. The ladle metallurgy step comes after the steel is melted and refined in the electric arc or bas...

I-BeamsStructural sections on which the flanges are tapered and are typically not as long as the flanges on wide-flange beams. The flanges are thicker at the cross sections and thinner at the toes of the flanges. They are produced with depths of three inches to 24 inches.Import AdministrationImport Administration, within the International Trade Administration of the Department of Commerce, enforce...

HafniumAn exotic alloy usually obtained as a by-product of zirconium production with outstanding corrosion resistance and good mechanical properties. It is added to specialty alloys for use in jet engine parts and as control rod material in nuclear reactors.HardeningWhat?Process that increases the hardness of steel, i.e., the degree to which steel will resist cutting, abrasion, penetration, bendin...

Galfan 1A galvanized product coated with 95% free zinc, 5% aluminum and traces of mish metal in the coating; provides extra corrosion protection with lighter coating weight; has improved formability over regular free zinc coatings (hot dipped galvanized regular products).Galvaneal Coating 1Coatings on hot-dipped galvanized steels processed to convert the coating completely to zinc-iron alloys; dul...

Steel enables innovation. Steel is creativity, applied.Steel’s properties make innovation possible, allowing ideas to be achieved, solutions to be found and possibilities to be reality. Steel makes the art of engineering possible, and beautiful.Key facts:New lightweight steel makes applications lighter and more flexible while retaining the required high strength. Modern steel products have never b...

What is Galvalume?Galvalume is proprietary steel with a coating consisting of 55% aluminum, 43.4% zinc and 1.6% silicon over the base metal to protect it from the elements. This coating has superior corrosion resistance which gives it two to four times the life span over traditional galvanized metal.Galvalume is ideally suited for:Roofing and siding applicationsUnexposed automotive partsAppliances...

Post-frame construction is an engineered wood-frame building system that meets UBC and IBC standards. Post-frame buildings feature large, solid sawn posts or laminated columns instead of wood studs, steel framing, or concrete masonry. They transfer loads to the ground or surface-mounted to a concrete pier or masonry foundation, and may use plastic barrier systems for enhanced protection of wood an...

Foreign government subsidies and other market-distorting policies in the steel sector have resulted in massive global steel overcapacity – estimated by the OECD at more than 700 million metric tons, over seven times U.S. raw steel production. This overcapacity, combined with sluggish world demand and import barriers in other markets, has resulted in significant levels of steel imports entering int...

To make the type of gains the steel industry has demonstrated in the past in CO2 reduction, the industry must develop new steelmaking processes whose designs emit much less CO2. This means using different and greener fuels, completely different process using the green fuels, and/or developing carbon capture and sequestration technologies. Steel is integral to a modern society that has a high quali...

Steel has changed our world like no other substance. New high performance steel allows a jet pilot to reach new heights…a surgeon to perform a delicate operation. It is the solid rocket booster casings that allow shuttle astronauts to explore new frontiers…and the roller coaster ridden by a child. Each piece of steel we make is engineered to fit precise specifications. It is an industry where prod...

Appliances and steel make life easier—whether it is the stainless steel refrigerator in your kitchen or the steel motor inside it that is quieter and more efficient—or the washing machine for which you received an Energy Star tax credit.North American steelmakers offer a vast array of innovative products, particularly used in appliances, which are corrosive-resistant.Facts:90% of appliances were r...

PPGI stands for pre-painted galvanised iron.Firstly,we processed original coated steel like galvanized, galvalume, nickel and so on with surface treatment like degreasing, phosphating, chromium hydrochloric acid passivation.After surface treatment,we coat or paint the materail,Then we get the refined PPGI product after the final baking.PPGI bears both the mechanical property and formability of...

How is Steel Production Works

Steel provides cost-effective, sustainable and resilient design solutions for owners, architects, engineers, building officials and contractors.Its benefits include ease of mass production and prefabrication, uniform quality, lightweight designs, economy in transportation and handling, and quick and simple erection or installation. Steel is durable, strong and adaptable.Steel is sustainable and is...

Steel is the most recycled material on the planet, more than all other materials combined. Steel retains an extremely high overall recycling rate, which in 2012, stood at 88 percent.The amazing metallurgical properties of steel allow it to be recycled continually with no degradation in performance, and from one product to another.The sources for steel scrap are plentiful, but are classified into t...

The purpose of a blast furnace is to chemically reduce and physically convert iron oxides into liquid iron called "hot metal". The blast furnace is a huge, steel stack lined with refractory brick, where iron ore, coke and limestone are dumped into the top, and preheated air is blown into the bottom. The raw materials require 6 to 8 hours to descend to the bottom of the furnace where they become th...

To produce steel, facilities use one of two processes: the basic oxygen furnace (BOF) or the electric arc furnace (EAF). The BOF process uses 25-35 percent old steel (scrap) to make new steel. BOFs make up approximately 40 percent of today’s steelmaking in the U.S. The EAF process uses virtually 100 percent old steel to make new steel.

Drawn, Ground, and Polished (DGP) is a classification of finishing processes often used for metal shafting. Cold drawing increases the metal's strength, while grinding and polishing improves the surface finish and roundness for high dimensional accuracy

Galvalume® was invented by Bethlehem Steel in 1972. It is a trademarked name, but many people use it as a generic term to describe a metal roofing product consisting of steel coil coated with a metal alloy. That alloy is 45% zinc and 55% aluminum and looks similar to galvanized steel, but the visible crystals are smaller and close together, giving it a smoother appearance. Galvalume has a cousin...

This kind of galvanized steel coil / sheet can be subjected to simple bending or moderate drawing. It can be bent flat on itself in any direction at room temperature.

Commercial Steel (CS Types A, B, and C)Forming Steel (FS Types A and B)Deep Drawing Steel (DDS Types A and C)Extra Deep Drawing Steel (EDDS)Structural Steel (SS) – further designated by Grades (33,37,40,50,80)High Strength Low Alloy Steel (HSLAS)

The purpose of the zinc is to provide excellent protection against corrosion of the base steel. The zinc is a sacrificial barrier to protect the base steel. The zinc will sacrifice itself and will eventually disappear before the base metal will start to corrode.

Hot Dipped Galvanized is normally a cold rolled steel (depending on gauge, may be a hot rolled base) which has been given a process by which a coating of zinc has been applied to the surface. This zinc has excellent adherence to the surface of the base steel.