Steel & Aluminum Grades Chart for 7 Countries

What Is Steel Grade?

Steel grade classification is a comprehensive system that employs a combination of letters, chemical element symbols, and Arabic numerals to denote a steel product’s composition, purpose, characteristics, and production process. This classification system has evolved over decades through the efforts of various national and international standardization bodies, including the European EN standards, American ASTM and AISI standards, Japanese JIS standards, Chinese GB standards, and international ISO standards.

Steel is typically classified based on several key criteria:

1. Chemical composition: Categorized into carbon steel, low alloy steel, and stainless steel.
2. Smelting method: Including basic oxygen furnace (BOF) steel, electric arc furnace (EAF) steel, and less commonly, open hearth steel.
3. Processing technology: Primarily hot rolled and cold rolled steel, with additional processes like controlled rolling or thermomechanical controlled processing (TMCP).
4. Product shape: Such as plates, sheets, strips, pipes, profiles, and structural sections.
5. Deoxidation methods: Classified as killed, semi-killed, and rimmed steel.
6. Microstructure: Including ferritic, pearlitic, martensitic, austenitic, and duplex steels.
7. Strength level: For example, in the ASTM A420 standard, grade WPL6 has a minimum tensile strength of 415 MPa.
8. Heat treatment process: Including annealing, normalizing, quenching, tempering, and various combinations thereof.

Based on carbon content, steel is often categorized into three main groups:

1. Low carbon or mild steel (0.05-0.25% C): Including AISI 1005 to 1026, IF (Interstitial Free), HSLA (High-Strength Low-Alloy), TRIP (Transformation-Induced Plasticity), and TWIP (Twinning-Induced Plasticity) steels.
2. Medium carbon steel (0.25-0.60% C): Such as AISI 1029 to 1053.
3. High carbon steel (0.60-1.50% C): Such as AISI 1055 to 1095.

The European standard classification further divides steel into:

1. Non-alloy steel: e.g., EN DC01-DC06; S235; S275
2. Alloy steel: e.g., 34CrMo4, 42CrMo4
3. Stainless steel: e.g., EN 1.4301 (304), EN 1.4401 (316)
4. Tool steel: e.g., EN 1.2379 (AISI D2), EN 1.2436 (AISI D6)
5. Structural steels: e.g., S355, S460
6. Electrical steels: e.g., M250-35A, M330-50A

It’s important to note that steel grades may have different characteristics or specifications across various standards. For instance, 34CrMo4 is defined by both DIN and EN standards, with the EN standard including multiple subgroup specifications based on different thermomechanical treatments, resulting in varied tensile properties.

Understanding these classification systems is crucial for engineers, manufacturers, and material scientists to ensure proper material selection, processing, and application in diverse industrial sectors, from automotive and construction to energy and aerospace.

Steel Grades Chart of 7 Countries

Understanding the equivalence of steel grades across different national and international standards is crucial for global manufacturing and engineering projects. This comprehensive chart provides a comparison of steel grades from seven major steel-producing countries and regions: the United States, Germany, Japan, China, former Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the France.

Grade Chart of Carbon Structural Steel

Grade Chart of Alloy Structure Steel

Grade Chart of Spring Steel

Grade Chart of Roller Bearing Steel

Grade Chart of Free Cutting Steel

Grade Chart of Wear Resisting Steel

Grade Chart of Carbon tool Steel

Grade Chart of High-Speed Tool Steel

Grade Chart of Alloy Tool Steel

Grade Chart of Heat Resistant Steel

Grade Chart of Stainless Steel

Aluminum Grades Chart of 7 Countries

For your ease of reference, we have also provided you with an .xls version of the steel grades chart and aluminum grades chart, which is more convenient than the PDF version.

• Download the Steel & Aluminum Grades Chart of 7 Countries

It’s important to note that while these grades are considered equivalent, there may be slight variations in chemical composition, mechanical properties, or heat treatment requirements between standards. Always consult the specific standard documentation and perform necessary material testing when critical applications are involved.

This chart serves as a valuable reference tool for:

• Material selection in international projects
• Cross-referencing steel grades for global supply chain management
• Ensuring compliance with regional standards and specifications
• Facilitating communication between international engineering teams

By utilizing this chart, professionals in the metal fabrication and manufacturing industries can make informed decisions about material selection, streamline procurement processes, and ensure consistency in product quality across different markets.