ShapeCUT is a leading provider of steel cutting and metal processing services in Australia. Discover our commitment to precision, reliability and speed of service.

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From warehousing and logistics to in-house metal processing services including bending, rolling and stud arc welding, your steel project needs can be handled all in the one place.

In the past, ductility and weldability came at a cost to strength and toughness. Now, there’s quenched and tempered steel, a high strength and abrasion-resistant steel that comes with enhanced fabrication qualities.

Quenched and tempered plate steel comes in several grades and thicknesses for different applications. Some of the common grades include: 80 Grade – a high strength, low alloy structural steel; 400 400 Grade  – a high hardness, abrasion-resistant steel; and 500 Grade – a medium carbon, high hardness and abrasion-resistant steel.

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We ensure a fast, exact and economical steel solution for our clients. Call our team today to discuss your steel cutting and metal processing requirements.

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Likewise, the temperature of the cooling element needs to remain constant or the edges of the metal can wind up brittle. Different cooling elements have come into prominence over the years, naturally starting with water and moving onto mineral oils and even inert gases like nitrogen or helium.

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Contact us today on 1800 ShapeCUT (1800 742 732) and have us deliver your steel profile cutting needs with precision, reliability and speed – no matter the job size.

Determine the best steel product for your application with our list of handy resources and steel hardness conversion table.

Modern steel manufacturing processes have advanced so considerably in the past few decades that we now have cleaner, leaner, stronger and more workable steel than ever before.

The toughness-factor means greater resistance to wear and abrasion. That is why quenched and tempered steel is particularly useful in machinery and structures where greater abrasion resistance and higher yield strength are necessary, such as mining, quarrying, earth moving and construction.

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Before we launch into a list of benefits and applications, let’s first outline how quenched and tempered steel plate is produced.

By tempering quenched steel, it becomes less brittle and more ductile without sacrificing too much hardness. It is the combination of these two processes that produces a harder, tougher steel that’s more weldable and ductile than ordinary carbon steel. While it takes longer to manufacturer, the increased strength makes up for the delay. If the steel becomes too hard after quenching, it can be tempered. This involves heating the element again, but to a point far below the temperature reached in the quenching stage – usually around 540 degrees Celsius. The amount of time the quenched metal is tempered is the determining factor to how much hardness is removed.

After the material has been quenched to its hardest state, the process of tempering is used to achieve greater toughness and ductility by decreasing hardness. Tempering is achieved by heating the quenched material to below the critical point for a set period of time, then allowing it to cool in still air. Both the temperature and heating time depend on the composition of the material and will determine the amount of hardness removed.

Editor’s note: This blog article was originally published in June 2015 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness in May 2019.

Quenching and tempering are processes that strengthen and harden materials like steel and other iron-based alloys. The process of quenching or quench hardening involves heating the material and then rapidly cooling it to set the components into place as quickly as possible. The process is tightly controlled, with the heating temperature, cooling method, cooling substance and cooling speed all dependent upon the type of material being quenched and the desired hardness. A typical heating range is between 815 and 900 degrees celcius, with extra care being taken to keeping the temperature as stable as possible. Variances in the degree of heat being applied during the process can result in distortion in the resultant metal.

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ShapeCUT offers oxy cutting, high definition plasma cutting, and laser cutting dedicated to specific plate sizes. We have the materials and capabilities for projects of any complexity and size.

Having a thorough understanding of how quenched and tempered steel is produced and its material properties helps define how best to cut, bend and work the steel. At ShapeCUT, we have 5,000+ tonnes of steel in stock, including quench and tempered plate, and the technical know-how and experience to craft it into any form imaginable.