A steel name communicates either its intended application or its chemical composition. A complete purchasing or BOM specification must also identify the product form, governing standard, dimensions and delivery condition.
NAME SYSTEM
Read the first symbol first
S235JR:S identifies structural steel, 235 is the minimum yield-strength class, and JR denotes the specified impact-energy condition.
C45E: an unalloyed engineering steel with approximately 0.45% carbon; E identifies tighter quality requirements.
42CrMo4: a low-alloy quenched-and-tempered steel; the name encodes approximate carbon content and principal alloying elements.
X5CrNi18-10: high-alloy steel; approximately 0.05% carbon, 18% chromium and 10% nickel.
MATERIAL NUMBER
Use names for meaning, numbers for control
European steel material numbers use the form 1.xxxx. They provide a compact, language-independent identifier that is well suited to ERP, PLM and BOM records.
C45E ↔ 1.1191 · 42CrMo4 ↔ 1.7225
The number identifies the grade; it does not replace the product standard, dimensions or supply condition.
Suffix
Delivery condition
+AR
As rolled
+N
Normalized
+QT
Quenched and tempered
+A
Annealed / soft annealed
+C
Cold drawn
SourcesSource basis: Ulrich Fischer et al., Mechanical and Metal Trades Handbook, steel standardization, designation systems and selected steel tables, pp. 118–139.