Three ways of buying the same kind of steel — cold rolled strip — each with its own grade names, chemistry limits, tolerance classes and delivery conditions. Here is how they line up, dimension by dimension.
Each standard was written for a different industrial context — European heat treatment practice, American strip mill tempering, Japanese cold-rolled quality tiers. The table below shows what each one governs.
| Attribute | EN 10132 | ASTM A109 / A109M | JIS cold-rolled strip family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Issuing body | CEN (European Committee for Standardization) | ASTM International (US) | JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) |
| Scope | Cold rolled narrow steel strip (rolling width < 600 mm) for heat treatment, in coils and cut lengths | Cold-rolled carbon steel strip, max carbon 0.25%, in coils or cut lengths, tighter tolerances than plate | Cold-reduced carbon steel sheet and strip; SPCC/SPCD/SPCE quality tiers |
| Parts of the standard | Part 2 case hardening (e.g. C10E), Part 3 alloy steels, Part 4 spring steels (C55S–C100S); consolidated edition 2021 | Single specification with temper, edge and surface designations | SPCC commercial, SPCD drawing, SPCE deep drawing; special strip in related JIS standards |
| Naming logic | C + carbon content + S (spring) or E (quality), e.g. C67S, C45E; alloy grades use element symbols | AISI 10xx designations (SAE1010, SAE1020, SAE1050) plus temper numbers | SPC + quality letter (C = commercial, D = drawing, E = deep drawing) |
| Delivery conditions | +A annealed, +LC annealed & skin-passed, +CR cold rolled, +QT quenched & tempered | Temper No.1 (full hard) through No.5 (dead soft); edge and surface per order | Temper: A annealed, S standard, 8/4/2/1 for 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, full hard |
| Typical buyer | European spring makers, fine blankers, fastener strip users | North American stampers, blade and spring producers | Japanese and Asian appliance, automotive tier suppliers |
Standard scope summarized for comparison. For binding limits always refer to the latest revision of the governing standard.
Carbon is the spine of all three systems. The alloying style is where they diverge: EN adds sulfur-designated spring grades and alloy options, AISI stays lean, JIS keeps tight low-carbon limits for drawing quality.
| Typical C range | EN 10132 example | ASTM A109 example | JIS example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≤ 0.13% (low carbon) | C10E (case hardening, C 0.07–0.13) | SAE1010 (C 0.08–0.13) | SPCC / SPCD / SPCE (C ≤ 0.12 / ≤ 0.10 / ≤ 0.08) |
| 0.13 – 0.25% (mild) | — (EN 10132 starts at case-hardening levels) | SAE1020 (C 0.17–0.23) | — (covered by SPCD/SPCE or S10C–S20C grades) |
| 0.42 – 0.60% (medium) | C45E / C55E (quench & temper) | SAE1045 / SAE1055 | S45C / S55C |
| 0.60 – 0.85% (high carbon) | C67S / C75S / C85S (spring strip) | SAE1065 / SAE1078 | SK5 / SK85-class (special strip) |
| Alloy variants | EN 10132-3 alloy strip (Cr, Cr-V, Cr-Si families e.g. 50CrV4-class) | Not in A109 — alloy strip ordered to other AISI specs | Special strip per JIS G3311 (e.g. S50CM-class for blades) |
Chemistry ranges are typical bands for comparison; exact limits follow the latest revision of each standard and the MTC of the delivered heat.
Mechanicals are defined by condition, not just grade. The same carbon level can arrive dead soft for fine blanking or fully hardened for finished springs — the standard tells you which condition you are buying.
| Condition | EN 10132 | ASTM A109 | JIS family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annealed / soft | +A — hardness band per grade, for cold forming and fine blanking | No.5 dead soft — maximum ductility | A (annealed) temper — drawing quality |
| Skin-passed | +LC — annealed + light temper, controlled flatness and surface | No.4 — quarter hard | S (standard) temper — SPCC default |
| Cold rolled (work-hardened) | +CR — cold rolled strength, no anneal | No.1 full hard — max strength from cold work | 8 / 4 / 2 / 1 — 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, full hard |
| Hardened & tempered | +QT — spring strip at 0.30–3.00 mm, HRC band per grade | Not typical in A109 — hardening is the buyer's process | Hardened strip ordered to special strip standards |
| Key mechanical target | Hardness band + yield/tensile where required by part | Hardness and tensile by temper | r-value / elongation for drawing grades |
For spring strip the mechanical anchor is the delivered hardness band (e.g. C67S +QT at a stated HRC); for drawing strip it is formability (SPCE elongation). Confirm the governing values per order.
Grade names get the attention, but for a stamping line the thickness tolerance and surface class are what change the process. This is where the three standards are not interchangeable without checking.
| Attribute | EN 10132 | ASTM A109 | JIS family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Width range | Narrow strip, < 600 mm rolling width | Strip over 12.5 mm up to 600 mm; wider by tolerance product | Sheet and strip, wide and narrow forms |
| Thickness tolerance | Tolerance classes per part of standard and gauge | Tighter-than-plate tolerance table by width and thickness | Tolerance classes by temper and quality |
| Surface | Controlled per delivery condition; skin-pass for flatness | Surface finish designation per order (bright, etc.) | Surface quality tiers (S and F designations) |
| Edge | Slit/mill edge agreed at order | Edge designation: slit, round, square, etc. | Edge per order; slit edge typical for strip |
| Delivery form | Coils and cut lengths | Coils and cut lengths | Coils, sheets, and cut lengths |
| Inspection / doc | EN 10204 inspection documents typical | Mill test certification per order | Mill test certificate per order |
Tolerance values are class-based in all three standards — always confirm the class applicable to your gauge and width against the latest revision before quoting part tolerances.
The standard you specify should follow the end customer's drawing and the part's heat treatment route. Work it through in this order.
When a drawing specifies a standard you do not normally buy, send it to us — we map the requested grade to our stock and provide a documented chemistry and mechanical comparison before you commit.
Substitution must always be confirmed against your governing standard — these are near-equivalents, not guarantees. We supply side-by-side comparisons on request.
| EN 10132 | ASTM / AISI | JIS | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| C10E (case hardening) | SAE1010 | S10C / SPCC-class | Low carbon case-hardening strip |
| C45E | SAE1045 | S45C | Medium carbon quench-and-temper |
| C55E | SAE1055 | S55C | Medium carbon, higher strength |
| C67S (spring) | SAE1065–1070 | SK5-class | High carbon spring strip |
| C75S (spring) | SAE1078 | SK85-class | High carbon spring/blade strip |
| 50CrV4-class (alloy) | SAE6150-class | SUP10-class | Cr-V spring steel, best fatigue |
Equivalents are approximate and depend on delivery condition. Confirm chemistry and hardenability against the latest revision of the governing standard before substitution.
The grade name is the least ambiguous part of an order. What actually goes wrong is condition, tolerance class and documentation. This checklist applies whichever standard your drawing speaks.
| # | What to confirm at RFQ | Where it lives in the standard |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delivery condition — annealed, skin-passed, cold rolled, or hardened & tempered | EN 10132 +A/+LC/+CR/+QT; ASTM A109 temper No.; JIS temper letter/number |
| 2 | Thickness tolerance class for your gauge and width | EN 10132 tolerance tables; ASTM A109 tolerance table; JIS tolerance classes |
| 3 | Surface and edge designation | All three — surface finish and edge are order options, not defaults |
| 4 | Hardness band (for forming) or HRC band (for H&T) | Agreed per order against the standard's test method |
| 5 | Inspection document — MTC type and content | EN 10204 type, ASTM mill certification, or JIS certificate |
| 6 | Width and coil form for your blanking line | Slit width, burr direction, coil weight — outside the standard, agreed commercially |
When you send a drawing specified to a standard you do not normally buy, we convert it: grade mapping, condition, tolerance class and documentation are confirmed in writing before we quote.
These grade families share material, processing or application territory with the topic on this page.
SAE1045 / C45 grades balancing strength and formability for induction-hardened parts.
40Cr / 42CrMo / 20CrMnTi grades with through-hardening and toughness for loaded components.
Send your drawing, the governing standard and grade, thickness × width and quantity. We map it to stock and return a documented comparison within one working day.