Hot-rolled coil with the mill scale stripped off and a rust-preventive oil coat applied — the surface your stamping line can work without a pre-treatment step. SAPH440 guarantees ≥440 MPa tensile; the range spans 62 grades from mild forming to 1500 MPa hot-stamping.
Pickling is not a cosmetic step. It removes the hard, brittle iron oxide layer that forms during hot rolling — scale that would otherwise wear dies, contaminate welds and prevent paint adhesion.
The pickling process. Hot-rolled coil passes through a hydrochloric acid bath that dissolves mill scale (FeO, Fe₃O₄, Fe₂O₃), then is rinsed, dried and coated with rust-preventive oil (0.5–2.0 g/m²). The oil protects the clean surface during storage; remove with alkaline cleaning before painting or welding.
The grade range. Pickled and oiled is a surface condition, not a grade — 62 grades stocked. Automotive structural (SAPH310–780SF) graded by tensile — SAPH440 guarantees ≥440 MPa tensile, ≥305 MPa yield, ≥33% elongation, for wheel spokes and chassis brackets.
What pickled buys you. Vs. unpickled: consistent stamping surface (no scale flaking), better welds (no scale inclusions), direct paintability after oil removal.
Most specification errors on this family are made at the surface boundary and the strength boundary, not in the chemistry.
Cold-rolled buys tighter tolerance, smoother surface, higher yield — at a premium. Pickled hot-rolled costs less above 1.5 mm and goes thicker (to 12 mm).
Choose pickled above 1.5 mm for structural parts; cold-rolled for thin visible panels.Three standards for the same space. SAPH (JIS) grades by tensile; QSTE (SEW) and S-MC (EN) grade by yield.
Match the standard on the drawing; chemistry is the same family.SAPH/QSTE/S-MC are used as-supplied. BR1200/1500HS are supplied soft (~450 MPa) and hot-stamped to 1200–1500 MPa.
Choose BR when you can hot-stamp; conventional HSLA for room-temp forming.Indicative values per JIS G3113, SEW 092 and EN 10149-2 — confirmed on the MTC.
| Grade | C % | Si % | Mn % | P % | S % | Nb % | V % | Ti % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAPH440 | ≤0.21 | ≤0.30 | ≤1.40 | ≤0.030 | ≤0.035 | — | — | — |
| QSTE420TM | ≤0.12 | ≤0.50 | ≤1.50 | ≤0.025 | ≤0.015 | ≤0.09 | ≤0.20 | ≤0.15 |
| S355MC | ≤0.12 | ≤0.50 | ≤1.50 | ≤0.025 | ≤0.020 | ≤0.09 | ≤0.20 | ≤0.15 |
| S550MC | ≤0.12 | ≤0.50 | ≤1.80 | ≤0.025 | ≤0.015 | ≤0.09 | ≤0.20 | ≤0.15 |
| BR1500HS | 0.20–0.30 | ≤0.50 | 0.80–1.80 | ≤0.025 | ≤0.015 | — | — | — |
BR1500HS also contains boron (B ≥0.0020%) for hardenability.
These are guaranteed minimums per the governing standard — the MTC documents actual values per coil. BR grades are supplied soft and reach target strength only after hot stamping.
| Grade | Yield MPa (min) | Tensile MPa (min) | Elongation % (min) | Condition | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAPH440 | 305 | 440 | 33 | As-supplied | Wheel spokes, chassis brackets, cross-members |
| QSTE420TM | 420 | 480–620 | 17 | As-supplied | Automotive structural, suspension arms |
| S355MC | 355 | 430–550 | 19 | As-supplied | General structural, formed sections |
| S550MC | 550 | 600–760 | 12 | As-supplied | High-strength structural, crane booms |
| B600QK | 600 | 650–820 | 12 | As-supplied | Chassis frames, suspension components |
| BR1500HS | — (soft ~400) | — (as-supplied) | — | Hot-stamped | Bumper beams, door impact beams (1500 MPa after quenching) |
Elongation values are typical for 5 mm thickness; thinner gauges carry higher elongation bands per the standard.
Equivalents are approximate — yield/tensile guarantee bands and micro-alloy additions can differ by standard. Confirm the final grade against your governing specification.
| JIS (SAPH) | SEW (QSTE) | EN (S-MC) | ASTM / AISI | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAPH310 | QSTE340TM | S315MC | — (A569-type) | Mild forming structural |
| SAPH440 | QSTE420TM | S420MC | — (A572 Gr.50-type) | The volume automotive structural grade — near-interchangeable |
| SAPH590 | QSTE500TM | S500MC | — (A572 Gr.65-type) | Higher strength structural |
| — | QSTE550TM | S550MC | — (A572 Gr.70-type) | High-strength low-alloy |
| — | — | BS600MC / BS700MC | — | Micro-alloyed heavy-equipment grades |
| — | — | BR1200HS / BR1500HS | — (22MnB5-type) | Boron-alloyed hot-stamping grades |
SAPH440, QSTE420TM and S420MC are the same material family under different standards — the choice is governed by your drawing's specified standard and audit requirements.
Where pickling shows up in die life and welds.
The test: SAPH440 pickled and oiled, 3.0–5.0 mm, blanked and formed into wheel spokes, welded to rim. Must hold ≥440 MPa tensile through fatigue.
The test: 2.0–4.0 mm QSTE420TM or S420MC, bent and welded into chassis frames. Tight bends demand ductility; pickled surface ensures consistent welds.
The test: 2.0–4.0 mm BR1200HS or BR1500HS, blanked at room temp, then hot-stamped to 1200–1500 MPa. Must absorb crash energy without fracturing. See our press-hardening B-pillar application.
The test: 4.0–12 mm BS600MC or S550MC, cut and welded into equipment frames, crane booms. Thick gauges demand hot-rolled route.
All in-house in Shanghai — one contract, one MTC, one contact.
Pickled coil slit from 1360 mm parent to your width, including narrow progressive-die widths. See the edge burr guide.
Coil leveled to remove set and crossbow, then cut to sheet for press feeding.
Pickled surface checked for residual scale, staining and oil weight per coil. See the surface finish guide.
Gauge, width, surface and mechanicals per coil; MTC with chemistry and guaranteed mechanicals issued before export. See the MTC guide.
SPCC, DC01–DC06 and SAE1010–1050 at 0.03–350 mm — the tighter-tolerance, smoother-surface alternative for thin-gauge visible and precision-formed parts.
Browse cold rolled strip →
Dual-phase (DP) and low-alloy (LA) cold-rolled grades at 450–1400 MPa — the cold-rolled counterpart for thinner-gauge high-strength automotive parts.
Browse AHSS →
22MnB5+AS Al-Si coated cold-rolled coil for hot stamping to 1500 MPa — the coated, cold-rolled equivalent of our BR1200/1500HS pickled grades.
Browse press hardening steel →
Galvanized +Z, Galvalume +AZ and Magnelis +ZM when corrosion duty moves in — the coated alternative for pickled coil that will live outdoors.
Browse coated steel →Include grade, gauge, tonnage and destination.