The Steel Book

A stronger, lighter and more sustainable world

SSAB's vision
Contents
The world needs steel 4
How steel is used 5
SSAB in the world of steel 8
HOW WE MAKE STEEL
Ore-based hot metal and steel 10
Scrap-based steel 12
Strip products 14
Heavy plate 16
Rolling Quenching 18
A sustainable world 20
People and steel The future 23
IN MORE DETAIL
Ore-based hot metal and steel 26
Secondary metallurgy and continuous casting 30
Strip products 32
Heavy plate 34
Glossary 36
The Steel Book
Production The Steel Book: SSAB Communications, Lena Westerlund.
Reviewed by SSAB Technical Communication Committee
Illustrations: Gunvor Ekstrm Mediagrak & illustration AB
Design: Ola Hglund, Hglund Design AB
Printing: Henningsons Tryckeri AB, Borlnge 2012
3
The world needs steel
The global demand for steel is great. Annually
about 1.4 billion tons of steel is produced in the world.
The steel industry is central to our social structure,
in particular our infrastructure, but steel also
improves the everyday lives of most people.
Steel is one of the materials that most affects society
simply because it is so prevalent in everyday life. It is hard
to imagine a day without the use of steel in some shape or
form. There is a need for steel for all forms of development
and growth around the world. At the same time, demands
for resource management and sustainable development are
increasing, which benets SSAB as manufacturers of high-
strength steels.
Management of the Earth's resources requires energy-
efcient processes, including making the most efcient and
smart use of steel.
The steel industry is very energy intensive and uses large
amounts of commodity resources, but at the same time steel
can be recycled and used again and again. Steel scrap such
as old cars, industrial machinery or railway equipment is
melted down and turned into new steel and new products.
About a third of the world's steel production is based on
scrap recycling.
4
DID YOU KNOW?
Steel is the world's most important engineering material due to its
high strength relative to weight and cost effectiveness.
Steel is produced in many forms from thin sheets to thick
load-bearing bridge girders.
Industrial development requires steel.
Steel is constantly evolving and is a high-tech material.
Steel makes up part of a cycle, and is the world's most
recycled material.
How SSAB's steel is used
SSAB has strong brands for steel plate for different
applications, which require strength, wear resistance
and formability. SSAB sells not only steel, but also the
knowledge and services around the applications of its
steels.
SSAB's steels are used for transporting, lifting or carrying,
and for security applications.
SSAB's high strength steels allow a user to reduce the weight
of a product while increasing its strength and extending the life
of various structures. These are properties that are especially
valuable to manufacturers of construction machinery, mining
equipment, trucks, cranes, and containers.
These tough steels also are used for various safety
applications in the automotive industry.
SSAB also produces a variety of lower strength steels,
which are used for various products within the manufac-
turing, construction, and energy (including wind turbines)
industries.
5
GARBAGE TRUCKS CARRY LARGER LOADS
A Canadian garbage truck manufacturer has designed a
vehicle which takes advantage of the breadth and possibili-
ties of high strength steels. It is a front-loader garbage truck
which can carry about 700 kg more payload using SSAB's
steels compared to previous models. The new design has
not only become lighter, but also can withstand higher
compression in the hopper. The result is a more efcient
vehicle that requires fewer trips and therefore has a reduced
environmental impact.
DUMP TRUCKS IN MINES
Dump trucks for use in mining are exposed to very high wear
conditions. A South African company uses high strength wear
plate in its redesign of the truck bed to create a lighter and
more durable component. The weight of the truck is
reduced by 19%, nearly eight tons. As a result, operating and
maintenance costs are reduced, as well as the impact on the
environment due to lower emissions.
SPECIALISTS
SSAB focuses on solving difcult problems. The company has
specialists with unique expertise in everything from the steel
properties such as strength, bending, cutting and joining to
fatigue and wear. The close collaboration between SSAB's
application engineers and customers contributes to new
knowledge, new ideas and solutions to problems.
SSAB is at the forefront of design, innovation, technology
and environmental responsibility.
The specialists in technical customer support are involved
in new products and projects at an early stage. Collaboration
with customers is very valuable for both parties.
RIGHT: A front-loading garbage truck with approximately
700 kg higher payload capacity when SSAB's steel is used.
BELOW: Reduced operating and maintenance costs and
environmental impact when SSAB wear plate is used for
dump trucks that are exposed to excessive wear.
6
1. For mining and heavy transport,
resistance to wear and extreme dura-
bility are important characteristics.
Hardox and Weldox give designers
many possibilities.
2. Prelaq Energy was used for roofs and
walls in the Swedish pavilion at the
World Exhibition in Shanghai in 2010.
The material makes it possible to
reduce the energy consumption in
buildings.
3. SSAB's steel is often used in award-
winning interior design, such as the
bookshelf Cell by Peter Cohen.
4. For extreme racing gear Docol is
a super-strong and light material.
5. Armox makes embassy buildings
more secure.
6. Weldox increases the reach of cranes
by utilizing the steel's extreme
strength.
HIGH-STRENGTH STEEL HAS MANY APPLICATIONS
1 2 3
4
5 6
Learn more about SSAB's product brands on page 9.

7
In the world of steel, SSAB is a relatively small player, with a
production capacity of 6 million tons of steel annually. SSAB
has production facilities in Sweden and the U.S.
SSAB steel production takes place in blast furnace pro-
cesses using iron ore and coal, as well as in the steel mills
that use recycled scrap as the raw material. It is customary
to divide steel production into long products, such as pipes
and beams, and at products, such as heavy plate and strip
products. SSAB produces both plate and strip products.
In Sweden, about 3.5 million tons of steel is produced using
blast furnaces and rening equipment in Oxelsund and
Lule.
In Borlnge, there is a roll mill, which renes the steel into
strip products. Oxelsund has the entire process chain with
hot metal and steel manufacturing, as well as rolling facilities
for rening heavy plate production.
In the United States, SSAB has two steelworks that use
scrap as the basis for the production of heavy plate. SSAB
produces about 2.5 million tons of steel per year in the U.S.A.
SSAB produces high strength steel that has several advan-
tages from a sustainability perspective. The steels are stron-
ger and can be used to build lighter equipment compared to
ordinary steels. This means lower carbon emissions during
equipment use.
There is great demand for SSABs high strength steel
products.
SSAB in the world of steel
8
Structural steel for lightweight and durable solutions. Used mainly in
the transportation sector in truck beds, containers and chassis.
Wear plate for maximum payload and longer service intervals in
truck beds, containers, buckets, and wear parts in raw material
handling and recycling.
Cold rolled steel for light and safe components. Mainly in crash
beams and seats of vehicles. Suitable for bending and forming.
Structural steel for heavy and demanding applications. Used for
cranes and other structures with requirements for high strength and
good weldability.
Pre-painted sheet steel for environmentally-friendly construction
products. A sustainable solution for roofs, walls, guttering and ttings.
Protective plate used for armored car transports, buildings, mine
sweepers and personal property protection.
Steel for machine components and tools that can withstand extreme
temperatures. Hardened and ready to go into production.
SSAB's product brands
THE COMPANIES PLANNJA AND TIBNOR
ARE INCLUDED IN THE SSAB GROUP
Tibnor
Tibnor is a one-stop source of steel and metals for manufacturing,
processing and construction companies in the Nordic countries and
Baltic States. Tibnor is the leading distributor in the Nordic countries,
and a strategic and long-term partner of the industry. Together with
customers and suppliers the best solutions for materials, logistics and
production are developed.
www.tibnor.se
Plannja
Plannja is one of Europe's leading brands within rened strip
products for construction and sheet metal work, small house
construction and other producers of housing modules. The produc-
tion facilities in Lule, Jrnforsen and Landsbro deliver both product
systems as well as custom-made solutions. This contributes to simple
and economical construction and aesthetically pleasing buildings.
www.plannja.com

9
Ore-based hot metal and steel
In Sweden, SSAB produces strip products and heavy
plate, while only heavy plate is produced in the United
States. Swedish production is ore-based, and in the
United States, production is scrap-based.
In Sweden, hot metal is produced from iron ore pellets in
blast furnaces in Lule and Oxelsund. There also is a small
amount of scrap added as the hot iron is rened into crude
steel in LD converters.
High strength steels derive their strength partially by the
addition of alloying elements and partially by the manufac-
turing methods, for example, by quenching in rapid cool-
ing processes in a matter of seconds. Precise precision is a
prerequisite for product .
SSAB's strength lies in the business concept where the
company works with customers to nd optimal solutions.
1a. SSAB purchases coal from Australia
and the United States. The coal is
shipped by sea to Lule and Oxelsund.
1b. LKAB's iron ore pellets are
shipped by rail to Lule and then
onwards by sea to Oxelsund.
2. The coking plant converts coal to
coke and gas by heating in a battery of
sealed furnaces. The gas is converted
to energy. The coke goes to the blast
furnace.
3. The blast furnace
is fed continuously
with iron ore pellets,
coke, limestone and
additives.
4. The hot metal is tapped
as soon as the correct
level in the blast furnace
is reached. The carbon
content is about 4.5%. The
slag is skimmed off into a
slag pot.
5. The hot metal is trans-
ported to the steelworks
in a cigar-shaped railcar
known as a torpedo car.
This can hold approxi-
mately 300 tons of liquid
hot metal.
6. The hot metal is
treated to remove
sulphur.
HOW WE MAKE STEEL
10
7. Hot metal and cooling scrap are charged
into the LD converter. The operator injects
oxygen at high pressure by means of a lance.
The oxygen combines with the coal. The hot
iron is considered to have been converted to
steel when the carbon content has dropped to
less than 1.7%.
Alloying elements are added when the steel is
tapped from the LD converter into steel ladles.
8. Fine tuning of the steel's chemical
composition and temperature is carried
out in the secondary metallurgy pro-
cess. The steel also is vacuum treated
to remove hydrogen and nitrogen, if
required.
9. In the continuous casting process, the
steel is converted from molten to solid
slabs. The temperature of the molten steel
at the caster is approximately 1600C.
10. The mould consists of water-cooled copper
plates, between which the steel solidies to form
a long strand.
11. The steel strand is cut into slabs. The
slabs are labeled and placed into piles to
cool while awaiting shipment to the roll mills.
LEFT: The metallurgy processes
convert hot metal and scrap into
molten steel. The steel is cast into
a semi-finished slab product.
CENTER: The liquid hot metal is
transported from the blast furnace
to the steelworks in ceramic-lined
vessels called torpedo cars.
RIGHT: Heavy ladles with molten
steel in the production process can
be transported by means of radio
control.

See also the in more detail section on page 26.
11
Recycling of scrap is a smart way to manufacture
steel. Steel scrap has already been transformed into
steel in its previous life and is an energy-efcient
alternative to producing new steel. Moreover, it is
good management of Earth's resources.
Steel scrap is the world's largest recycling system and covers
the entire world in a global cycle. Scrap is always sorted care-
fully because the scrap steel can be alloyed and contain
various additives. The scrap types suitable for the steel
produced is selected.
SSAB has scrap-based steelworks in Montpelier, Iowa and
Mobile, Alabama. Scrap melting occurs in twin-shell electric
arc furnaces. The scrap is rst preheated by means of natural
gas.
While the scrap is preheated with natural gas in one shell,
scrap is melted using electric and chemical power in the
other shell. Carbon electrodes immersed in the scrap bath
creates a high current arc. The melted scrap is converted
into new crude steel and is tapped into ladles.
1. Steel is the world's largest
recycling system. Steel used
in everyday life can be melted
down to become new steel
products.
2. Montpelier and Mobile use
twin-shell, electric-arc furnaces for
scrap melting. In one shell, scrap is
preheated using natural gas, while in
the other shell, scrap is melted using
electric and chemical energy. Then,
the molten steel is tapped into ladles.
3. At the ladles metallurgy furnaces,
steel chemical composition and
temperature is ne-tuned. Alloying
elements are added, the carbon
content is regulated, and the sulfur
level is reduced. Some steel types
also are vacuum treated to remove
hydrogen and nitrogen.
4. The hot steel is turned into slabs
by continuous casting. in an open,
water-cooled, copper mould.

5. The slabs are heated in
gas-red reheating furnace to a
temperature needed for rolling.
Scrap-based steel
HOW WE MAKE STEEL
12
6. The steel slabs must be rolled to
produce the required dimensions and
properties. This is done in different
ways at different sites.
In the U.S., slabs are rolled on
Steckel mills which have down coilers
at both ends of the four-high rolling
stand.
7. The heavy plate can be heated,
quenched (rapidly cooled) and
tempered to get the right proper-
ties.
8 Plates cool on a bed before
they are painted, cut to length
and prepared for delivery.
THE ELECTRIC ARC FURNACE
After all the scrap has been melted,
the slag is poured off and the liquid
crude steel is transferred to a ladle.
Each charge contains 150 tons of
steel in Montpelier and 175 tons of
steel in Mobile.
The electric arc furnace uses a high
current and relatively low voltage,
6001200V, to melt the scrap. The
power input is between 60100 MW.
An arc is created between the
electrodes and the scrap, which is
grounded via the furnace shell. The
arc creates a hot plasma that melts
the scrap (comparable to lightning
during a thunderstorm). The voltage
varies with the distance between the
electrodes and the scrap melting,
and can be regulated.
TAP HOLE
Slag port
LEFT: Steel scrap is recycled in SSAB's facilities in the U.S.
The scrap becomes raw material for heavy plate.
ABOVE: Finished plates at steelworks in the U.S. before being
shipped to customers.
Read about secondary metallurgy and continuous casting on page 30.
13
vatten
gldskal
1. The slabs are heated in
slab furnaces to the exact
temperature for rolling
about 1250C.
3. At the roughing mill, the thickness of the
steel slabs is reduced from 22 cm to 3 cm,
and the length increases from 11 meters to
nearly 80 meters. This partially-rolled slab is
wound into a coil on the coil box.
2. Mill scale is removed
from the steel surface
in several stages during
hot rolling.
4. In the nishing line, six stands
(each with a pair of work rolls) reduce
the nal thickness in the range of
1.8 and 16 mm.
5. The plate is water cooled to
about 600C before winding the
long strip into a coil.
7. The pickle bath
removes the mill scale
(oxide layer) formed
during hot rolling.
Pickling is carried out
in hydrochloric acid
solution and then the
strip is rinsed in several
steps.
6. Hot rolled strip
products are sold
as coils or cut into
formatted sheets.
Strip products
Rolling the sheet into thin dimensions takes place
in hot mills, which the sheet passes through several
pairs of rolls in a series one after another, each with a
decreasing gap between the work rolls.
Consequently, the sheet becomes thinner as it passes through each
rolling stand. This also increases the overall strip length.
The process begins in the roughing mill followed by a hot strip
mill in which the sheet is still glowing hot.
Some of the hot rolled plate is then cold rolled to become even
thinner and smoother.
DID YOU KNOW?
A slab that is 11 m long, 22 cm thick and 1.5 m wide can be rolled
down to 0.4 mm and then becomes a 6 km long strip.
HOW WE MAKE STEEL
14
vatten
gldskal
8 Hot rolled 6 mm
can be made thinner
and smoother by cold
rolling.
9. Strip products can
be rolled as thin as 0.3
mm.
10 Cold rolled steel is hard and
brittle. and it must be annealed
at 850C in order to become
formable again.
12. After cooling, there is
usually another heating step
(200500C) to make the
hardened steel more formable.
11. To harden the plate
it is quickly cooled.
13. Cold rolled sheet plate is
sold as coils, or cut into
formatted sheets.
14. Some sheet coils are hot-dip galvanized to pro-
vide a corrosion-resistant shield. This involves another
heating step and immersion in molten zinc followed by
cooling.
15. Hot-dip galvanized steel can be
further treated, for example, by painting
before delivery to customers.
LEFT: A new water cooling section
was built in Borlnge in 2011
The facility allows for the direct
quenching of thinner plates in
addition to conventional cooling.
RIGHT: The pickled sheet is rolled
in the Cold Roll Mill, this time
without heating. This makes the
plate thinner and harder.
See also the in more detail section on page 32.
15
1. Steel slabs are heated in
slab reheating furnaces to
the exact rolling temperature.
2. High pressure water sprays
remove scale from the heat slabs.
4. SSAB's four-high rolling mill
in Oxelsund works with forces of
100,000 kN (10,000 tons) and is
one of the world's most powerful
rolling mills.
3. The slab is rolled back and forth
in the four-high rolling mill until the
plate reaches the desired thickness
and width.
SSAB's great success with high strength steel
began in Oxelsund with a special cooling technology.
A rolling mill is needed in order to produce heavy plate. The
thick, heavy steel slabs must be rolled out to become plates
of the right thickness and width. SSAB's Swedish rolling mill
for heavy plate, located in Oxelsund, is one of the strongest
in the world.
Heavy plate
HOW WE MAKE STEEL
16
5. The hot plates are cut into
sheets of manageable lengths
after rolling.
7. Heating (tempering) of the plate occurs
at between 200700C. This makes the
quenched plate more ductile.
6. Quenching is done by rapid and
evenly distributed cooling with water.
This gives the plate its high-strength
properties.
8 The plate is cut to length before
being blasted to provide a scale-free
surface. Then the plate is labeled and
painted with anticorrosive paint.

LEFT: Heavy plate is cut into manageable
lengths after rolling.
CENTER: The finished plate is blasted,
painted and labeled.
RIGHT: The granulation facility at the steel-
works in Oxelsund converts hot metal into
iron pellets.
See also the in more detail section on page 34.
17
Rolling Quenching
Steel slabs are large and heavy. They weigh about
25 tons each and must become thinner and lighter to
be able to be used. Therefore, slabs are processed in
roll mills. Slabs can be rolled into heavy plate, or strip
products. Plate products are supplied in at form,
while sheets can be supplied as either at sheets, or
in coils.
The steel slabs are heated in furnaces until they become soft
and glowing. The roll mill acts as a giant rolling pin, which rolls
out the steel slab to its nal thickness.
After rolling, the plate can be rapidly cooled, quenched and
tempered and further treated.
Some plate products are cut to length and painted before
they are delivered to SSAB's customers.
SSAB has rolling mills in Oxelsund, Borlnge, Montpelier
and Mobile.

The strength of steel can be measured by a so-called
tensile test, which a piece of steel is pulled with such
force until it breaks into two pieces.
One measure of strength is yield strength, which refers
to the point where the steel loses its ability to regain its
original shape. Draghllfastheten mts i Megapascal,
MPa.
An example of steel with very high yield strength is
Docol 1500M. A 1 dm wide piece of metal which is 0.5
mm thick can resist a pulling force equivalent of six tons
before it deforms permanently.
The yield strength of Docol 1500M is 1,200 MPa. This
means that the sheet metal piece is strong enough to lift
ve connected normal size cars under each other.
Another way to measure the strength of steel is the
tensile strength the maximum load of the steel before
breakup.
Toughness and durability are also important
characteristics of steel products.
HOW TO MEASURE THE STRENGTH OF STEEL?
HOW WE MAKE STEEL
SSAB's focus on producing high strength steel started in
Oxelsund in the 1970s. The brand Hardox is steel with
exceptional wear resistance.
18
TOP: The hot strip mill in Borlnge manufactures
sheet products. Slabs are reheated to about
1250C prior to rolling.
LEFT: Sheet products can be delivered as coils, or
as cut-to-length at sheet.
19
MANAGING RESOURCES
The world's resources are nite. Therefore it is important to
manage raw materials and use them as efciently as possible.
The steel industry is central to social structure, and SSAB's
high strength steel has several advantages from a
sustainability perspective.
Management of the worlds resources requires energy-efcient
processes, and efcient and smart utilization of the nished
steel. The business activity requires environmental efforts that
contribute to a lasting and sustainable development.
A lighter, but stronger design needs a smaller amount of
steel, provides greater capacity, and reduces emissions of
carbon dioxide. This leads to energy conservation, good
management of resources, and a reduced environmental
impact.
SSAB's vision mirrors the direction the company is
heading.
SSAB's work method is consistently characterized
by its respect for employees, partners, countries and
environments in which it operates. SSAB has signed the
UN Global Compact. The UN Global Compact is an
initiative to promote corporate responsibility. Its
frame-work comprises ten principles in the areas of
human rights, labor rights, environment and corruption.
A stronger, lighter and more sustainable world
SSAB's vision
20
All steel can be recycled. Steel is one of the most recycled
materials in the world. Used materials are melted down
and turned into new products again. Scrap is an important
raw material.
SSAB uses scrap as a raw
material in the electric
arc furnaces in the United
States. Scrap is recycled
using natural gas and
electricity.
SSAB recycles steel in both
ore-based and scrap-
based metallurgy.
SSAB uses scrap as a cool-
ant in the LD converters in
Lule and Oxelsund.
THE LIFECYCLE OF STEEL
ORE
SSAB is one of the world's most energy-efcient steel
producers. For example, the pellets provided by LKAB consist
of 100% magnetite ore. This represents a major energy
advantage. Magnetite ore requires less energy and gener-
ates only a third as much carbon dioxide compared to pellets
made from hematite ore.
ENERGY-EFFICIENT BLAST FURNACES
SSAB's blast furnaces are some of the most energy-efcient
in the world. The amount of coal and coke used per ton of hot
metal are among the lowest. Efcient processes are crucial
for the energy-efcient use of resources.
Electric power and district heating produced by SSAB's
process gases are examples of the efcient use of natural
resources.
DID YOU KNOW?
SSAB annually awards the international Swedish Steel Prize.
Every year in November, a winner who has made the best use of high strength
steel in a design is selected from dozens of candidates.
ENERGY
The steel industry is one of the world's most energy-intensive
basic industries. Steel production uses mainly electricity and
coal.
The processes generate energy-rich gases from coke
ovens and blast furnaces. Using the gases created from the
processes means that, for example, the need for oil can be
reduced.
Using process gases as a raw material produces electricity
in gas turbines in combined heat and power (CHP) plants. It
covers half of SSAB's electricity needs for the production
facilities in Lule, Oxelsund and Borlnge.
Process gases also contribute to the production of district
heating. The households connected to the district heating
network in Oxelsund, Lule and Borlnge have SSAB as their
district heating provider.
Natural gas is used to preheat the processes of scrap recy-
cling in SSAB's U.S. facilities. Thereafter, the scrap is melted
in electric arc furnaces. Natural gas is also used for the slab
reheating furnaces.
21
ABOVE RIGHT: Finely crushed blast furnace slag (Hyttsten)
a bearing surface layer for equestrian sports.
ABOVE LEFT: Hyttsten is an environmentally friendly road
construction material for major and minor roads.
LEFT: Fine-grained materials such as filter dust are mixed
with cement and used in the form of briquettes as a new
raw material in the blast furnace.
BLAST FURNACE SLAG
Blast furnace slag is formed during hot metal production and
is a good raw material for cement-like binders, road materials,
and other applications. The uses of blast furnace slag include
road construction. It is sold under the name Hyttsten and has
the advantage of being a lightweight construction material.
Blast furnace slag contains lime and is therefore also used
as a raw material for KRAV certied agricultural lime. Blast
furnace slag is a good example of the resource management
of raw materials in the steel industry.
MEROX
Merox is a subsidiary of SSAB operating primarily at the three
production sites in Sweden. The company specializes in the
handling and sale of by-products formed during steelmaking.
Meroxs responsibilities include bringing ferrous materials
back into SSAB's processes.
Merox produces and sells products covering a wide range
of areas, including construction materials for roads, riding
tracks, raw materials for cement, fertilizer, magnets, and
coloring pigments.
Bringing materials back into the processes and using
by-products as new materials are examples of effective
management of the world's resources.
22
People and steel The future
SSABs operations have a high knowledge content, and the
company is dependent on the initiatives and innovation of
all employees to continuously improve and streamline
operations.
SSAB is a knowledge-intensive company with sites on
all continents and in over 45 countries. SSABs major
production facilities are in Sweden and the United
States. There are nearly 300 different professions in
the company, and many employees are working
locally and globally at the same time.
Development opportunities for employees within
SSAB are plentiful. There are close to 300 different
professions within the company.
KNOWLEDGE-INTENSIVE
Producing advanced steel products requires great knowledge
and a thorough understanding of metallurgical processes.
SSAB also conveys knowledge to its customers about how
high strength steel can be used. New applications, designs and
products are constantly developed together with customers.
Hence the need for employees with skills and innovative
ideas across many areas from marketing, research and
development to logistics, production and process development.
The impact on the environment can be reduced by
constantly improving and streamlining the various stages
of steel manufacturing.
Continuous professional development is essential in order
for employees to meet their different missions and to con-
tribute in the best way possible. Development opportunities
within SSAB's operations are numerous.
23
ENVIRONMENT AND SAFETY
SSAB is systematically and persistently working to create a
safe working environment for all employees. The company's
demanding work sites require a high level of safety-focused
thinking from everyone involved.
The goal of SSAB is to be the safest steel company in the
world.
A FUTURE FOR YOU?
Are you a future employee? Do you want to be part of creating
a stronger, lighter and more sustainable world?
To learn more, please visit:
www.ssab.com/career
or look us up on Facebook.
24
Application and product developer Technician Electrician
Seller Chemist HR partner Crane operator Bricklayer
Controller Development engineer Metallurgist Project leader
Researcher Strategic buyer Product developer Economist
Application Engineer Fireman Planner Mechanic
Continuous caster Constructor Ergonomist Logistician
System developer Customer service engineer Welder
Controls and control engineer Machine operator Truck driver
IT architect Work environment engineer Construction leader
Designer with different orientations
Some of the more than 300 occupations that
are represented at SSAB
25
COKING PLANTS
In addition to iron ore pellets, SSAB uses
both pulverized coal and coke for producing
hot metal. SSAB metallurgical processes
have coking plants in Lule and Oxelsund.
Injection coal and coke are the reduction
agents in the blast furnace process.
At the core of the coking plant is the cok-
ing battery which comprises a number of
tall, narrow ovens. Coking is a dry distillation
process, i.e. combustion without access to
oxygen. The black coal is charged by coal
machines above the oven battery. The ovens
have brick partitions in which the heating wall
channels are heated by the gas generated in
the coking battery itself, possibly mixed with
blast furnace gas. The coal is heated in the
narrow, airtight ovens until it is in an almost
uid-owing, plastic form. The elements that
are to be removed will then be gasied. The
total process takes approximately 18 hours.
The temperature is above 1000C and the
coal is converted to 75% coke and 25% gas.
The coking plant has a series of processes
in which the gas is puried in several steps
and many raw materials are recovered. The
most important is the puried coke oven gas
that provides energy to the coking plant and
other facilities, such as the blast furnace.
Raw materials are also recovered for use
in the chemical process industry, such as
sulphur for agricultural fertilizer use, tar and
asphalt. Other customers to the coking plant
include manufacturers of perfumes and
pharmaceuticals.
BLAST FURNACES
A SMELTING REDUCTION PROCESS
One hundred years ago, Sweden had
approximately 120 blast furnaces. Combined,
they produced about half a million tons of
hot metal per year. Today, Sweden has three
blast furnaces, all of which are owned by
SSAB. The largest of them is in Lule, and this
alone produces 2.5 million tons of hot metal
per year. There are two smaller blast furnaces
in Oxelsund. SSAB's total hot metal capacity
is just over 4 million tons.
All Swedish hot metal is produced using
pellets from the LKAB ore deposits in northern
Sweden. The LKAB pellets are produced from
magnetite ore and have a high iron content
more than 66%. LKAB utilizes the properties
of the magnetite ore in its pellets, so that a
lower amount of energy is needed for produc-
ing the blast furnace pellets. The high purity of
the LKAB pellets provides SSAB with benets
in hot metal production.
Ore-based
hot metal and steel
150 C
1 400 - 1 800 C
Malmen smlter
2 200 C
Koks frbrnns
1 500 C
Rjrn tappas ut
Puried process gas is
an important energy
source for SSAB's own
processes, for power
generation and district
heating.
The furnace's interior tem-
perature reaches approximately
2200C. The melting reduction
process combines the ore's
oxygen with coal.
The hot blast air
meets the ore
and coke in the
blast furnace
belly. The burden
lets the process
gas through, while
the molten iron
drips down.
The hot metal is
collected at the
bottom of the
blast furnace, the
hearth.
Tapping goes on for two hours and
then there is a 4050 minutes break
before the next tapping takes place.
The slag is separated from the hot
metal using a skimmer. The iron
temperature is more than 1500C.
Hot blast air is forced with
high pressure through large
nozzles, called tuyeres.
The gas from the
reduction process rises
through the burden.
It consists of carbon
monoxide and carbon
dioxide.
The blast furnace is charged continu-
ously with iron ore pellets, coke and
additives from the top.
INSIDE THE BLAST FURNACE
IN MORE DETAIL
Pulverized coal
is injected at
high pressure
to the blast air.
26
REDUCING ELEMENTS, ADDITIVES
In order to convert ore pellets into hot metal
in the blast furnace, the oxygen in the ore
must be removed. This is called reduction.
The blast furnace process is a melting
reduction process.
In the iron ore, the iron is bound to oxygen
as magnetite, with the chemical formula
Fe
3
O
4
. Fe is the chemical symbol for iron and
O the chemical symbol for oxygen. The
numerals specify the number of atoms of
each element. A reducing agent that will
combine with the oxygen at high tempera-
ture must be added. Carbon, with the chemi-
cal symbol C, is used as a reducing agent in
the form of coke and injection coal.
HOT METAL FLOWING AROUND THE CLOCK
The blast furnace is continuously charged
around the clock from the top with iron ore
pellets, coke and additives.
The coke supports the large column of
ore and coke inside the blast furnace. The
particle size of the coke allows the molten
hot metal to trickle down and the gas to rise
through the blast furnace. Some of the coke
can be replaced by injecting pulverized coal
to the blast furnace's blast air.
EFFICIENT BLAST FURNACES IN WESTERN EUROPE
The blast furnaces in Sweden recirculate furnace soot in
the form of briquettes in the process a way to recycle
materials so that they are used as efciently as possible.
Blast furnace 3 at SSAB in Lule is the most energy-
efcient furnace in its category.
Blast furnace 4 in Oxelsund uses injected furnace soot
another way to recycle by-products.
Barrel at Blast furnace 3 in Lule.
Hot blast air is supplied at high pressure
though a number of large nozzles under the
broad belly of the blast furnace, where pul-
verized coal is injected at the same time. The
blast air nozzles are known as tuyeres. The
blast air is heated in tall brick towers, cowpers
or heaters using energy recovered from the
blast furnace gas and coke gas.
The reduction process takes place inside
the ceramic-lined blast furnace, where the
temperature is 2200C in the hottest zone.
The iron melts at about 1500C.
When the iron has been reduced and
melted, it trickles down and collects at the
bottom of the blast furnace, which is known
as the hearth. The blast furnace is tapped at
a uniform rate. Tapping takes place during
two hours and is then interrupted for 4050
minutes before the next tapping.
BUT WHAT HAPPENS TO THE OXYGEN AND
CARBON THAT HAVE BEEN REDUCED?
They form two gases, carbon monoxide
and carbon dioxide, CO and CO
2
, which are
discharged from the blast furnace through
large pipes to a treatment facility.
The carbon monoxide is rich in energy. The
blast furnace gas is recycled as energy for
the processes of the blast furnace itself and
for other energy customers in the steelworks.
It is also used for power generation and
district heating.
SSAB participates in research on how car-
bon monoxide can be recycled and used in
the reducing process. SSAB is also involved
in research projects which aim to halve car-
bon emissions of future steel production.
SLAG
When the hot metal is tapped from the blast
furnace, the slag is also discharged. The
slag consists mainly of silicon and lime. The
silicon is a residue from the ore gangue
the rock that surrounds the ore veins. Lime
is added to the blast furnace process in
order to collect silicon and other undesired
substances to form a slag. The slag oats on
top of the molten hot metal. It is separated
by the runner and then tapped separately.
The slag is recycled once it has cooled and
solidied.

27
The LD process is an oxygen-
related steelmaking method
used to decarburize iron, i.e.
to lower the carbon content
so that the iron is converted
into malleable steel. Hot metal
is converted into steel when
the carbon content has been
lowered to 1.7%.
The LD converter has a
thick lining of a special
ceramic brick. The bricks
and tap hole wear out
and must be replaced
at regular intervals.
The oxygen lance is inserted in
the molten metal and oxygen
is blown at high pressure into
the vessel.
The oxygen reacts with the
carbon to make carbon monox-
ide and carbon dioxide gases.
The oxygen infusion continues
until the predetermined carbon
content has been reached. 1.7%
is the threshold between the
brittle hot metal (pig iron) and
malleable steel.
The tapping temperature is over
1600C.
The puried process gas is
very rich in energy and is used
both in our own processes for
metallurgy and for energy for
consumers. Half of SSAB's
electricity demands are met by
its own process gases, primarily
from the blast furnace but also
from the coking plant and the
LD process.
DESULPHURIZATION OF HOT METAL
The hot metal is transported in liquid form to
the steelworks for rening via ceramic-lined
vessels, called torpedoes. The hot iron is
close to 1500C, and contains about 4.5%
carbon, 0.1% sulphur and 0.5% silicon. In the
rst step, the sulphur is removed by rening
by adding magnesium oxide or calcium
carbide to the molten metal. It binds the
sulphur to form a liquid slag which is skimmed
off the top of the hot metal. Transportation
of hot metal and steel at the steelworks is
done by ceramic-lined containers, ladles.

STEEL PRODUCTION USING THE LD PROCESS
The LD process (converter) is a steel-making
method in which hot metal is decarburized
and converted to steel by blowing oxygen
from above into the molten metal with a
water-cooled lance. Hot metal is converted
into steel when the carbon content has been
lowered to 1.7%. The nal carbon content can
vary from 1% for very hard carbon steel to
only a few hundredths for steel with ultra-
low carbon content. Such ultra low-carbon
steels are soft and pliable.
Besides hot metal, scrap is also added to
the converter. Scrap is an important raw
material in the LD process and is melted with-
out the addition of any other energy
a highly energy-efcient recycling method.
The scrap is added primarily to cool the
molten metal which sees a sharp rise in
temperature when oxygen reacts with, for
THE LD PROCESS
IN MORE DETAIL
Ore-based
hot metal and steel
28
In Lule, Borlnge and Oxelsund,
house-holds receive district heat-
ing with the help of SSAB. SSAB
gas produces steam that drives
turbines with electric generators.
The hot water is used for district
heating.
The top picture shows one of the
blast furnaces in Oxelsund which,
besides hot metal, also produces
energy-rich gas.
The hot liquid steel is continuously
cast into manageable slabs.
example, carbon and silicon. The carbon reacts
with the oxygen and forms carbon monoxide,
while other elements, such as silicon, form a
slag. Burnt lime is also added to capture silicon
and other unwanted substances in the slag.
When the hot metal is tapped to a ladle, at a
temperature of about 1700C, a variety of
alloying elements also are added.
These will form the basis of the steel analysis
which will be manufactured.
ENERGY-RICH GASES
The puried process gas is very rich in energy
and is used in our own processes for
metallurgy and as energy for consumers. For
example, half of SSAB's electricity needs in
Lule, Borlnge and Oxelsund is produced
using our own process gases, mainly from the
blast furnace but also from the coking plant
and the LD process.
29
Various alloying elements
such as niobium, manga-
nese, titanium, boron and
aluminum are added at
the secondary metallurgy
process.
SSAB has several different pro-
cesses for secondary metallurgy.
This ne-tunes the steel's analysis
and temperature.
The recipe book contains
500 different types of steel.
Accuracy is measured in
hundredths of a percent.
Some steel types can also be
vacuum treated to remove
hydrogen and nitrogen.
Gas can be added in the
secondary metallurgy
both via lance and
bottom ushing.
Liquid steel is tapped from the bottom
of the ladle to an intermediate vessel,
called a tundish. The temperature is now
below 1600C.
The mould is an open mould with four
water-cooled plates that the hot steel
glides between. A hardened shell is
formed when casting. The casting
temperature is now around 1540C.
Cooling continues by quench-
ing with water sprayed
throughout the strand.
The steel is still glowing hot, but has
solidied throughout when it is cut into
slabs by oxygen lances. The tempera-
ture is 1000C. Each slab is labeled
before being placed on a cooling bed.
SECONDARY METALLURGY
Whether the hot metal is produced by
ore-based or scrap-based raw materials,
the operators fine-tune the temperature,
and the amounts of various alloying
elements. Analytical limits are very tight
and tolerances are small. Each type of
steel has a unique recipe that must be fol-
lowed exactly. The operators use
computers and analytics with rapid
laboratory evaluations to ensure that the
steel contains the correct amount of the
right ingredients and that the steel is at
the right temperature.
The requirements and degree of accuracy
are identical across all SSAB steelworks,
although the processes may differ.
The steel can also be subjected to
vacuum treatment for extremely high
purity, such as hydrogen and nitrogen
removal.

STEEL WITH PRECISION
Accuracy is an important factor in the vari-
ous manufacturing steps for SSAB's steel
types. Hard or soft steel? This is determined
in secondary metallurgy. The recipe follows
every ladle right from the steelwork's rst
processing step at the desulphurization
station through to the LD converters,
vacuum treatment, and nally continuous
casting.
SSAB utilizes various carbon contents and
alloys to achieve the desired strength and
ductility. SSAB high strength steels belong to
the family of low-alloy steel grades.
Secondary metallurgy and continuous casting
All raw steel is converted into slabs by continuous casting.
SSAB produces about 500 different grades, each with its
own special "recipe". Steel grades and quality demands are
constantly evolving.
IN MORE DETAIL
30
CONTINUOUS CASTING
Continuous casting is a process to convert
the 1600C hot liquid steel into manage-
able slabs. The ladle carrying the liquid steel
is placed in a holder. From here, the steel is
tapped through a casting pipe to a tundish.
The tundish is an intermediate vessel used
during casting to allow the changeover from
one ladle to another without any interruption
in the process.
Continuous casting is done using a water-
cooled mould, which is open both at the top
and bottom.
A casting powder is used, so that the steel
slides smoothly through the mould. Power-
ful water-cooling of the mould's casting
plates immediately gives the hot liquid melt
a shell of hardened steel. The cooled steel
shrinks in volume as it is withdrawn from the
underside of the mould in a long strand. The
strand is continuously cooled on its arc-
shaped path down to the cutting station. At
this stage, the steel is still hot and glowing, but
is sufciently solid to enable the strand to be
cut with movable oxygen torches into pieces
up to 11 m long.
SLABS
Slabs can vary in length, width and thickness
depending on in which of SSAB's plants the
slabs are produced. A common slab weighs
25 tons. The steel from one ladle is enough
for a handful of slabs, and is the smallest
quantity of the same grade of steel that
SSAB can produce.
The steel in the Eiffel Tower in Paris weighs 7300 tons. At
full operation, the steel commuter train between Lule and
Borlnge carries 7000 tons per day on four trains. Every day,
shipments equate to almost the weight of the Eiffel Tower.
The cast iron manufactured in 1889, when the Eiffel Tower was
erected, had a tensile strength of 200 MPa (megapascals).
Today, SSAB's high strength steel with a tensile strength of
1400 MPa could be used for a new Eiffel Tower. It would reduce
the weight by 40%.from 7300 tons to 3000 tons
A COMPARISON
Swedish operations cast thicker slabs com-
pared to the works in the United States which
cast thinner and wider slabs.
Each slab receives an "ID number" and is a
carefully recorded entity intended for a specic
end-product. Samples of the steel are taken
throughout the production chain and ulti-
mately also from the nished slab. All slabs are
inspected and some further treatment may be
required, such as grinding.
The slabs are cooled in different ways. Some
sensitive steel slabs require slow cooling at
a steady pace and are allowed to cool under
special hoods.
The metallurgy process takes 12 hours from
iron and steel production through to it becom-
ing a steel slab, ready for rolling into sheets.
THE STEEL COMMUTER TRAIN
The steel commuter train is a train system in
Sweden between Lule, Borlnge, and Oxel-
sund. Slabs are transported from Oxelsund
and Lule to Borlnge for rolling. Borlnge then
sends the nished strip product coils to Oxel-
sund where they are shipped worldwide from the
Steel Harbor in Oxelsund.
A RECIPE
SSAB produces the high strength steel Docol which is used,
for example, for side impact protection in car doors to
protect in a collision.
To arrive at that particular steel grade, carbon, manga-
nese, silicon and other alloying elements are used.
After rolling, the sheet is still 600C when it is rolled up
on coils. At this point, the sheet is 4 mm thick.
The cold rollup mill reduces the sheet thickness to 1.5
mm, a standard thickness for safety features in cars.
After cold rolling, the material is hard and brittle. That is
why the sheet is heat-treated, which makes it moldable. To
gain the highest strength, the plate can also be annealed
and then cooled rapidly.
This is an example of how SSAB produces steel grades
according to customer requirements.
HOT ROLLING
The slabs are heated to approximately
1250C in two furnaces at the works in
Borlnge, using oil or gas as an energy
source. The slabs are then rolled initially in
the roughing mill. The thickness is reduced
to 3 cm after ve passes back and forth
in the roughing mill. The glowing hot slab
has then grown in length from a slab measur-
ing 11 m to an intermediate slab measuring
80 m. It is then wound up as a coil in the
so-called coilbox and transferred to the
nishing strip mill. The plate is then further
rolled down to a thickness of between 1.816
mm in a continuous manner through six
different mill stands.
At the end of the hot strip mill, the
steel reaches a speed of 120 km per hour.
The decrease in thickness means the sheet
must expand in a longitudinal direction. The
speed increases with each mill stand, and is
fastest at the end. At a nal thickness of
2 mm, the sheet strip has grown to a length
of 1300 m.
QUENCHING
After the nal rolling stand, the sheet is
cooled. For some grades of steel the cool-
ing process is very rapid. Other steel grades
require slower cooling. In the quenching line,
the strip is rapidly cooled at about 100C per
second. This gives the sheet its hardness and
strength. SSAB can roll the world's toughest
hot rolled strip in Borlnge.
After cooling, the sheet undergoes a descaling
treatment in one of two so-called pickling
lines. During rolling, mill scale (iron oxide) is
formed on the plate through its contact with
air. In the acid pickling baths, the mill scale is
removed from the sheet surface.
COLD ROLLING AND ANNEALING
When the customer requires thinner plate
than that obtained by hot rolling, the sheet
must be cold rolled. Cold rolling gives a more
precise thickness and a smoother surface.
In the cold roll mill, the sheet is cold rolled
in a rolling mill with ve consecutive pairs of
rolls. Each rolling stand has two working roll-
ers and two backup rollers. In order to make
the plate thinner, high roll forces, as well as
sheet tension are required between each pair
of rolls. Everything happens automatically at
high speed with the help of computers.
Cold rolling makes the plate brittle and
hard in the rst stage. This is because the
grains in the structure of the steel have
become elongated and deformed.
Cold rolled sheet must therefore be
annealed. Heating to a sufciently high
temperature causes new grains to grow at
the expense of the deformed grains, and
restores the formability of the sheet.
A coil of hot rolled sheet can weigh 24 tons.
Strip products
IN MORE DETAIL
32
ANNEALING AND QUENCHING
SSAB's specialty is extremely high strength
steels. To obtain a higher strength, the sheet
must be quenched. This is done by annealing
and rapid cooling. The extreme rapid cooling
affects the ne structure of the steel grains
The rapid cooling locks to carbon atoms in
place, and causes the increase in strength.
The thickness of cold rolled plate can vary
from 0.3 to 3 mm. A cold rolled sheet that is
0.6 mm thick, becomes a coil of 4 km sheet.

COATING
Cold rolled sheet can be further processed
by coating. Hot-dip galvanizing provides
good corrosion protection. In hot-dip
galvanizing, the strip is rst annealed and then
cooled to 470C before passing through a
molten zinc bath. After the nal cooling, the
sheet passes through trimming and leveling
rolls to provide it with the nal properties.
The sheet also can be painted and is then
coated with several layers of paint in a con-
tinuous process. The paint is applied on the
moving strip by rubber rolls, and then passes
through drying furnaces before being coiled
up again. SSAB has painting lines for strip
metal in Borlnge and Finspng.
CUTTING TO LENGTH
Strip products can be delivered as either coils
or as at, cut-to-length sheet. Plate rolls are
called coils. A large proportion of the produc-
tion tonnage is cut-to-length to suit the
customers' exact needs. This process is
carried out in shearing lines using forces
sufciently high to cut even the strongest
steels. To divide the wide coils into narrower
strips, the material runs through a slitting line.
The rolled strip products in Borlnge are wound up as coils before continuing.
THE STRUCTURE OF STEEL
The steel's grain structure is affected by rolling.
1. In hot rolling, the steel regains its grain
structure after rolling.
2. Cold rolling produces stretched and deformed
grains. This makes the plate hard and brittle.
3. Heat treatment creates new tension-free
grains, and the plate becomes formable again.
A very strong grain structure is created by sub-
sequent quenching and rapid cooling. Tempering
(reheating) increases the steel's ductility in one
last step.
1.
2. 3.
ABOVE, LEFT: Cut-to-length sheet.
ABOVE, RIGHT: A thin layer of zinc gives
the sheet good rust protection.
RIGHT: Galvanized sheet can be
painted in a wide range of colors. The
paint is applied with rubber rollers and
quickly dried in curing furnaces.
33
Oxelsund has one of the strongest reversing
four-high mills in the world. The separating
force is 100,000 kN (10,000 tons). Here, 29
cm thick slabs are rolled to plate with thick-
nesses ranging all the way from 150 mm to 4
mm. The plates can be up to 40 m long.
Four-high rolling means that four heavy
rolls, two work rolls and two backup rolls,
deform the plate with tremendous forces in a
number of passes back and forth through the
rollup stand.
HEAVY PLATE ON A COIL
In the United States, Steckel rolling mills
are used to manufacture heavy plate. The
Steckel mills are similar to four-high revers-
ing plate mills and also uses a four-high mill
stand with work rolls and backup rolls through
the rolling stand. However, Steckel mills also
have heated coil boxes on each side of the
rolling standm where the plate can be held
between rolling passes (to minimize
temperature loss). During the later rolling
passes, the plate is run from one downcoiler
to the other downcoiler back and forth in
a number of rolling passes until the plate
reaches the nal thickness. Plates up to 3 m
wide can be rolled in Mobile and Montpelier,
and they can be delivered as either at plate
or as large coils.
RAPID COOLING GIVES EXTREME
STRENGTH
High strength steels are nished in SSAB's
quenching lines. Quenching takes place
through rapid cooling. The rapid cooling is
done using water under very high pressure.
SSAB was one of the pioneers in the
development of high strength steels.
SSAB is increasing its quenching capacity
in both Sweden and the United States. An
increasing volume of high strength steels are
being produced.
The slabs for making heavy plates are 1529 cm thick. The
slabs are cut to the right length before being rolled.
Heavy plate
The four-high mill in Oxelsund is one of the
strongest rolling mills in the world. The sepa-
rating force is 100,000 kN (10,000 tons).
IN MORE DETAIL
34
TEMPERING
Steel can take on different atomic structures, phases,
which differ partly by the degree of hardness and/or
ductility. By quenching, heating and rapid cooling, the
steel transforms into the martensite phase, which is
very hard. Thereafter, the steel can be heat-treated
to improve formability and reduce the risk of cracking.
The tempering of hardened steel is a process
used to increase the steel's ductility and reduce its
hardness. To achieve this, the steel is reheated to
200700C. In this way, the ductility of most steel
types increases.
ABOVE LEFT: SSAB steel is manufactured with a
view to achieving different properties, such as
Weldox for high strength and weldability.
ABOVE, RIGHT: Monitoring the process from the
control room.
RIGHT: In Oxelsund, heavy plate is manufactured
with a variety of properties including hardness,
ductility and wear resistance. The steel's special
properties are created with SSAB's different
processes with alloying elements, heat treatment,
quenching and rapid cooling.
35
A
Abrasion resistance Ability to withstand
abrasive wear; wear resistance
Alloy Blending, mixing
Alloying elements Substances that bind with
iron or other metals, and alter the metal's
properties
Annealing Heat treatment, heating to above
680 degrees [Celsius], usually to make steel softer
Application Final customer/end- product for
which a certain grade of steel is used
Application engineers Specialists in the
properties and workshop performance of the
mate-rials, with a focus on developing new
applications
B
Basic industries Industries for extracting and
processing raw materials
Blast air Heated air that is blown into the blast
furnace at high pressure
Blasting Sand or small steel balls are blasted,
often with water, at high pressure against a sur-
face to clean it, for example, before painting
Burden The contents of a blast furnace and the
supply of raw materials such as ore pellets, lime,
coke and coal
Bustle pipe Pipe around the blast furnace
through which blast air is supplied and distributed
C
Carbon dioxide, CO
2
Colorless gas, soluble in
water to produce carbonic acid, what gives soft
drinks their zz, and by making up 0.03% of the
atmosphere is one of the so-called greenhouse
gases
Carbon monoxide, CO Colorless and odor-
less energy-rich gas that burns with a blue ame,
poisonous. When burnt, carbon dioxide is formed
Coiling, coiler Machine part that receives sheet
or plate from the rolling mill and winds it into a coil
Coilbox Rolling machinery for intermediate
storage of partially-rolled plate between passes
Coils Large rolls of rolled sheet
Coke Dry-distilled coal converted into a metallic
hard and porous form by heating in sealed ovens
Cold rolling Technique in which hot rolled plate
is rolled out to thinner dimensions without prior
heating
Cowpers Heaters, ceramic towers used for
heating the blast air
Continuous casting Method of casting steel
in continuous long strands, which are then cut up
into slabs
Crude steel Iron that has been decarburized to
remove part of the carbon in the molten metal but
that has not yet been rened into a denite steel
grade
Cutting station Station in which the steel
strand is cut into slabs
D
Decarburizing Steelworks process where hot
metal is converted into crude steel by reducing
the carbon content
Desulphurization Method used for removing
sulphur from the hot metal or steel, e.g. by the
addition of carbide or magnesium oxide
District heating Heating systems for cities and
communities through a central energy producer
and pipes carrying hot water to consumers. It
can use different energy sources, such as SSAB's
process gases
District heating power plant Combined heat
and power (CHP) plant power plant that gener-
ates both electric power and steam for district
heating. Uses steam turbines that drive electric
generators. Used steam then produces hot water
Dry distillation process Combustion in the
absence of oxygen
Dual phase steel High strength steel that has a
soft (ferrite) and a hard (martensite) microstruc-
ture, resulting in a desired combination of good
ductility with high strength
Dust lter Cleaning facility for gas or air in
which the dust is separated and collected for
recycling
E
Electric arc furnace Technique using high
voltage between electrodes to create an arc that
melts scrap
Electrical arc furnance process Electrical
method to melt iron and steel
F
Fatigue Deterioration of a material's strength
caused by frequent changes in the mechanical
state of stress
Four-high reversing rolling mill A roll mill with
two work rollers and two backup rolls that exert
very high forces to reduce the thickness of slabs
to plate in a number of passes
G
Granulation Liquid slag or steel is rapidly
cooled in water in such a way that it turns into ne
grains similar to coarse sand, i.e. granules
H
Hearth The blast furnace bottom where molten
hot metal is collected
Heat Refers to a batch of a given recipe from
the steel shop
Heavy plate Plate with dimensions of and above
3 mm rolled in reversing plate or Steckel mills
Hematite Fe
2
O
3
, non-magnetic iron ore
High strength steel Steels which have been
developed a higher strength by micro-alloying,
heat treatment or so-called thermo-mechanical
treatment
Hot-dip galvanizing Method of applying an
anti-corrosive coat of molten zinc and aluminum
to the surface of sheet steel
Hot metal Iron with a carbon content above 1.7%
Hot rolling Technique in which slabs are heated
in furnaces to high temperatures prior to rolling to
reduce the slabs thickness
Hot sheet mill Hot strip mill for wide, rolled
strips wound into coils
I
Impact guards Energy-absorbing vehicle
feature for protection in the event of a collision.
Injection coal Finely ground coal which is
injected into the blast furnace at high pressure
without rst being converted to coke
Iron ore pellet Balls of puried compressed iron
ore powder
L
Ladle Containers for transporting or treating
hot, liquid metal
Ladle change Changeover from an empty ladle
to a ladle full of molten steel (at the caster)
LD converter Steel process named after Linz
Donawitz that consists of a vessel and lance for
treatment with oxygen. Converts hot iron metal
into crude steel by decarburizing
Low alloy steels Steel whose properties have
been changed with low amounts of alloying elements
as opposed to high-alloy steel, often stainless
Dictionary, steel language
36
M
Magnetite Fe
3
O
4
, magnetic iron ore
Melting reduction process Process used for
melting and removing unwanted elements from
metal raw materials
Metallurgy The science of the production of
metal and its properties
Mill scale Residual scale (iron oxide) on the
surface of the plate during and after hot rolling
Mill stand A set of two or more cylindrical rollers
in a machine
Mould Casting mould
O
Ore wagon Railway car for transport of chunk
ore, iron ore or pellets
Oxygen lance Tubular lance for injection of
oxygen into a liquid steel bath
P
Pair of rolls A pair of cylindrical rolls used to
reduce the plates thickness using high pressure
Payload The useful load a vehicle can carry. If
the truck's own weight is reduced, the load can be
increased by an equivalent amount
Phases Steels have different crystal struc-
tures at different temperatures and a number of
different phases depending on heat treatment,
alloy variety, quenching, cooling, etc. Best known
are martensite (quenched), ferrite (pure iron) and
austenite (non-magnetic)
Pickling line Process line that uses dilute acid
for descaling hot rolled sheet
Post-treatment Heat treatment, cooling, etc.
to give the steel certain properties; also
galvanizing, painting and cutting to length
Process gas Gas from metallurgical processes,
often rich in energy
Process/methods Way to extract raw
materials and manufacture products in a
continuous process without interruption
Process water Water from cooling or treat-
ment in various SSAB processes. Always treated
and can often be recirculated
Q
Quenching Rapid cooling to make the steel
harder
R
Recycling Restoring used products or
by-products to a new cycle of production
and use
Reducing agents Substances that can unite
with an undesirable substance in a process, such
as carbon which can remove oxygen from iron ore
Roll pass The steel's passage one time through
rolling stand reduces the thickness
Rolling mill Machinery using cylindrical rollers
to roll out steel to thinner dimensions
Roughing mill Two cylindrical rough rollers which
reduce the slab to a thinner dimension prior to
nish rolling
Runner (for tapping the molten steel) Runner
with a ceramic lining for controlling the hot metal
S
Scrap Used materials that can be crushed and
recycled, such as steel scrap
Secondary metallurgy Technique for the ne
adjustment of alloying elements, purity and
temperature of the steel
Slab furnace Furnace used for heating steel
slabs to rolling temperature
Slabs Steel slabs
Slag By-products of slabs separated in
metallurgical processes, includes lime and silicon
from coal and coke ash
Steckel roll mill Four-high rolling mill with
Steckel coiling furnaces at each side of the rolling
stand. The plate is recoiled after each rolling pass
in there coilboxes
Steel Alloy of iron and carbon with a carbon
content below 1.7%
Steel commuter train Train system for the
transportation of slabs between Lule, Borlnge
and Oxelsund
Steel slab Semi-nished product used for
producing steel plate or sheet
Strand Strand of cast steel
Strength The material's ability to resist, for
example, tensile stress without deforming (yield
strength) or rupture (tensile strength) or cyclic
loading leading to fatigue failure
Strip products Thin sheet with a maximum
thickness of 16 mm. Can be cold rolled down to
0.20.3 mm
Submerged entry nozzle Ceramic tube that
protects the steel against contact with air during
casting
Surface treatment, surface coating Cleaning,
grinding or coating of surfaces, e.g. by galvanizing
and/or painting
T
Tempering Heating to 200700C with the
aim of making hardened steel tougher and less
susceptible to cracking
Tensile strength Maximum strength that can be
applied without breaking
Torpedo car, torpedo Cylindrical railcar lined
with bricks and used for transporting the hot metal
from the blast furnace to steel shop
Tundish Intermediate containment vessel used
during casting to be able to pass the liquid steel
between the ladle and casting mold
V
Vacuum cleaning Method to vacuum clean the
steel from hydrogen and nitrogen
Y
Yield strength The maximum stress that the
steel can withstand without sustaining permanent
deformation. At stresses below the yield strength
the material deforms only elastically like a rubber
band

37
Lule
Oxelsund
Borlnge
SSAB AMERICAS
SSAB EMEA
SSAB APAC
Sales office
Steelwork
Rolling mill
Distribution center
Annual turnover SEK 45 billion
Crude steel volume 5.7 million tons of crude steel
Niche products 1.7 million tons
Number of employees 9000
LARGE PRODUCTION SITES

Sweden Lule, Borlnge, Oxelsund, Finspng
United States Montpelier (Iowa), Mobile (Alabama)
China Kunshan
Exporting countries More than 100 countries
Figures from 2011. For more information, visit www.ssab.com
SSAB is a certied company within quality, environment and occupational
environment, and fulls the requirements of the following standards:
Lule: ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 and AFS 2001:1
Borlnge, Finspng: ISO 9001, ISO/TS 16949 and ISO 14001
Oxelsund: ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
Mobile: ISO 14001, ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001
Montpelier: ISO 14001, ISO 9001, and OHSAS 18001
BUSINESS AREAS
38
SSAB is a leading global provider of high strength steel. SSAB offers products
developed in close cooperation with customers to create a stronger, lighter and
more sustainable world.
SSAB has employees in over 45 countries, and production facilities in Sweden and
the United States. SSAB is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Nordic Exchange, Stockholm.
www.ssab.com
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