The year of 1974 saw a breakthrough in steelmaking when global steel manufacturer, SSAB, introduced the world’s first bendable wear plate.
A unique combination of hardness and toughness, the company claims, helped to solve the issue of brittleness in conventional abrasion-resistant steels which were ‘nearly impossible’ to bend and could not withstand heavy impact in use.
In 1983, SSAB’s mill in Oxelösund, Sweden, created a truly hard wear plate that was branded as Hardox – a name that perfectly describes its strength. Today, it’s still proudly produced in Sweden, the United States and Finland, and it is widely used across the entire world.
“It all started with Hardox 400 which was launched in 1974,” says SSAB Marketing Manager – South East Asia, Japan and Pacific, Kris Chua. “It was the first user-friendly wear plate with mechanical properties that allowed it to be cut, bent, welded and machined without any hassles in the workshop.
“Then came Hardox 450, further positioning Hardox as the wear-resistant steel of choice for demanding customers across the world.”
After this ultimate workhorse came a wide variety of grades to meet almost any conceivable worksite challenge – Hardox 500 Tuf, Hardox HiAce and Hardox HiTemp.
According to SSAB, when Hardox 500 Tuf was released it was rapidly adopted as the new standard for wear plate. With its outstanding hardness and toughness it has since delivered unparalleled performance, even in freezing conditions, and it can be used in nearly any application.
The full Hardox product range also includes extra-tough Hardox HiTuf, and for wear parts and liners that need exceptional hardness customers can choose from Hardox 500, Hardox 550, Hardox 600 and Hardox Extreme.
SSAB is now furthering the ongoing development of this product with its first-ever emission-free steel in the Hardox range known as SSAB Zero.
“As we look back on 50 years of progress, we remain firm in our commitment to develop a steel that meets the challenges of a modern world,” Kris says. “That’s why we’re thrilled to present our first-ever emission-free steel in the Hardox range, Hardox 450 made from SSAB Zero.”
SSAB Zero, according to the company, is the world’s first emission-free steel of its kind. This new version of Hardox wear plate retains all the qualities which made Hardox 450 renowned around the world except it goes one step further.
SSAB Zero is produced in electric arc furnaces (EAF) using recycled steel as the raw material and the production process is powered by fossil-free electricity and biogas. The end result is steel produced with virtually no carbon emissions during the steelmaking process.
“By utilising steel scrap and fossil-free energy, we can make a significant contribution towards decarbonising the steel industry,” says SSAB Vice President Sustainable Business, Thomas Hörnfeldt. “Along with our continued efforts to develop the world’s first fossil-free steel, SSAB Zero will be an important part of our future comprehensive zero fossil carbon-emission steel offering.
“Based on the increasing customer demand for fossil-free steel, we soon realised that we could use more than one technology to meet the challenge of decarbonisation. We now have a comprehensive offer of zero carbon emission steels, so that regardless of the ironmaking process – based on iron ore or recycled scrap – SSAB will have the best offering on the market.”
In many industries that rely on steel, finding greener alternatives is imperative to combating climate change. However, when it comes to SSAB Zero, SSAB does not engage in any mass balancing allocation of emission reduction or carbon offsetting activities.
The carbon emission reductions are real and tangible, and SSAB is completely transparent about any associated carbon emissions no matter how small. Plus, it guarantees that the carbon footprint of both steels will be verified by a third-party.
“We understand that for many of our customers, steel represents a large part of their own carbon footprint, so they need complete transparency,” Thomas says. “We always ensure our steels are delivered with accurate and reliable values, which our customers can use with confidence in their own footprint calculations.”
SSAB Zero steel has the ability to reduce the environmental load from steel production even further, and by using the innovative wear plate, SSAB says businesses can take their sustainability goals to the next level.
Fast fact
SSAB Zero has zero fossil carbon emissions (less than 0.05 kg CO2e emissions per kg steel in scope 1 and 2) in operations, including purchased energy and transportation.
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