UK Reports Potential Problems When Welding Chinese Structural Steel

The UK Steel Industry Association has issued a safety warning regarding the use of imported Chinese steel products. According to the notice, imported steel plates and sections from Chinese manufacturers do not fully meet the specified standards.

It should be noted that the association issued a similar warning on the import of Chinese rebar in January this year. UK Steel represents all steel companies and many steel processing companies in the UK.

According to European standards, only unalloyed steels can be qualified as structural steels. The standards note strict limits on the number of other metallic elements that allow qualification as unalloyed steel. However, small proportions of alloying elements were found in steel plates and sections imported from China. Imported slabs and bars contain elevated copper levels.

The trade association claims that Chinese manufacturers add alloying elements to conventional carbon steels to classify them as "alloy steels" in order to avoid local export tax. All unalloyed steel exports are subject to export tax in that country, the UK association noted.

The addition of these alloying elements can cause problems when welding steel. This can lead to cracks in the welded joints. In addition, cracks become visible only 48 hours after welding, which by then can even lead to catastrophic consequences. The association encouraged all customers to check the content of the steel alloys before they are used in welding.