Extended Operational and Trade Vocabulary

Marine Steel Suppliers and Shipbuilding Plate glossary

The shipbuilding-steel vocabulary: the hull-steel grades (ABS Grade A mild steel, AH32, AH36 higher-tensile) with their yield and Charpy-impact requirements, the steel mills and suppliers, and the plate-rolling and material-certification terms. Grounds each term in the steel grade or the class material rule it belongs to.

225 defined terms.

A

ABS: American Bureau of Shipping; IACS member classification society.
ABS Grade A: Mild hull structural steel with minimum yield 235 MPa and tensile range 400 to 520 MPa, no Charpy impact requirement.
ABS Grade AH32: Higher strength hull steel with minimum yield 315 MPa, Charpy impact tested at 0 degrees Celsius.
ABS Grade AH36: Higher strength hull steel with minimum yield 355 MPa, the workhorse grade for modern shipbuilding.
ABS Grade AH40: Higher strength hull steel with minimum yield 390 MPa used for VLCC and Capesize tonnage.
ABS Grade B: Hull structural steel with yield 235 MPa, Charpy impact tested at 0 degrees Celsius.
ABS Grade D: Hull structural steel with yield 235 MPa, Charpy impact tested at minus 20 degrees Celsius.
ABS Grade DH32: Higher strength hull steel yield 315 MPa, Charpy impact tested at minus 20 degrees Celsius.
ABS Grade DH36: Higher strength hull steel yield 355 MPa, Charpy impact tested at minus 20 degrees Celsius.
ABS Grade DH40: Higher strength hull steel yield 390 MPa, Charpy impact tested at minus 20 degrees Celsius.
ABS Grade E: Hull structural steel with yield 235 MPa, Charpy impact tested at minus 40 degrees Celsius.
ABS Grade EH32: Higher strength hull steel yield 315 MPa, Charpy impact tested at minus 40 degrees Celsius.
ABS Grade EH36: Higher strength hull steel yield 355 MPa, Charpy impact tested at minus 40 degrees Celsius.
ABS Grade EH40: Higher strength hull steel yield 390 MPa, Charpy impact tested at minus 40 degrees Celsius.
ABS Grade EH47: Ultra high strength hull steel yield 460 MPa for ULCS hatch coamings, Charpy impact tested at minus 40 degrees Celsius.
ABS Grade FH32: Higher strength hull steel yield 315 MPa, Charpy impact tested at minus 60 degrees Celsius.
ABS Grade FH36: Higher strength hull steel yield 355 MPa, Charpy impact tested at minus 60 degrees Celsius.
ABS Grade FH40: Higher strength hull steel yield 390 MPa, Charpy impact tested at minus 60 degrees Celsius.
Accelerated Cooling: AC process applying controlled water cooling after rolling to refine microstructure in TMCP shipbuilding plate.
Acerinox: Spanish stainless steel group with production at Los Barrios, supplier of stainless plate for chemical tanker construction.
AH32: IACS higher strength hull steel grade with minimum yield 315 MPa, suffix A indicates impact tested at 0 degrees Celsius.
AH36: IACS higher strength hull steel grade with minimum yield 355 MPa, the dominant grade in modern merchant hulls.
AH40: IACS higher strength hull steel grade with minimum yield 390 MPa used in VLCC and Capesize structures.
AH47: IACS ultra high strength hull steel grade with minimum yield 460 MPa, A suffix indicates impact at 0 degrees Celsius.
Alform: Voestalpine brand family of high strength low alloy and quenched and tempered plate steels.
Algoma Steel: Canadian integrated steel producer at Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, supplier of hot rolled plate.
Aluminum 5083: Marine grade aluminum magnesium alloy widely used for high speed craft hulls and LNG containment structures.
Aluminum 5083-H321: Marine-grade Al-Mg plate.
Aluminum 5083-O: Annealed temper of 5083 used for formed sections in LNG type B Moss tanks.
Aluminum 5086: Aluminum magnesium alloy used for marine hull plate and superstructure applications.
Aluminum 5454: Aluminum magnesium manganese alloy used in tank construction with good elevated temperature performance.
Aluminum 6082: Aluminum magnesium silicon structural alloy used in marine extrusions and superstructures.
Andernach: ThyssenKrupp Rasselstein tinplate and processing site on the Rhine in Germany.
Ansteel: Anshan Iron and Steel Group, Chinese state owned integrated steel producer headquartered in Liaoning.
Aperam: Stainless and specialty alloy producer, owner of the Imphy plant in France that produces Invar 36 for LNG membrane.
ArcelorMittal: Global integrated steel group with European flat plate output from Asturias, Dunkirk, Bremen, and Ghent.
ArcelorMittal Asturias: Integrated flat steel works in northern Spain producing shipbuilding and structural plate.
ArcelorMittal Bremen: Integrated flat steel works on the Weser in Germany producing hot rolled plate and coil.
ArcelorMittal Dunkirk: Integrated flat steel works on the French North Sea coast producing heavy plate.
ArcelorMittal Ghent: Integrated flat steel works in Belgium producing flat rolled steel for automotive and industrial markets.
ASTM A370: Standard test methods and definitions for mechanical testing of steel products including tensile properties.
ASTM A578: Standard specification for straight beam ultrasonic examination of rolled steel plates for special applications.
ASTM E23: Standard test method for notched bar impact testing of metallic materials including Charpy V notch.
AWS A5.1: Specification for carbon steel electrodes for shielded metal arc welding including E7018 grades.
AWS A5.18: Specification for carbon steel electrodes and rods for gas shielded arc welding including ER70S-6.
AWS A5.20: Specification for carbon steel electrodes for flux cored arc welding including E71T-1.

B

Baosteel: Shanghai Baoshan Iron and Steel, Chinese integrated steelmaker now part of China Baowu Steel Group.
BCA Steel: Brittle Crack Arrest steel developed to arrest unstable cracks in thick hull plate of large container ships.
Bellary: JSW Steel Vijayanagar works in Karnataka, India, the company's largest integrated steel plant.
Bhilai: SAIL integrated steel plant in Chhattisgarh, India, producing rails, plates, and structural steel.
BlueScope Steel: Australian flat steel producer operating the Port Kembla Steelworks in New South Wales.
Bochum: ThyssenKrupp Steel processing site in the Ruhr, Germany, historically associated with heavy plate.
Bokaro: SAIL integrated steel plant in Jharkhand, India, producing hot rolled coil and plate.
Borlange: SSAB cold rolling and coating site in Sweden serving the European automotive market.
BroCo SeaWeld: Branded family of underwater wet welding stick electrodes used in commercial diving repair.
BS 7448: British Standard fracture mechanics test method covering CTOD determination in metallic materials.
Bulb Flat: Rolled section with a flat web and a rounded bulb at one edge used as stiffener in hull structures.
Bureau Veritas: French classification society delegated by some flag States to approve MET programs and issue MLC certificates.
BV: Bureau Veritas, France-headquartered classification society and IACS member founded 1828.

C

CCS: Cargo Containment System under the IGC and IGF Codes.
Charpy V-Notch: Impact toughness test referenced by IACS UR W11 for hull structural steel grades.
Cherepovets: Severstal integrated steel works in northwest Russia, one of the largest in the country.
Chiba: JFE Steel East Japan Works site, integrated steelmaking and plate rolling in Chiba prefecture.
China Baowu: China Baowu Steel Group, formed by the 2016 merger of Baosteel and Wuhan Iron and Steel, world's largest steelmaker by tonnage.
ClassNK: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, Japanese classification society and IACS member, founded 1899.
Cleveland-Cliffs: US integrated steel producer formed through acquisitions of AK Steel and ArcelorMittal USA assets.
Cold Rolled Coil: CRC, flat steel reduced in thickness by cold rolling after pickling of hot rolled coil.
Cor-Ten: Trade name family of weathering steels with copper, chromium, and nickel additions for atmospheric corrosion resistance.
CSC: International Convention for Safe Containers, 1972, governing structural safety of freight containers.
CSN: Companhia Siderurgica Nacional, Brazilian integrated steelmaker with main works at Volta Redonda.
CSR: Continuous Synopsis Record; sighted during ISM and ISPS audits.
CTOD: Crack Tip Opening Displacement, a fracture toughness parameter measured per BS 7448 used to qualify thick hull plate.

D

Dangjin: HD Hyundai Steel integrated works on the west coast of South Korea producing plate and section.
DH32: IACS higher strength hull steel grade yield 315 MPa, impact tested at minus 20 degrees Celsius.
DH36: IACS higher strength hull steel grade yield 355 MPa, impact tested at minus 20 degrees Celsius.
DH40: IACS higher strength hull steel grade yield 390 MPa, impact tested at minus 20 degrees Celsius.
DH47: IACS ultra high strength hull steel grade yield 460 MPa, impact tested at minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Direct Quenching: DQ process in which hot rolled plate is quenched directly from the finishing rolling temperature.
DNV: Det Norske Veritas (DNV); IACS member classification society.
Dolvi: JSW Steel integrated plant in Maharashtra, India, supplied by captive port facilities.
Dongkuk Steel: South Korean steel producer with plate mill operations in Incheon and Pohang.
Duisburg: ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe headquarters and main integrated steelmaking complex on the Rhine.
Duplex 2205: Austenitic ferritic stainless steel UNS S32205 widely used for chemical tanker cargo tanks.
Duplex 2304: Lean duplex stainless steel UNS S32304 used where moderate corrosion resistance and strength are required.
Duplex 2507: Super duplex stainless steel UNS S32750 used for aggressive chemical service.
Durgapur: SAIL integrated steel plant in West Bengal, India, producing plate, rail, and structural sections.

E

East Japan Works: JFE Steel operating region covering Chiba and Keihin sites.
EH32: IACS higher strength hull steel grade yield 315 MPa, impact tested at minus 40 degrees Celsius.
EH36: High-strength low-alloy steel grade commonly coated in shipbuilding.
EH40: IACS higher strength hull steel grade yield 390 MPa, impact tested at minus 40 degrees Celsius.
EH47: IACS ultra high strength hull steel grade yield 460 MPa, impact tested at minus 40 degrees Celsius, used for ULCS hatch coamings.
EN 10160: European standard for ultrasonic examination of flat steel product of thickness equal to or greater than 6 mm.
ESAB: Welding consumables and equipment brand owned by Colfax then Enovis, supplying SAW, FCAW, and SMAW products.

F

FCAW: Flux-cored arc welding, the dominant process for ship structural welds, offering high deposition with semiautomatic equipment.
FH32: IACS higher strength hull steel grade yield 315 MPa, impact tested at minus 60 degrees Celsius.
FH36: IACS higher strength hull steel grade yield 355 MPa, impact tested at minus 60 degrees Celsius.
FH40: IACS higher strength hull steel grade yield 390 MPa, impact tested at minus 60 degrees Celsius.
Forta: Outokumpu trade name family for duplex and high performance stainless steels.

G

Galvanic Corrosion: Accelerated corrosion of a less noble metal in electrical contact with a more noble metal in an electrolyte.
Gary Works: US Steel integrated steelmaking complex on Lake Michigan at Gary, Indiana.
Gerdau: Brazilian steel group producing long steel products across the Americas.
GMAW: Gas metal arc welding, used for thinner shipboard structures and outfitting components.
Granite City: US Steel integrated works in Illinois historically producing hot rolled coil and plate.
GTT Mark III: GTT membrane LNG containment system using stainless steel primary barrier with corrugations on insulation panels.
GTT NO96: GTT membrane LNG containment system using Invar primary and secondary barriers with plywood boxes filled with perlite.
Gwangyang: POSCO integrated steelworks on the south coast of South Korea, one of the largest single site plants worldwide.

H

Hardox: SSAB branded family of abrasion resistant quenched and tempered plate.
HBIS: Hebei Iron and Steel Group, Chinese state owned integrated steel producer.
HD Hyundai Steel: South Korean integrated steelmaker formed from the merger of Hyundai Steel and INI Steel, operating plants at Dangjin, Pohang, Suncheon, and Incheon.
Hot Rolled Coil: HRC, flat steel rolled above recrystallization temperature and wound into coil form.
HP140: Bulb flat profile with 140 mm web depth used as longitudinal stiffener in hull plating.
HP200: Bulb flat profile with 200 mm web depth used as stiffener in hull and deck structures.
HP240: Bulb flat profile with 240 mm web depth used as longitudinal stiffener in heavy hull structures.
HP280: Bulb flat profile with 280 mm web depth used in primary hull stiffening.
HP320: Bulb flat profile with 320 mm web depth used in primary hull and bulkhead stiffening.
HP380: Bulb flat profile with 380 mm web depth used in heavy primary stiffening.
HP430: Bulb flat profile with 430 mm web depth used in heavy hull longitudinal stiffening.
Hydroweld FS: Branded family of underwater wet welding stick electrodes used by commercial divers.
Hyundai Welding: South Korean welding consumables brand producing SAW wires, FCAW wires, and SMAW electrodes.

I

IACS: International Association of Classification Societies, 12 members.
IISCO: Indian Iron and Steel Company integrated works at Burnpur in West Bengal, operated as part of SAIL.
IJmuiden: Dutch port at the entrance to the North Sea Canal, base for several Dutch towage operators including Iskes.
Incheon: HD Hyundai Steel and Dongkuk Steel plate mill location on the west coast of South Korea.
Industeel: ArcelorMittal subsidiary producing specialty plate and grades under brands such as Creusabro and Industeel Inox.
INI Steel: Former South Korean steelmaker merged into Hyundai Steel to form HD Hyundai Steel.
Invar: 36 percent Ni iron alloy with very low CTE used as primary and secondary membrane in NO96 systems.
ISO 148-1: International standard for Charpy pendulum impact test on metallic materials.
ISO 1496-1: The international standard specifying the structural design, testing, and rating requirements for general-purpose freight containers.
ISO 6892-1: International standard for tensile testing of metallic materials at room temperature.

J

Jamshedpur: Tata Steel integrated steelworks in Jharkhand, India, the company's original plant.
JFE Steel: Japanese integrated steel producer formed in 2002 with operations at Kawasaki, Chiba, and Kurashiki across the East Japan and West Japan Works.
JSW Steel: Indian integrated steel producer with plants at Vijayanagar, Dolvi, and Salem.

K

Kalinganagar: Tata Steel integrated steelworks in Odisha, India, the company's newest integrated complex.
Kashima: Japanese port handling offshore wind component logistics.
Kawasaki: Historic Japanese steelmaker, predecessor of JFE Steel.
Keihin: JFE Steel East Japan Works site in the Tokyo Bay area, historically producing hot rolled and plate products.
Kimitsu: Nippon Steel Corporation integrated works on Tokyo Bay producing plate and coil.
Kobelco: Kobe Steel brand of welding consumables including SAW, FCAW, and SMAW products.
KR: See Korean Register of Shipping.
Kurashiki: JFE Steel West Japan Works site producing plate and hot rolled coil.

L

Lean Duplex: Family of low alloy duplex stainless steels such as 2304 offering reduced nickel and molybdenum content.
Lincoln Electric: US headquartered welding consumables and equipment manufacturer supplying SAW, FCAW, GMAW, and SMAW products.
LINZ: Land Information New Zealand, parent agency of the New Zealand Hydrographic Authority.
Liquid Penetrant: LP, surface nondestructive test method using dye penetration to reveal surface breaking defects.
Lloyd's Register: LR, UK-headquartered classification society and IACS member founded 1760.
LR: See Lloyd's Register.
Lulea: SSAB integrated steelmaking site in northern Sweden producing slab for downstream rolling.

M

Maanshan: Maanshan Iron and Steel, Chinese state owned integrated producer in Anhui province.
Magnetic Particle: MT, surface and near surface nondestructive test method using magnetic flux leakage and iron particles.
MIC: Microbially Influenced Corrosion, attacking steel in ballast and cargo tanks where coatings have failed.
Microalloyed Steel: Plate steel with small additions of niobium, vanadium, or titanium for grain refinement and precipitation strengthening.
MMK: Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works, Russian integrated steel producer in the southern Urals.
Mon Valley Works: US Steel integrated steelmaking complex in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Moss Tank: Independent spherical LNG cargo tank type IMO B traditionally built from 9 percent nickel steel or aluminum 5083.

N

Nagoya: Nippon Steel Corporation integrated works in Aichi prefecture, Japan.
Nickel Steel 3.5 Percent: Low temperature structural steel used for LPG and ethylene cargo containment at intermediate cryogenic temperatures.
Nickel Steel 9 Percent: Cryogenic structural steel used for LNG type A and type B prismatic and spherical tanks at minus 163 degrees Celsius.
Nippon Steel: Japanese integrated steelmaker with plate output from Kashima, Kimitsu, and Nagoya, formerly Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Corporation.
NLMK: Novolipetsk Steel, Russian integrated steel producer headquartered in Lipetsk.
Normalizing: N temper heat treatment in which steel is heated above the upper critical temperature and air cooled.
NSSMC: Former name of Nippon Steel Corporation between the 2012 merger and the 2019 rebrand.
Nucor: US steel producer, the largest US steelmaker by tonnage, operating an electric arc furnace fleet across multiple states.

O

Outokumpu: Finnish stainless steel producer with main melt shop and plate mill at Tornio.
Oxelosund: SSAB integrated steelworks in Sweden producing Hardox and Strenx quenched and tempered plate.

P

Pitting Corrosion: Localized pit type corrosion; mapped and gauged during ESP.
Pohang: Korean industrial port and steelmaking center supplying yard plate stock.
Port Kembla: BlueScope Steel integrated steelworks in New South Wales, Australia.
Port Talbot: Tata Steel UK integrated steelworks in South Wales producing hot rolled strip and plate.
POSCO: Pohang Iron and Steel Company, South Korean integrated steelmaker with main sites at Pohang and Gwangyang.
PSPC: Performance Standard for Protective Coatings adopted by IMO resolution MSC.215(82).

Q

Q&T: Quenched and Tempered heat treatment used to achieve yield strengths of 460 MPa and above in heavy plate.

R

Raahe: SSAB integrated steelworks in Finland producing heavy plate including specialty grades.
Radiographic testing: NDT method using X-rays or gamma rays to inspect weld integrity.
RINA: Royal Institution of Naval Architects, London, founded 1860.
RINL: Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited, operator of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant in Andhra Pradesh, India.
Rourkela: SAIL integrated steel plant in Odisha, India, producing plate, coil, and pipe.
RS: Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, IACS member headquartered in St Petersburg.
Rust Preventing Steel: RPS, hull plate supplied with mill applied temporary corrosion protection for storage and fabrication.

S

Sail: Fabric set to catch the wind.
Salem: Massachusetts port developed as an O&M base for US East Coast offshore wind projects.
Salzgitter Flachstahl: German flat steel producer operating the integrated steelworks at Salzgitter.
SAW: Submerged arc welding, used for long straight seams on panels and shell plating.
SCC: Stress Corrosion Cracking, environment assisted cracking in stainless cargo tanks exposed to chlorides under tensile stress.
Scunthorpe: Tata Steel UK integrated steelworks in Lincolnshire producing long products and heavy plate.
SDI: Steel Dynamics Inc, US electric arc furnace steel producer headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Severstal: Russian integrated steel producer with main plant at Cherepovets.
Shagang: Jiangsu Shagang Group, the largest privately held steel producer in China.
Shougang: Chinese state owned integrated steel group headquartered in Beijing with main works at Caofeidian.
Sinosteel: Chinese state owned enterprise active in iron ore, steel trade, and steel processing.
SMAW: Shielded metal arc welding, manual stick welding used for repairs and small joints.
SSAB: Swedish Finnish steel group with plate mills at Oxelosund, Borlange, Lulea, and Raahe.
Stainless 304: Austenitic stainless steel UNS S30400 with 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel.
Stainless 304L: Low carbon variant of 304 used for welded chemical tanker piping and GTT Mark III secondary membrane.
Stainless 316: Austenitic molybdenum bearing stainless steel UNS S31600 with improved chloride pitting resistance.
Stainless 316L: Low carbon variant of 316 used widely in chemical tanker cargo tanks and GTT Triplex sheet.
Stelco: Canadian integrated steel producer headquartered in Hamilton, Ontario.
Strenx: SSAB branded family of high yield strength structural steels supplied as quenched and tempered plate.
Suncheon: HD Hyundai Steel processing site in South Jeolla province, South Korea.

T

Tata Steel Europe: European arm of Tata Steel operating IJmuiden in the Netherlands and Port Talbot and Scunthorpe in the United Kingdom.
Tata Steel India: Indian integrated steel producer with main plants at Jamshedpur and Kalinganagar.
Tempered Plate: Plate that has been quenched and reheated below the lower critical temperature to improve toughness.
Ternium: Latin American flat steel producer with operations in Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil including the San Nicolas works.
ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe: German integrated steel producer with main works at Duisburg.
TMCP: Thermo Mechanical Controlled Processing, rolling and controlled cooling sequence producing high strength plate with reduced carbon equivalent.
Toolox: SSAB branded family of prehardened tool and engineering steels supplied as plate.
Tornio: Outokumpu integrated stainless steelworks in northern Finland.
Triplex: GTT laminate of thin 316L stainless sheets bonded to aluminum foil used as secondary barrier in membrane LNG containment.

U

ULCS: Ultra Large Container Ship, above about 18,000 TEU.
Ultrasonic testing: NDT method using high-frequency sound to detect weld and plate defects.
UR W13: IACS Unified Requirement for thickness tolerances of steel plates and wide flats.
UR-W11: IACS UR on normal and higher strength hull structural steels.
UR-W14: IACS UR on steel forgings.
UR-W17: IACS UR on approval of consumables for welding.
US Steel: United States Steel Corporation, integrated US steelmaker operating Gary Works, Mon Valley Works, and Granite City Works.

V

Vijayanagar: JSW Steel integrated steelworks at Bellary in Karnataka, India, the company's largest plant.
Visakhapatnam Steel Plant: RINL integrated steelworks at Vizag in Andhra Pradesh, India.
Voestalpine: Austrian integrated steel and technology group with main steelmaking at Linz.
Volta Redonda: CSN integrated steelworks in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil.

W

West Japan Works: JFE Steel operating region covering Kurashiki and Fukuyama sites.
WISCO: Wuhan Iron and Steel Company, Chinese integrated steelmaker now part of China Baowu Steel Group.

Y

YP460: Yield point designation for hull steel with minimum 460 MPa yield used in ULCS structural members.
YP47: Common shorthand for EH47 class hull steel with minimum 460 MPa yield used in ULCS hatch coamings.

Z

Z Direction Steel: Plate steel qualified for through thickness tensile properties to resist lamellar tearing at welded nodes.
Z25: Through thickness ductility grade per EN 10164 with minimum 25 percent reduction of area in the Z direction.
Z35: Through thickness ductility grade per EN 10164 with minimum 35 percent reduction of area in the Z direction.