Semi-finished steel is intermediate steel, which occurs by casting liquid steel or by rolling and forging of the ingots (the initial solidification of liquid steel) in a foundry. The chemical properties of semi-finished steel are adjusted in accordance with the physical properties and grade requirements depending on the industrial process it is to be used in. Semi-finished steel requires further processing to produce finished goods. Thus, semi-finished steel is available in various grades, sizes, and forms to cater to the diverse requirements of different industrial processes.
Type of Semi-finished Steel
Semi-finished steel is of four kinds :
Ingots
Ingots are typically rectangular or square large rough castings of semi-finished steel, which are useful for storage and transportation with generous fillets. They are usually tapered along with the big end gown.
Billets
A Billet is a long steel product with a round or square cross-section. Its production occurs either by rolling or by continuous casting. The transformation of the billet is by rolling or forging to obtain other shapes. For instance, it can be a merchant or reinforcing bars/angles, profiles/channel, and other structural sections/shapes or wire rod.
Blooms
Blooms are long steel products with square or rectangular cross-sections more than 160mm. They occur by continuous casting or by rolling an ingot. The common finished products include structural shapes, rail tracks, rods, and seamless pipes.
Slabs
Slabs are steel products that occur by either rolling ingots on a slabbing mill or by continuous casting. The industrial process can slice them into different lengths. The slabs have a rectangular cross-section. Slabs are important for the production of heavy machinery or in hot rolling mills to produce other thinner products. For instance, plates, metal sheets, metal strips, pipes, tubes, and coils, etc.
An EndNote
Thus, the different classifications or types of semi-finished steel are necessary for various industries to produce the end products that they manufacture. Also, semi-finished steel is like raw material to carry out various industrial processes.
