steel glossary terms - technical definitions

Glossary Term	Glossary Explanation
Ferroalloy	Alloy of iron with high proportion of an element such as nickel, chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, manganese etc that used in the production of steel
Finex ®	Smelting reduction process based on reduction and melting of non-agglomerated iron ore fines using thermal coal [i.e. non-coking coal] as the main energy source
Fior	Direct reduction process based on the use of iron ore fines to make iron units. FIOR is an acronym for Fluidized Iron Ore Reduction
Flux	A substance such as limestone which is added to a furnace and which reacts with impurities to form a slag
Full hard	Refers to cold rolled sheet steel that has not been softened by annealing
Galvanneal	Refers to a sheet steel product that is annealed after hot dip galvanizing with zinc. The additional annealing step produces an external zinc-iron alloy coating which gives the coated steel product exceptional corrosion resistance
Gauge	Another term for the thickness of sheet steel
Greenhouse gas	Name collectively refers to a group of gases which trap radiation leaving the Earth. The main GHGs responsible for the resulting climate change are carbon dioxide CO2, methane CH4 and nitrous oxide N2O. The full GHG list also includes water vapour H2O, ozone O3, sulphur hexafluoride SF6 and several other halogen-containing hydrocarbons
Grey iron	Basic form of cast iron that is relatively easy and inexpensive to produce. Grey iron ['gray iron'] is suitable for making a wide range of castings including valve, pump, rail and auto applications
HBI	Compacted DRI, formed into briquettes for easier handling
HDG	Hot dip galvanised - describes a zinc coating obtained by dipping steel sheet into a bath of molten zinc
Hismelt	Direct ironmaking process, based on use of iron ore fines and non-coking coal for the production of hot metal
HMS1, HMS2	HMS1 and HMS2 are the preferred forms of scrap for the production of steel. Both are defined as obsolete scrap - which is generated when a steel product comes to the end of its working life. HMS denotes 'heavy metal scrap' [sometimes 'heavy melting steel']. HMS1 comprises clean iron and steel with a minimum thickness of 1/4" and a defined maximum size [e.g. 60"x24" wide]. HMS2 is similarly defined but has a minimum thickness of 1/8"
Hot metal	Another term for pig iron (see glossary entry below) - the product made in a blast furnace
Hot band	North American term for hot rolled coil
HRC	Common abbreviation for hot rolled coil
HSLA	High strength low alloys: group of higher strength steels formed by the addition of small quantities of alloying elements such as titanium
IISI	International Iron & Steel Institute - one of the leading world steel industry associations
Inclusion	Steel impurity - most often an oxide or a sulphide - which can have a detrimental impact on mechanical properties
Induction furnace	Furnace is which steel is heated by a process of induction, whereby electromagnetic coils that surround the furnace heat the steel by generation of eddy currents within the metal. Relatively speaking, the process is both very clean with respect to emissions and fairly enegy efficient
Ingot	Mass of metal obtained from casting liquid steel into a mould. The resulting ingot - a semi-finished product - is typically then hot rolled or forged
Interstitial-free	Interstitial-free (IF) steels have few solute interstitial elements, such as carbon and nitrogen. These interstices can be sources of strain and may result in brittleness
IPPC	Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control. To obtain an IPPC permit a business must prove that its applied technologies are equivalent or better than 'best available', as defined by the European Council Directive

STEEL INDUSTRY GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Technical jargon made simple