British Steel launches new sections grade

British Steel has started offering a new high-strength structural steel grade for the construction industry. Sections made from the new S460M grade are designed for use in multi-storey and high-rise buildings, the steelmaker says.

This is the first product launched by British Steel since the steelmaker was acquired by Jingye Group in March. It has higher tensile and yield strength than existing grades, the firm points out. Its benefits include less weight and lighter foundations, which reduce overall building costs; increased space within the building as the sections are lighter; and less carbon in direct proportion to the weight saving.

“As the UK’s only manufacturer of structural steel sections, we’re delighted to deliver a new high-quality steel grade at such an important time for the construction market,” British Steel chief executive Ron Deelen says in a note sent to Kallanish. “S460M provides the optimum balance between cost and weight, along with improved environmental performance – British manufacturing at its best.”

Steel for the S460M grade is manufactured at the company’s Scunthorpe steelworks before being rolled into structural sections at its Teesside Beam Mill where an extra shift, creating 40 jobs, was introduced earlier this year. The sections are produced according to EN 10025-4.

Last month British Steel said it plans to increase production at its Skinningrove special profiles mill next spring (see Kallanish passim). To support this move, it is hiring 66 new workers, of which 41 will be based at Skinningrove. It also secured a £50 million ($66m) working capital facility to support plans to expand production and sales over the coming months.