Surface Finishes

	Abbreviation²⁾	Type of process route	Surface finish	Notes
Hot rolled	1U	Hot rolled, not heat treated, not descaled	Covered with the rolling scale	Suitable for products which are to be further worked e.g. strip for re-rolling
	1C	Hot rolled, heat treated, not descaled	Covered with the rolling scale	Suitable for parts which will be descaled or machined in subsequent production or for certain heat-resisting applications
	1E	Hot rolled, heat treated, mechanically descaled	Free of scale	The type of mechanical descaling, e. g. coarse grinding or shot blasting, depends on the steel grade and the product and is left to the manufacturer's discretion, unless otherwise agreed
	1D	Hot rolled, heat treated, pickled	Free of scale	Usually standard for most steel types to ensure good corrosion resistance; also common finish for further processing. It is permissible for grinding marks to be present. Not as smooth as 2D or 2B
Cold rolled	2H	Work hardened	Bright	Cold worked to obtain higher strength level
	2C	Cold rolled, heat treated, not descaled	Smooth with scale from heat treatment	Suitable for parts which will be descaled or machined in subsequent production or for certain heat-resisting applications
	2E	Cold rolled, heat treated, mechanically descaled	Rough and dull	Usually applied to steels with a scale which is very resistant to pickling solutions. May be followed by pickling.
	2D	Cold rolled, heat treated, pickled	Smooth	Finish for good ductility, but not as smooth as 2B or 2R
	2B	Cold rolled, heat treated, pickled, skin passed	Smoother than 2D	Most common finish for most steel types to ensure good corrosion resistance, smoothness and flatness. Also common finish for further processing. Skin passing may be by tension levelling
	2R	Cold rolled, bright annealed²⁾	Smooth, bright, reflective	Smoother and brighter than 2B. Also common finish for further processing
	2Q	Cold rolled, hardened and tempered, scale free	Free of scale	Either hardened and tempered in a protective atmosphere or descaled after heat treatment
Special finishes	1G or 2G	Ground⁴⁾	See footnote 5	Grade of grit or surface roughness can be specified. Unidirectional texture, not very reflective
	1J or 2J	Brushed⁴⁾or dull polished⁴⁾	Smoother than ground. See footnote 5	Grade of brush or polishing belt or surface roughness can be specified. Undirectional texture, not very reflective
	1K or 2K	Satin polish⁴⁾	See footnote 5	Additional specific requirements to a "J" type finish, in order to achieve adequate corrosion resistance for marine and external architectural applications. Transverse R_a >0,5 µm with clean cut surface finish
	1P or 2P	Bright polished ⁴⁾	See footnote 5	Mechanical polishing. Process or surface roughness can be specified. Non-directional finish, reflective with high degree of image clarity
	2F	Cold rolled, heat treated, skin passed on roughened rolls	Uniform non-reflective matt surface	Heat treatment by bright annealing or by annealing and pickling
	1M	Patterned	Design to agreed; 2^nd surface flat	Chequer plates used for floors
	2M	Patterned	Design to agreed; 2^nd surface flat	A fine texture finish mainly used for architectural applications
	2W	Corrugated	Design to be agreed	Used to increase strength and/or for cosmetic effect
	2L	Coloured⁴⁾	Colour to be agreed
	1S or 2S	Surface coated⁴⁾		Coated with e. g. tin, aluminium, titanium
^{4) Not all process routes and surface finishes are available for all steels 4) First digit 1 = hot rolled 2= cold rolled 4) May be skin passed 4) One surface only, unless specifically agreed at the time of enquiry or order 4) Within each finish description the surface characteristics can vary, and more specific requirements may need to be agreed between manufacturer and purchaser (e. g. grade of grit or surface roughness)}

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