Hardox wear plate 400–600, Strenx high-strength structural steel and S355 in one comparison. The steel selector shows which grade suits your application best and what the closest alternatives are.
Pick an application or set your own priorities: wear, impacts and cold, strength, bending, welding, heat or corrosion. The chart ranks the grades and shows the best match and the closest alternatives. Hover over a bar to see where the score comes from.
Pick an application or set what matters for the job yourself. The chart ranks 15 steel grades by how well they match your priorities.
Scores (0–100) are a weighted average of properties scored 0–10 from the figures in the comparison tables: wear resistance from the wear-life factor, impact toughness from the manufacturer's impact values, structural strength from guaranteed yield strength (Hardox has no guaranteed yield), bendability from the minimum bending radius. Weldability, hot applications and corrosion are LeikePaja's estimates. The selector is indicative, not a design guide.
The number in a wear plate's name is its nominal Brinell hardness (HBW). S355 is about 150–190 HB. Wear plate is hardened through its full thickness, and according to SSAB it loses its delivery-condition properties if heated above 250 °C. The harder the grade, the better it resists abrasion, but impact toughness usually drops and the bending radius grows.
| Grade | Hardness HBW | Wear life vs. S355* | Thickness (mm) | Impact −40 °C | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardox 400 | 370–430 | approx. 2.5× | 2–130 | 45 J | All-round grade: moderate wear, lots of bending and welding |
| Hardox 450 | 425–475 | 2.7–3.5× | 0.8–160 | 50 J | Wear-resistant structural parts: bodies, buckets, containers |
| Hardox 500 | 470–530 | 3–5× | 2–103 | 37 J | Liners and wear parts, limited structural load |
| Hardox 500 Tuf | 475–505 | 3–5× | 3–38.1 | 27 J guaranteed** | 500-class hardness with guaranteed toughness: tough-duty bodies and buckets |
| Hardox 550 | 525–575 | 3.3–7× | 8–65 | 30 J | Crushers, chutes, process equipment |
| Hardox 600 | 550–640 | 3.6–10× | 2.5–65 | not stated | Very severe wear: liners, knives, hammers |
| Hardox HiAce | 425–475 | 2.7–3.5× | 3–100 | 27 J (−20 °C) guaranteed | Hot applications: keeps its hardness up to at least 400 °C |
* Indicative estimate for abrasive sliding wear. The lower bound is the hardness ratio (S355 approx. 165 HB). The upper bound is derived from SSAB's comparisons: Hardox 600 up to 10 × ordinary steel, Hardox 600 up to 4 × and 500 Tuf 2 × 400 HBW steel. The real difference depends on the abrasive, impacts and moisture. ** 500 Tuf: 27 J guaranteed transverse (plate −20 °C, sheet −40 °C), typically 50 J. Other impact values are typical values for approx. 20 mm plate. Source: SSAB product pages, checked 12 Oct 2026.
Pick an application or move the slider. You will see the grade's properties, applications, benefits and things to watch out for.
Hardness, impact toughness (typical, longitudinal) and bending radius R/t (transverse) from SSAB product data and bending guarantees. Bars are relative. Applications and recommendations are LeikePaja's view.
A harder plate may chip at the edges under impacts before it has worn out. That is why 450 (typically 50 J) can outlast 500 (37 J) in service. Bending shows the difference too: for 20 mm plate the minimum radius is 90 mm for 450 and 110 mm for 500. If you need the wear resistance of 500 and the toughness of 450, choose 500 Tuf, but its thickness is limited to 38.1 mm.
Strenx is a high-strength structural steel for making load-bearing structures lighter. It is not a wear plate and its hardness is not guaranteed, so for wear choose Hardox. When a structure needs to be lighter and handle frost, Strenx 700 is a natural step up from S355. The F grades have guaranteed impact toughness at −60 °C. Strenx 700 E meets the requirements of EN 10025-6 grade S690QL and 700 F those of S690QL1. Strenx 650MC is a thermomechanically rolled sheet steel (2–10 mm) that meets EN 10149-2 grade S650MC.
| Grade | Min. yield | Tensile | Impact | Thickness (mm) | Ri/t*** | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S355J2 reference | 355 MPa | 470–630 | 27 J −20 °C | – | 1.5 | General structures, easiest to weld and bend |
| Strenx 650MC D / E | 650 MPa | 700–850 | D: 40 J −20 °C E: 27 J −40 °C | 2–10 | 1.5† | Light load-bearing sheet structures |
| Strenx 700 E / F | 700 MPa | 780–930 | E: 69 J −40 °C F: 27 J −60 °C | 4–160 | 1.3 | Load-bearing structures in frost, trailers, lifting |
| Strenx 900 E / F | 900 MPa | 940–1100 | E: 27 J −40 °C F: 27 J −60 °C | 4–120 | 2.3 | Transport equipment and lifting devices |
| Strenx 960 E / F | 960 MPa | 980–1150 | E: 40 J −40 °C F: 27 J −60 °C | 4–120 | 2.3 | Transport equipment and lifting devices |
| Strenx 1100 E / F | 1100 MPa | 1250–1550 | E: 27 J −40 °C F: 27 J −60 °C | 4–40 | 2.6 | Advanced lifting devices |
| Strenx 1300 E / F | 1300 MPa | 1400–1700 | E: 27 J −40 °C F: 27 J −60 °C | 4–15 | 3.6 | Advanced lifting devices |
Yield strength for the thinner plates (700, 900 and 960 are lower above 53 mm). Impact values are guaranteed transverse values. *** Minimum bending radius for 8–15 mm plate transverse to the rolling direction; for Strenx the inner radius (SSAB Strenx Guarantees v5-2024), for S355 SSAB's S355J2+N guarantee in all directions up to 30 mm. † Strenx 650MC: longitudinal impact values (thickness 6 mm and over), bending radius for 6–10 mm sheet (2–3 mm: 0.8 × t, 3–6 mm: 1.2 × t), and yield may be up to 20 MPa lower above 8 mm. Source: SSAB product pages, checked 13 Oct 2026.
| Application | First choice | Alternative | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| General fabrication | S355 | Strenx 700 | Easiest to weld and bend |
| Lightweight chassis, trailer | Strenx 700 | Strenx 960 | Strength and toughness, also in frost |
| Lifting device, boom | Strenx 960–1300 | Strenx 700 | High strength, light structure |
| Bucket frame, guard plates | Hardox 400 | Hardox 450 | Moderate wear, lots of bending |
| Tipper body, container | 500 Tuf | Hardox 450 | Wear, impacts and frost |
| Bucket floor, wear strips | 500 Tuf | Hardox 450 | Severe wear and impacts in one part |
| Liners, grizzly bars | Hardox 500 | Hardox 550 | Abrasive wear, no structural load |
| Crushers, knives, hammers | Hardox 600 | Hardox 550 | Extreme wear |
| Hot application, dryer | Hardox HiAce | Stainless | Hardness retained up to at least 400 °C |
| Wet or corrosive | Stainless 1.4307 | – | Does not rust |
Applications are based on SSAB's application examples. The recommendations are LeikePaja's view, not the manufacturer's instructions.
The minimum bending radius of wear plate grows with hardness and thickness. Values are R/t (radius divided by thickness) transverse to the rolling direction. The radius is larger along the rolling direction.
| Grade (plate) | under 8 mm | 8–15 mm | 15–20 mm | 20 mm and over |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardox 400 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| Hardox 450 and 500 Tuf | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| Hardox 500 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.5 |
Minimum punch radius R/t, 90° bend with a roller die. Source: SSAB, Hardox® Guarantees v4-2023. There is no bending guarantee for 550 and 600. Check the latest version from SSAB before critical bending.
All grades in the comparison can be welded. The harder the grade and the thicker the plate, the more preheat is needed. According to SSAB's welding guide, the interpass temperature (temperature between weld passes) for Hardox 400–600 must not exceed 225 °C. Preheat is increased in cold and humid conditions. Exact temperatures by thickness are in SSAB's WeldCalc tool.
Laser cutting heats only a narrow zone next to the cut edge. In small and narrow parts the heat still has to be considered, because wear plate softens above 250 °C. For flame cutting thick plate, SSAB gives its own preheating recommendations.
Parts are laser cut, and steel over 25 mm is flame cut. The price is shown as you draw. Read more on the materials page.
Draw the part in your browser or import a DXF, choose the material and see the price instantly.
Other grades: info@leikepaja.fi
Sources (checked 12–13 Oct 2026): SSAB Hardox and Strenx product pages, Hardox product programme, Hardox® Guarantees v4-2023, Strenx® Guarantees v5-2024, the Strenx 650MC D/E product page, Welding of Hardox® wear plate (103-en, V5-2024) and the SSAB S355J2+N Zero product page. S355 hardness: converted from the EN 10025-2 tensile strength. Values are as published by the manufacturer and may change; check current data from the material certificate. Hardox® and Strenx® are registered trademarks of SSAB AB.