# SSAB Hardox 400 Selecting SSAB's wear steel by product form, hardness-test scope and fabrication requirements, including the thin-sheet exception. Reviewed: 2026-11-01 Tags: materials, steel, wear-steel, producer-products ## Product identity and selection SSAB's thin-sheet supplement **2067en (2023)** guarantees **1190–1390 MPa measured tensile strength Rm** for **Hardox 400 sheet at 2.0–2.49 mm**. Its **370–430 HBW** is typical hardness converted from tensile strength, and **1100 MPa yield strength** is typical. Use the ordered tensile test and agree any additional hardness inspection separately. [SSAB thin-sheet supplement 2067en](https://www.ssab.com/-/media/files/en/hardox/2067-en-hardness-conversion-of-thin-hardox-wear-sheet-2023.pdf?m=20231010070102) **Hardox 400 is SSAB's producer-associated wear steel, with nominal hardness 400 HBW.** The flat-product page lists sheet at **2–8 mm** and plate at **4–130 mm**, with **370–430 HBW** and **typical, explicitly nonguaranteed yield strength of 1100 MPa**. Pipes, tubes and bars are separate products; keep their specifications separate from flat plate. [SSAB: Hardox 400](https://www.ssab.com/en-gb/brands-and-products/hardox/product-program/400) For a liner or bucket component, describe the abrasive, particle size, impact, sliding motion, support and replacement criterion. The right comparison is the finished component in that duty. Hardness alone cannot establish wear life, resistance to cracking or an economical replacement interval. Define any proposed thickness reduction against the structural and attachment requirements as well as wear. ## Thin sheet has a different acceptance basis SSAB's **data sheet 2067en, dated 27 September 2023**, supplements the individual grade sheets. It explains that direct Brinell testing is less suitable for very thin gauges. For **Hardox 400 sheet, 2.0–2.49 mm**, it lists **1190–1390 MPa tensile strength Rm**, while **370–430 HBW hardness and 1100 MPa yield strength are typical, not guaranteed**. The hardness is derived using a material-specific conversion from tensile strength. [SSAB: hardness conversion of thin Hardox wear sheet](https://www.ssab.com/-/media/files/en/hardox/2067-en-hardness-conversion-of-thin-hardox-wear-sheet-2023.pdf?m=20231010070102) **Illustrative check:** a reported Rm of 1280 MPa lies within that published 1190–1390 MPa interval, assuming the exact material and test basis apply. That comparison says nothing by itself about the part's yield load, fatigue life or wear rate, and it does not authorize a generic hardness conversion table for another steel. ## Impact data and thermal limits The flat-product page lists **45 J at −40°C as a typical longitudinal Charpy-V result for 20 mm material**. Impact testing is by agreement; the full specimen is 10 × 10 mm, and sub-size specimens apply at 3–11.9 mm. Do not treat this typical value as a universal guaranteed toughness or a minimum service temperature. [SSAB: impact table and footnotes](https://www.ssab.com/en-gb/brands-and-products/hardox/product-program/400) SSAB also states that further heat treatment is not intended and that delivery-condition properties cannot be retained after exposure above **250°C**. That warning is not a guarantee that every loaded application is acceptable up to 250°C. [SSAB: delivery and fabrication recommendations](https://www.ssab.com/en-gb/brands-and-products/hardox/product-program/400) Record both normal and exceptional heating: cutting, welding, coating cure, straightening, cleaning and service excursions. A locally heated edge or heat-affected zone needs its own assessment even when the rest of the plate remains near ambient temperature. Keep the incoming product's properties separate from those of the fabricated region. ## Dimensions, flatness and bending **Hardox Guarantees, V5 (2026)** separates thickness, length/width, flatness and bending requirements. Its plate-thickness discussion includes an important exception: above 80 mm, the tolerance range follows the referenced standard rather than the narrower range used for thinner plate. Bending guarantees use stated product/thickness classes and test conditions, including a single 90° bend with roll dies and normal friction without lubrication. [SSAB: Hardox Guarantees, pp. 4, 8](https://www.ssab.com/-/media/files/en/hardox/155--en--hardox-guarantees--v5--2026.pdf?m=20261002082401) Select the actual grade/form/thickness row before specifying punch radius or die opening. A bend guarantee is not a guarantee for an arbitrary tool, edge condition, orientation, rebend or finished geometry. Confirm the required direction relative to rolling and prepare cut edges under the applicable bending guidance. For a bolted liner, define hole fit, bolt seating, support and permissible plate distortion. For a formed bucket panel, qualify springback and final dimensions on representative material. Incoming mill flatness and the flatness after welding or forming are separate acceptance stages. ## Welding controls SSAB's **Welding of Hardox wear plate, V5 (2024)** calls for controlling consumables, preheat/interpass temperature, heat input and weld sequence. It specifies **≤5 ml hydrogen per 100 g weld metal** for unalloyed or low-alloyed consumables. Excessive heat input widens the heat-affected zone and can impair its mechanical and wear performance. [SSAB: welding guide, pp. 4–6, 18](https://www.ssab.com/-/media/files/en/hardox/hardox-welding-103env52024.pdf?m=20241205074348) Use the guide's actual joint, thickness and process conditions when choosing temperatures. A short product-page statement about easy welding does not replace the qualified procedure. Establish preparation, consumable storage, temperature measurement, heat input, distortion control and inspection for the component. For ordinary DC/AC welding, the guide uses `Q = k × U × I × 60 / (v × 1000)`, with Q in kJ/mm, voltage U, current I, travel speed v in mm/min and process efficiency k. **Calculated example:** 25 V, 200 A, 300 mm/min and k = 0.8 gives **0.8 kJ/mm**. This is an arithmetic example, not a qualified or recommended setting. Pulsed processes need the appropriate energy method. [SSAB: heat-input equations](https://www.ssab.com/-/media/files/en/hardox/hardox-welding-103env52024.pdf?m=20241205074348) ## Procurement and finished-part release Retain the product identity and material certificate through cutting, machining and installation. Record the approved drawing, manufacturing route, relevant thermal history and dimensional/inspection results. Where the part carries structural load, use the applicable design basis and joint requirements; a typical yield-strength entry is not a code allowable stress. Compare the actual abrasion, impact and fabrication duty before approving a substitute. ## Source versions The thin-sheet supplement explicitly prints **2023-09-27**. The welding guide prints **103-en, V5-2024**, and the guarantees guide prints **155-EN, V5-2026**. The live Hardox 400 page has no technical revision date used here. URL timestamps are not treated as printed editions; confirm current order-specific documentation before purchase. [Grades, conditions and material selection](../grades-tempers-and-conditions.md)