SSAB Hardox 500 Tuf

Product identity and selection

For 10 mm Hardox 500 Tuf plate, SSAB's bending class E gives minimum 35 mm transverse and 45 mm along-rolling punch radii, with a 140 mm die-opening guideline. These are tooling dimensions for roll dies, normal friction without lubricant and a single bend to 90° after unloading. Verify the finished inside radius separately. SSAB Hardox Guarantees V5 bending table

Hardox 500 Tuf is SSAB's named wear-steel product, not a generic specification for any steel sold as AR500. SSAB positions it for applications combining abrasion and impact, including dump bodies, mining trays and buckets. Its mining literature describes both wear sheet and wear plate. Preserve the full name, product form, thickness and inspection requirements when ordering. SSAB, Hardox 500 Tuf mining brochure

Hardness, strength and product form

Current product data distinguish:

Below 2.5 mm, hardness is not tested or guaranteed; the listed values are converted from tensile strength. Brinell testing uses EN ISO 6506-1 and prepared subsurface locations. Delivery is quenched or quenched and tempered. SSAB states that further heat treatment is not intended and delivered properties cannot be retained after exposure above 250°C. SSAB, product data and footnotes

Toughness: direction, thickness and specimen size

The same product data give full-size-equivalent Charpy V values:

Testing applies from 6 mm for plate and 3 mm for sheet, per heat/thickness group, averaging three tests. At 3–11.9 mm, subsize specimens are used and the minimum energy scales with specimen cross-sectional area relative to 10 × 10 mm. SSAB, impact properties

Keep the guaranteed transverse and typical longitudinal results in separate fields. A 50 J typical value does not become a transverse guarantee, and the test temperature is not automatically a component's minimum operating temperature. A thin plate without product impact testing needs its own agreed qualification basis where toughness is critical.

Bending guarantees and a bounded calculation

SSAB's Hardox Guarantees V5-2026 assigns 500 Tuf sheet to bending class A and plate to class E. Its guarantees concern a one-step bend to 90° after unloading, using dies with rolls and normal friction without lubrication; additional conditions in the bending brochure apply. The table defines Rp/t as punch radius divided by thickness. SSAB, Hardox Guarantees, p. 8

Calculated example: for 10 mm plate, class E's 8 ≤ t < 20 mm row gives minimum Rp/t = 3.5 in the table's transverse orientation and 4.5 along rolling. Thus the minimum punch radii are 3.5 × 10 = 35 mm and 4.5 × 10 = 45 mm. The listed opening guideline W/t = 14 gives W = 140 mm. Opening widths are guidelines, and this is not a prediction of final inside radius, press capacity or springback. SSAB, bending table

Preserve rolling-direction identification through blank cutting. Qualify tooling, edge condition, bend sequence and final geometry for the actual part rather than using a ratio as the complete press instruction.

Geometry and inspection

The guarantee guide distinguishes thickness, flatness and bendability. For example, its class C flatness table gives 4 mm per 1 m ruler for plate at 6 ≤ t < 20 mm, with defined measurement procedures. Such mill-product guarantees do not establish a finished welded assembly's flatness. SSAB, Hardox Guarantees, pp. 7–9

Specify blank tolerances and finished flatness separately, including inspection support and weld state.

Welding and thermal control

SSAB's Welding Hardox Wear Plate V5-2024 lists 225°C maximum recommended preheat/interpass temperature for 500 Tuf. Minimum preheat depends on thickness, steel combination, heat input, consumables and environmental conditions. Its tables generally use heat input of at least 1.7 kJ/mm; lower inputs require the stated adjustments or WeldCalc. The maximum is not a universal recommended target. SSAB, welding guide, pp. 8–11

For unalloyed/low-alloyed consumables, SSAB specifies hydrogen at or below 5 ml/100 g weld metal, with suitable storage. The guide stresses joint cleanliness, temperature measurement and welding sequence. Joining and hardfacing have separate instructions; a hardfacing consumable's requirements may conflict with the steel's temperature limit. SSAB, pp. 6, 13, 18

Qualify the actual joint and inspect the resulting component. Bulk-plate hardness and impact data do not certify weld metal or the heat-affected zone. Retain the base-material identity, heat/lot, thickness, welding procedure and any repair history through fabrication.

Wear-life claims and release decisions

The mining brochure's 85–100% longer estimated life than Hardox 400 is explicitly a WearCalc calculation based on sliding wear with granite. It is not a universal field-life multiplier for scrap impact, gouging, mixed abrasives or a different component geometry. SSAB, mining brochure

For a substitution or thickness reduction, define the abrasive/contact condition, impact loading, acceptable deformation, remaining wear allowance and inspection interval. Reassess connections and structural behavior when reducing thickness. A producer case study or wear calculation can support screening, but the release decision needs the actual component's performance requirements.

Source versions

The guarantee PDF prints 155-EN, V5-2026, alongside ©2025. The welding guide prints 103-en, V5-2024. The mining brochure prints 115-US, V6-2025, ©2025, despite a 2026 URL timestamp. The live product page displays no explicit technical revision date. Preserve these document identifiers and obtain current product/processing documents when placing an order.

Grades, conditions and material selection