Carbon steel plate (also known as carbon steel sheet/plate) refers to a type of steel primarily composed of steel and carbon, with a carbon content at ordinary or medium-to-high levels, and without the intentional addition of large amounts of alloying elements. Common standards include ASTM A36 (corresponding to European EN S235JR) and ASTM A572 Grade 50 (high-strength low-alloy steel HSLA). Depending on the application and production method, carbon steel plates can be classified into different specifications such as hot-rolled plates, medium-thick plates, and cold-rolled plates, with thicknesses ranging from a few millimeters to hundreds of millimeters.
Carbon steel plates are widely used in various industries and structures due to their excellent comprehensive properties—high strength, good weldability, high cost-effectiveness, and flexible machining. The following are their main application areas and typical uses.
What Is Carbon Steel Plate Used For?
1. Construction and Infrastructure SectorCarbon steel sheet is a core material for modern construction and infrastructure. The frames of high-rise buildings, main beams of bridges, and factory structures all rely on its strength and weldability. Q235B and Q345B are widely used in core tubes and large structures; for example, the Shanghai Tower used 100,000 tons of carbon steel. In the bridge sector, the Golden Gate Bridge in the United States uses A36 carbon steel, which, after weather-resistant coating treatment, has a lifespan exceeding 50 years.
2. Machinery Manufacturing and Automotive Industry
Machinery manufacturing is one of the industries with the widest application of carbon steel sheet. 50Mn steel plates, due to their high strength and good toughness, are used in excavator buckets, loader buckets, gears, and shaft components. 45# steel, after quenching and tempering, can reach a hardness of HRC22–28 and is a common material for drive shafts and machine tool gears. In the automotive industry, low-carbon steel DC04 is used for exterior body panels, while high-strength steel HC340LA is used to manufacture suspension components, increasing strength by 30% while reducing weight by 15%.
3. Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering
Carbon steel plates are the basic material for ship structures. Common steel grades include 2C, 3C, 4C, 5C, and low-alloy steels such as 12MnC and 16MnC, with thicknesses ranging from 2.5 to 50 mm. Shipbuilding steel must possess high strength, toughness, good weldability, and corrosion resistance to withstand wave impacts and complex marine environments.
4. Energy Industry and Pressure Vessel Sector
High-performance carbon steel plates are widely used in energy and petrochemical equipment. X80 pipeline steel (yield strength 550 MPa) can be used in long-distance oil and gas pipelines; a 20mm wall thickness can withstand pressure of approximately 15 MPa. S355NL maintains 27J impact toughness in environments down to -50℃ and is used in wind turbine towers. SA508 Gr.3 pressure vessel steel is used in nuclear power equipment, featuring ultra-low sulfur content and radiation resistance.
5. Home Appliance Manufacturing and Daily Consumer Goods
The home appliance industry extensively uses carbon steel plates and galvanized steel plates. Refrigerator shells commonly use DX51D+Z hot-dip galvanized steel sheets (0.6mm), which offer several times the corrosion resistance of ordinary steel. Kitchenware often uses 430 series stainless steel, costing only about 60% of 304 stainless steel.
6. Everyday Industrial Applications, Equipment, and Various Structural Components
Carbon steel sheets are used in general industries to manufacture supports, frames, storage tanks, conveying equipment, protective covers, tools, and various structural components. Low-carbon steel is suitable for mass production due to its ease of welding, medium-carbon steel is used for load-bearing components, and high-carbon steel is used for highly wear-resistant parts.
