Combining the corrosion resistance of weathering steel, with a true hot-finished structural hollow section, Celsius^® is now available in weathering grade.

Weathering steels have small additions of copper and chromium that help improve the corrosion resistance of the steel to atmospheric sources for a long, maintenance-free life. Through natural wet-dry cycles, the steel forms a dense surface patina which prevents corrosion.

Weathering steels are used in many places these days. In some cases it is the unique and evolving aesthetic that architects, designers and artists go for. But often it is the functional benefits – the dense surface patina protects the underlying steel from corrosion, without the need for ongoing maintenance. This is particularly useful in infrastructure works where long-life and low-maintenance are key design considerations.

Our market research has told us that one of the factors holding back further adoption of weathering steels is availability across the range of construction steels used in modern structures. This is why we developed Celsius weathering grade which brings the benefits of weathering steel to the leading range of hot-finished structural hollow sections.

Hollow sections are a vital component of many modern structures, due to their inherent structural abilities. And in many structures they are used to complement other elements typically fabricated from plate. The availability of pre-formed hollow sections in weathering steel will give engineers enhanced design freedom for designing with weathering steel.

In developing this new range, it was very important to us that we are able to offer the weathering grade in a true hot-finished hollow section, over our full dimensional range. We believe that only a true hot-finished hollow section gives the full benefits that bring peace-of-mind to an engineering specification. And availability across the full range, from 40mm square to 400mm square (and equivalent round and rectangular sizes) is essential to ensure design freedom.

Because we make the steel as well as the hollow section, we have been able to put in place an innovative supply chain solution to ensure the Celsius weathering grade is available in order quantities and with lead-times which will work throughout the chain.

Customer technical services manager, Steve Whitfield explains “For a lot of infrastructure projects, engineers are looking for a long design life with minimum maintenance. Weathering steel has become the go-to solution for these cases, but it has previously not been available in hot-finished structural hollow sections. Making Celsius available in weathering steel will open-up exciting new possibilities for our customers.”

For further information contact +44 (0)1536 404561