Why HRPO?
HRPO offers unique and distinguishing product features that benefit our customers significantly.
Applications & Industries
For users requiring steel that can withstand rugged environments while maintaining a beautiful surface finish.
Resources
HRPO from Steel Warehouse provides you better support and inventory management through our supply chain, from production to end-use.
What is Hot Rolled Pickled and Oiled (HRPO) Steel?
Hot rolled pickled and oiled (HRPO) steel is a type of steel that undergoes a pickling and oiling process after being hot rolled. The pickling process removes scale and rust from the steel's surface, while the oiling process applies a protective layer of oil to prevent rust from forming in the future. The resulting steel is easier to work with, possesses many fabricating advantages, and has a smoother surface finish than hot-rolled steel that has not undergone this process.
Common HRPO Steel Grades: ASTM A1011, ASTM A1018, ASTM A36, ASTM A572, ASTM A656, A569 Commercial Quality, Structural Quality - Grades 50, 80,100, and many other carbon steel grades that have not been quenched and tempered.
HRPO Product Types: Sheet, Plate, Discrete Plate, Coil, & Slit Coil
HRPO Sheet & Plate from Coil thickness: .080” through 1”
HRPO/Plate Lengths: Up to 40’
HRPO Coil Thickness: Up to 1”
HRPO Discrete Plate Thickness: Up to 2”
HRPO Steel Capabilities
Steel Warehouse owns and operates three pickling lines, so we can determine our own schedule, capacity, and quality and better serve our customers. Our two coil-to-coil pickling lines can process from .080” up to 1” thick coil and up to 72” wide. Our plate pickler can process up to 2” thick and 96” wide.
Our company is the only company in the world that can continuous pickle up to 1” thick coil and up to 2” plate. Our processing capabilities for HRPO Steel products include temper pass cut to length, blanking, slitting, shearing, laser & plasma cutting, stretcher leveling, and temper pass coil to coil (skin pass).
For more information on our HRPO products and processing capabilities, please contact our representatives today.
Why Hot Rolled Pickled & Oiled Steel?
The smoother surface offered by hot rolled pickled & oiled steel improves laser cutting, forming, bending, stamping, welding, and painting, delivering both production savings and higher quality parts. Compared to blasted material, the surface cleanliness and consistency produced via the pickling and oiling process deliver the following benefits:
IMPROVES LASER CUTTING
- Cuts up to 25 % faster; produce more parts/hour and increase machine capacity
- Lessens the need to adjust parameters during the process
- Enables closer tolerances, closer nesting, less scrap between parts
- Expedites automatic or manual part surface inspection
- Obtains cleaner cuts (fewer striations), plus no backside burr with fiber laser cutting
- Eliminates pre-etching if using fiber lasers
IMPROVES STAMPING/PRESS BRAKING/ROLL FORMING
- Achieve closer tolerances with material that doesn’t stick to the die
- Eliminate work stoppages caused by constant die cleanup
- Extend tool life
- Achieves a deeper draw
- Dry lube enhances formability, removes the need for drawing compounds, significantly improves housekeeping, and reduces overall costs effectively
ELIMINATES BLASTING
- Removes this extra production step and potential bottleneck
- Less maintenance and cleanup costs
- Less smoke and oil residue
IMPROVES WELDING
- Reduces secondary processes associated with manual and robotic welding
- Lessens weld spatter adhesion
- Reduces post-weld clean up
- Eliminates weld defects associated with scale inclusion
- Enhances the accuracy and repeatability of robotic welding, particularly on large parts.
- Eases qualification of the weld joints
- Elimination of porosity, pinholes, air bubbles, or spongy surface that can form when robotic welding blasted material
IMPROVES FINISHES
- Achieves glossier finishes with less paint
- Uses 30% less primer on average
- Lowers total overall cost
Pickling and Oiling Process
Steel pickling is a process of chemical cleaning to remove rust, scale, and other impurities from the surface of steel. In our continuous coil-to-coil and sheet picklers, steel goes through a series of hydrochloric acid tanks to remove the scale that forms on the surface in the steel-making process. This scale-free surface is then coated with either electrostatic oiling or another controlled oiling process to keep the newly cleaned surface protected. We also offer non-oil options such as dry lube and Pickled Dry.
Pickling Vs. Blasting
Both pickling and blasting are designed to remove mill scale from the steel substrate surface and then have a rust inhibitor applied to help protect the steel from rusting. But, the differences in how these two processes affect fabricating and finish are distinguishable.
Pits and Valleys from Blasting
The blasting process uses abrasive particles to impact the steel, producing small micro-craters on the material surface. This inconsistent surface affects the laser beam focus, which then affects the cut quality. Additionally, this irregular surface can result in a duller paint finish.
Pickling and Surface Quality
Pickling hot-rolled steel removes the flaky scale, so the surface is constant and smooth throughout the entire plate. Additionally, this clean and uniform surface is ideal for painting and enamel application. Other kinds of fabrication are easier with HRPO steel, too. For example, it is safer and easier to weld HRPO steel because there are fewer surface contaminants effecting weld integrity.
HRPO Discrete Plate Benefits
- Plasma cutting cleanup – spatter from plasma.
- Splatter doesn’t stick to HRPO. It scrapes off easily, avoiding hours of grinding and sanding.
- Fiber lasers pierce and cut faster with fewer striations and better holes compared to blasted materials.
- Welds on HRPO don’t have porosity issues as they do with blasted material.
- Glossier-painted surfaces
- HRPO plate uses 30% less primer than with blasted materials.
- HRPO painted surfaces chip less than blasted, avoiding repaint.
HRPO Discrete Plate Disadvantages
- Can expose pits under scale.
- Need pre-wash station in paint line.
Industries
SERVICE CENTERS
Metal Service Centers that stock pickled steel sheet, plate, and coil can offer customers a heavy-gauge product with a superior surface finish without having to go through the hassle and cost of blasting.
Plus, by offering HRPO steel with its proven fabrication benefits, you’re helping your customer base improve both their manufacturing processes and their end product.
OEMs
Pickled steel is a perfect choice for manufacturers of trucks used in mining or construction, who also value an aesthetically pleasing surface finish. well-suited for garbage trucks, pumper trucks, utility trucks, vacuum trucks, excavators and many more applications.
Its proven fabrication benefits can help improve your production processes, while also extending the operational life of your products.
FABRICATORS
Discerning fabricators are always looking for ways to improve their products and their processes. Using pickled steel in your structures can help improve your manufacturing processes - including laser cutting, welding, painting and forming.
Consider using HRPO in any application where you are using heavy-gauge steel in highly visible areas that would benefit from a better surface finish.
Applications for Hot Rolled Pickled & Oiled Steel
Hot rolled pickled & oiled plate, sheet, and coil are versatile materials that are well-suited for a wide range of applications across multiple industries. Here are a few examples of applications that utilize HRPO plate, sheet, and coil:
- AG wheels
- Agriculture equipment
- Air compressor housings
- Automotive & other stampings
- Cement mixers
- Construction
- Cranes
- Filters
- Forklifts
- Gas cylinders
- Guard rails
- Heavy construction equipment
- Industrial storage racks
- Lawn and garden equipment
- Light poles
- Man lifts
- Package strapping
- Pipe
- Propane tanks
- Rack Systems
- Reinforcements
- Solar tracking supports
- Tanks
- Truck rails & trailers
- Tubing
- Welding finishes
Why Steel Warehouse?
Steel Warehouse is a family-owned business with over 75 years of experience. We don’t just supply steel; we are your partner in managing and forecasting inventory through our international and domestic mill relationships. We stock over 300,000 tons and provide a 24/7 transparent view of our inventory and orders through our web portal. With multiple locations across the world and degreed metallurgists on staff to support your design and fabrication leads, you can trust that you are receiving quality steel and competitive pricing. Contact us today for a quote!
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