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Common Types and Grades

Cold-rolled low-carbon steel is typically available in the form of sheets or coils.

1. By Surface Finish:

• Bright Surface: Smooth and shiny finish.
• Matt Surface (Dull Finish): Surface has a certain roughness, beneficial for subsequent processing (e.g., painting, stamping).

2. By Final Performance/Application:

• Commercial Quality (CQ): For simple forming.
• Drawing Quality (DQ): For general stamping.
• Deep Drawing Quality (DDQ): Excellent deep-drawing properties, used for complex formed parts like automotive body panels.
• Extra Deep Drawing Quality / Super Extra Deep Drawing Quality (EDDQ/SEDDQ): Superior performance.
• High-Strength Grades (e.g., HSLA): Achieve higher strength on a low-carbon basis through microalloying or specific processes.

3. Common Grades (Using Chinese standards as an example):

• SPCC: Based on the Japanese JIS standard, also adopted in the Chinese GB/T standard. It is the most common grade for cold-rolled sheets.
• SPCD: For stamping applications.
• SPCE / SPCEN: For deep drawing and extra deep drawing (N indicates non-aging).
• DC01, DC03, DC04, DC05, DC06: European EN standards. A higher number indicates better stamping/drawing performance (DC01 ≈ CQ, DC03/04 ≈ DQ/DDQ, DC05/06 ≈ EDDQ).
• Q195, Q235, etc.: Sometimes cold-rolled, but more commonly used for structural components.