About automotive steels

Steel makes up about 55% of a car’s overall mass. Power trains, gear boxes and vehicle bodies are all made from steel. Seat-belt buckle and anchors and crash-energy absorbing side-bars are also made from steel. Even tyres are strengthened with steel wire.

Many automotive advances, such as fuel cell vehicles, would not be possible without steel. New lightweight Advanced High-Strength Steels (AHSS) have the potential to reduce energy consumption of automobiles by 50% over their life cycle.

worldsteel's WorldAutoSteel programme provides global information on automotive steel applications. Its aim is to maintain steel as the automotive material of choice.

Advanced High-Strength Steel (AHSS)

In the automotive industry, 60% of the steel grades used today were invented in the last five years. New steels, including high-strength steels, ultra-high-strength steels and AHSS enable the use of thinner components. This saves weight and resources while increasing safety for drivers and passengers.

About 30% of the 2008 Dodge Avenger’s body is made of high-strength and ultra-high-strength steels. These steels reduce the car’s overall weight and improve its safety and structural performance.

The Mercedes S Class, which won the EuroCar Body award in 2005, relies on new types of steel. About half of the S Class’s body components are made from high-strength steel or AHSS.

Compared to conventional steels, AHSS is lighter, stronger, easier to form and has better crash energy absorption. This gives the S Class maximum rigidity at minimum weight. It also improves torsional rigidity, an indicator of safe and comfortable handling.

A high-strength steel is any steel product whose tensile strength is between 270 and 700 MPa. Ultra high-strength steels have a tensile strength of 700 MPa or greater. AHSS products have a minimum tensile strength of 500 to 800 MPa.

WorldAutoSteel publishes application guidelines on AHSS. The guidelines are part of WorldAutoSteel’s ongoing effort to compile and disseminate global knowledge and experience about AHSS.

Click here to download a free copy of the AHSS Application Guidelines from the WorldAutoSteel website.