01. Product Overview

Ships carry a diverse range of missions — from deep-sea exploration and global logistics to passenger transport and offshore engineering. At the core of every vessel's structural integrity lies one fundamental material: the Shipbuilding Steel Plate.

Ship plates are hot-rolled steel plates specifically engineered and certified for the construction of hull structures for ocean-going, coastal, and inland vessels. Produced in strict compliance with the rules of international classification societies, these plates must simultaneously deliver high strength, exceptional low-temperature impact toughness, and superior weldability. Their performance directly determines a ship's load-bearing capacity, resistance to wind and wave stresses, service longevity, and — above all — navigation safety.

02. Key Features & Advantages

l Certified High Strength

Ø Feature: Yield strength up to 355 MPa (AH36/DH36/EH36) with full traceability to the originating heat.

Ø Advantage: Class-approved mechanical properties ensure every plate meets minimum design requirements.

Ø Benefit: "Design with Confidence." Eliminates structural over-engineering — you can safely design to the rated strength without adding excessive safety margins.

l Exceptional Low-Temperature Toughness

Ø Feature: Guaranteed impact energy at 0°C (Grade A/AH36), -20°C (Grade D/DH36), or -40°C (Grade E/EH36).

Ø Advantage: Prevents brittle fracture in cold-water navigation and polar-class operations.

Ø Benefit: "Safety at All Latitudes." Fom tropical shipping lanes to Arctic routes, the hull retains ductility and crack resistance under the most extreme thermal stresses.

l Superior Marine Corrosion Resistance

Ø Feature: Controlled chemical composition with low sulfur and phosphorus, plus optional shot blasting + shop primer coating.

Ø Advantage: Resists pitting and uniform corrosion from continuous exposure to seawater, salt spray, and humid marine atmospheres.

Ø Benefit: Longer Dry-Dock Intervals." educes hull wastage rates, extending service life and minimizing expensive mid-life steel renewal.

l Superior Weldability

Ø Feature: Low carbon equivalent (CEV) specifically formulated to prevent cold cracking in high-heat-input welding.

Ø Advantage: Excellent fusion with all standard shipyard welding processes (SAW, FCAW, SMAW) without preheating in most grades.

Ø Benefit: Faster Hull Assembly." inimizes weld defects, reduces rework, and shortens block assembly cycle times on the slipway or dry dock.

l Precision Formability

Ø Feature: Consistent through-thickness properties with optional Z-direction (Z25/Z35) capability for highly restrained joints.

Ø Advantage: Withstands complex cold bending, flame straightening, and heavy press forming without lamellar tearing.

Ø Benefit: Streamlined Fabrication." Confidently produce curved shell plates, bulbous bows, and intricate structural brackets without material failure.

03. Technical Specifications

04. Versatile Applications

l Commercial Shipbuilding

The primary material for cargo ships, container vessels, oil tankers, bulk carriers, and Ro-Ro ferries. Normal-strength Grade A/B is widely used for general hull plating, while AH36/DH36 high-strength grades enable lighter structural designs with equivalent strength.

l Passenger Vessels & Cruise Ships

Thin-gauge plates (4-12mm) with superior surface quality and formability are essential for building lightweight superstructures, decks, and accommodation blocks of cruise ships and passenger ferries.

l Offshore & Marine Engineering

EH36 and EH40 grades with Z35 properties are mandatory for jack-up rig legs, offshore platform nodes, wind turbine foundations, and subsea structures where extreme thickness, cold service, and lamellar tearing resistance converge.

l Ship Repair & Conversion

Readily available stock of common grades and thicknesses ensures fast supply for emergency dry-dock repairs, minimizing vessel out-of-service time.

05. Why Choose Us?

1. Multi-Class Certification: We supply plates certified by CCS, ABS, BV, DNV, and LR. Multi-certification on a single plate is available to streamline your global supply chain.

2. Full Mill Traceability: Every plate is stamped with heat number and class mark. Mill Test Certificates (MTC) are issued and endorsed by the classification society surveyor — no exceptions.

3. Wide Inventory: From 4mm thin sheets to 300mm ultra-heavy plates for container ship hatch coamings, we stock the full thickness range.

4. In-House Processing: Shot blasting to Sa 2.5 standard and shop primer application are done in-house, delivering plates ready for immediate fabrication upon arrival.

5. Port-Proximate Logistics: Loading from Tianjin / Shanghai / Qingdao ports — 7-15 days from deposit to shipment for stock grades.

06. Packaging & Logistics

l Lead Time: 7-15 days after deposit (stock grades); 20-35 days for custom mill production.

l Loading Port: Tianjin / Shanghai / Qingdao.

l Payment Terms: 30% T/T deposit + 70% against BL copy; or Irrevocable L/C at sight.

l Packaging: Marine packaging specifically designed for ship plates

l Sample Policy: Free samples available; buyer covers courier freight cost.

l Documentation: Relevant classification society certificates, packing list, commercial invoice, and certificate of origin.

07. FAQ

Q1: What is the difference between Grade A, B, D, and E? What do AH36, DH36, and EH36 mean?

Ø Normal Strength Grades (A, B, D, E): All have a yield strength of ≥235 MPa. The key difference lies in their low-temperature impact toughness:

Grade A: Impact test at 0°C.

Grade B: Impact test at 0°C (with stricter chemical composition control).

Grade D: Impact test at -20°C.

Grade E: Impact test at -40°C.

Ø High Strength Grades (AH36, DH36, EH36): Taking the 36 series as an example, these have a yield strength of ≥355 MPa. The prefix letters follow the same rules:

AH36: 0°C Impact → Standard seaways and temperate climates.

DH36: -20°C Impact → Cold waters and winter navigation.

EH36: -40°C Impact → Polar or ice-class operations.

Q2: What do CCS, ABS, and BV class marks mean? Can I mix plates from different classification societies?

Ø These are members of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). While each has its own certification rules, IACS Unified Requirement (UR W11) ensures equivalent grade relationships between them.

Ø Mixing Principle: Steel plates used for a specific vessel must have certificates signed by a surveyor from the classification society where that vessel is registered. However, we can provide Multi-Certified Plates (e.g., a single plate certified by CCS + ABS + BV simultaneously), which are readily accepted by your surveyor.

Ø We recommend clearly stating which classification society your vessel belongs to when ordering so we can match the correct certification.

Q3: Can you supply Z-property (Z25/Z35) ship plates? When is it required?

Ø Yes. Z-property refers to the reduction of area in the through-thickness direction of the steel plate, where Z25 ≥ 25% and Z35 ≥ 35%.

Ø Scenarios: Required when the structure has highly restrained welded joints (e.g., hatch coamings for large container ships, offshore platform nodes, or thick T-type full-penetration joints). Without Z-property steel, welding tensile stress can cause lamellar tearing.

Ø Common Example: EH36-Z35 is frequently used for the hatch coamings of ultra-large container ships and heavy-thickness offshore structures.

Q4: What is the difference between TMCP and Normalized delivery conditions?

Ø TMCP (Thermo-Mechanical Controlled Process): Achieves a fine-grained structure through controlled rolling and cooling. It offers high strength, low carbon equivalent, and excellent weldability. It is the mainstream process for modern high-strength ship plates.

Ø Normalized: Heated to a normalizing temperature and air-cooled. It provides a uniform structure and is suitable for heavy plates requiring subsequent hot forming and specific class rules.

Selection: EH36 and DH36 are generally TMCP by default. If your project specs require Normalized condition, we can provide it — please specify when ordering.

Q5: What are your standard dimensions? Can you do cut-to-size?

Ø Standard Widths: 1800 / 2000 / 2200 / 2400 / 2500mm.

Ø Standard Lengths: 8000 / 9000 / 10000 / 12000mm.

We fully support cut-to-size orders. We can supply plates precisely cut according to a shipyard's block nesting diagrams, reducing secondary cutting and scrap waste at the yard. Please provide a list of required lengths and widths for customization.

Q6: What is your thickness tolerance? Can you supply ultra-heavy plates (>100mm)?

Ø Standard thickness tolerances comply with IACS and relevant classification society rules (generally ±0.3~0.8mm for the 4-100mm range, depending on thickness).

Ø Ultra-Heavy Plates (100-300mm): We have stable supply capabilities for these, suitable for hatch coamings of ultra-large container ships and heavy offshore structures. Ultra-heavy plates require piece-by-piece inspection and certification by a class surveyor.

Q7: How can I verify material authenticity?

Authenticity Verification: Every steel plate is stamped with a Heat Number and Classification Mark upon leaving the factory. The heat number on the MTC corresponds exactly to the stamp on the plate, allowing surveyors to verify authenticity on-site. This is our key differentiator from general steel traders.

Q8: How are ship plates packed for sea transport? Will they rust during shipping?

Bare plates (untreated) will develop a light layer of surface rust during transit; this is normal and does not affect material performance. Shipyards typically shot-blast the plates before use.

Q9: What is your Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ)? Do you have stock?

Ø Stock: Some common grades are kept in inventories and can be shipped within 7 days. Please contact us in advance to check availability.

Ø Full Orders: Custom mill production MOQ is approximately 100 tons per heat (depending on grade), ideal for large-scale shipyard nesting orders.

Q10: Does shipbuilding plate export require special licenses?

As steel products, certain HS codes may be subject to export license requirements under 2026 policies. Our professional documentation team checks specific tax IDs and handles all export licenses to ensure zero customs delays.

Every batch is accompanied by an EN 10204 3.2 certificate signed by a class surveyor, which is the most widely recognized material proof for customs and classification societies globally.

For inquiries, grade recommendations, or a detailed quotation, please contact our marine steel team.