More warnings have been issued by UK Steel concerning the safety implications of using Chinese steel.
“Some imported steel plates and sections from China are being supplied into the UK market which are not fully compliant with the requirements of the relevant standard,” said Ian Rodgers, director of UK Steel.
According to Rodgers, it is imperative that structural steel plates and sections with elevated alloy levels are treated with great care and, where possible, avoided totally.
Rodgers advised customers to check the alloy content of any structural steel from China before processing it as the EU specification for structural steel clearly states that it applies only to non-alloy steels.
UK Steel argues that a ‘non-alloy’ must comply with strict limits on the quantity of other metallic elements it contains and this to ensure that the steel is readily weldable without any special welding parameters being applied.
Chinese steel with elevated levels of boron and chromium have been arriving on UK soil because, up until recently, Chinese producers have been offered tax rebates by the Chinese government if they add these elements to their steel so qualifying it as an ‘alloy’.