Steel Colour Code: Grade Guide

Grade, colour and signet code

Colour coding is used to distinguish different types of steel based on their unique metallurgical properties. Generally categorised into carbon steels and alloy steels, Edcon Steel’s range of steel products have varying combinations of carbon, iron and other elements. Our steel colour coding for grade guide can be interpreted using the following:

Grades refers to the relevant Australian (or international) standard, which sets out the composition, mechanical properties, tolerances on dimension and manufacture method.

Colour refers to the colour of paint that we’ve applied to the end of the steel product.

Signet code (name and number) is the paint manufacturer’s unique name and product code. This helps to ensure that we apply the same and correct colour paint to our material each and every time we receive a new stock delivery.

Individual grade guides

Each individual steel grade has a guide that outlines the properties of that product.

These include:

• General description of the steel grade
• Characteristics – e.g. tensile strength or hardness
• Equivalent international standards
• Chemical analysis – e.g. carbon content
• Notes
• Applications