GNEE Steel EN 10025-6 S690Q High Strength Steel Plates To Germany For Heavy Engineering Projects

Recently, GNEE Steel has successfully completed the production and export of a batch of EN 10025-6 S690Q high-strength structural steel plates, which have been officially shipped to Germany and will be used in core high-load-bearing structures and critical load-bearing components such as large crawler crane booms and chassis of a well-known local construction machinery manufacturing enterprise. This project belongs to a typical European high-end manufacturing application scenario. The customer, who has long-term adopted materials from European local steel mills, chose GNEE Steel based on rigorous verification of product performance stability, welding reliability, and dimensional accuracy. The project underwent 3 months of sample testing and technical review before final cooperation.

Why the German Market Uses a Large Amount of S690Q High-Strength Steel

As a global powerhouse in construction machinery manufacturing, Germany's products are long renowned for high reliability and lightweight design, setting extremely high requirements for the strength and safety of structural component materials. In crane equipment, mining machinery, bridge components, and heavy support structures, traditional medium-strength steel plates such as S355 and S460 have been difficult to meet modern equipment's design needs for weight reduction and efficiency improvement, as well as enhanced load-bearing capacity.

As a high-strength structural steel under the EN 10025-6 standard, S690Q steel plates offer an extremely high yield strength (≥690MPa) and good low-temperature impact performance. While ensuring structural safety, they can reduce structural weight by 20%-30%, significantly improving equipment endurance and operational efficiency. Therefore, they are widely used to replace traditional steel grades, becoming one of the core materials for German high-end manufacturing.

Core Parameters of the Supplied S690Q Steel Plates

• Standard: EN 10025-6
• Grade: S690Q
• Delivery Condition: Quenched & Tempered
• Plate Thickness Range: 25–90 mm
• Minimum Yield Strength: ≥690 MPa
• Tensile Strength: 770–940 MPa
• Impact Toughness: ≥40J at -40℃, far exceeding the basic standard requirements
• Key Chemical Composition Control: Strictly controlling the contents of harmful impurities such as P (≤0.020%) and S (≤0.010%), and precisely controlling the carbon equivalent (Ceq≤0.60%). While ensuring high strength, it maximizes weldability to adapt to the complex multi-pass welding process requirements of German customers.

Real Pain Points of German Customers in Processing S690Q and Solutions

During early-stage technical communication, German customers clearly raised two core pain points they encountered in using high-strength steel in the past. GNEE Steel provided targeted full solutions:

1. High Risk of Weld Cold Cracks

As a high-strength grade, S690Q is prone to cold cracks after welding if the steel plate structure is uneven or the carbon equivalent is high, especially in thick plates (≥60mm) and multi-pass welded structures, which has led to batch component scrapping issues for customers.

👉 GNEE Steel Solutions:

Adopt a high-precision CNC quenching and tempering production line to strictly control heating rate, holding time, and cooling rate, ensuring uniform internal structure.

Conduct an additional carbon equivalent recheck test for each batch of steel plates before delivery to ensure data compliance.

Cooperate with a third-party welding laboratory to customize a dedicated welding process plan for customers, clarifying preheating temperatures (100-150℃), matching electrode types (E11018-G), and welding sequence recommendations for different plate thicknesses, and arrange technical engineers for remote guidance on first piece welding.

2. Edge Hardening After Thick Plate Cutting

German customers have repeatedly encountered high edge hardness (HV≥350) issues when flame cutting thick S690Q, seriously affecting subsequent welding quality and processing accuracy.

👉 GNEE Steel Solutions:

Recommend plasma cutting process first based on the customer's existing equipment to reduce the heat-affected zone during cutting.

Advise customers to leave a 3-5mm processing margin during cutting and remove the hardened layer through milling in subsequent steps.

Provide pre-cutting tempering treatment service for some ultra-thick plates (≥80mm) to reduce the risk of edge hardening from the source.

GNEE Steel's Advantages in European High-Strength Steel

With 12 years of deep cultivation in the European market, GNEE Steel has long supplied a series of high-strength structural steel plates such as S690Q, S890Q, S460, and S355 to countries including Germany, France, and Italy. It has not only obtained European authoritative certifications such as CE certification and DIN certification but also established a sound pre-sales technical support and after-sales tracking system.

GNEE Steel focuses on providing customized solutions based on European customers' processing technology and equipment characteristics. It has served more than 50 European construction machinery and high-end manufacturing enterprises, with the product defect rate controlled below 0.03%.

Request A Quote

📌If you are looking for a stable, weldable, and processable S690Q steel plate supplier in the German or European market, GNEE Steel can provide free sample testing and full set of technical solutions, making it a reliable partner.

FAQ

What is the difference between S690Q and S690QL?

S690Q: Minimum impact toughness tested at -20°C (30J average). → Typical Use: Cranes in temperate climates, quarry equipment. S690QL: Certified for -40°C and below (≥40J impact toughness). → Critical Use: Arctic pipelines, offshore platforms, mining vehicles in Siberia.

What grade is S690QL material?

S690QL is a high strength quenched and tempered steel grade that complies to steel specification EN 10025. The designation S690QL refers to a minimum yield strength of 690 MPa.

What is S690 grade steel?

S690 high yield & fine grain steel plate is a high strength, quenched and tempered fine-grain structural steel. Structural steel S690 is used in structures that must withstand very heavy loads. This grade is meant for structures where weight savings is important.

What is the equivalent of S690 steel?

Approximate equivalents
ASTM A514, EN 10149-2 Grade S700MC, AS/NZS 3579 Grade 700, AM 700, Bisalloy 80.

What is the price of S690QL material?

S690QL High Strength Steel Plates, Thickness: 5mm to 150mm at 5,600-13,500 CNY per tonne (approx. 5.6-13.5 CNY per kilogram)/440-900 USD per tonne (approx. 0.44-0.90 USD per kilogram)

What is the hardness of S690 QL steel?

S690QL steel stockholders and suppliers. S690QL is a quenched and tempered high strength steel supplied in full plates or cut pieces with delivery to the whole of the UK. With its high yield of minimum 690MPa it offers better strength than standard carbon steel grades.

What is the effective use of high strength S690 steel in construction?

The high strength S690 steels have an excellent strength-to-self-weight ratio, and they are highly efficient to be used in heavily loaded structures. Typical applications include piles and columns in buildings and supporting members in bridges.

What is the difference between S890QL and S690QL?

S690QL, S890QL, and S960QL are all water quenched and tempered steels that comply with the EN10025:6:2004 specification. These ultra high strength steels have a minimum yield strength of 690 MPa, 890 MPa, and 960 Mpa respectively, making them ideal for use in the haulage sector.

What is the difference between S700MC and S690ql?

The S700MC Steel is basically a structural steel plate developed especially for applications requiring high yield strength. They are used for several load bearing applications. The S690ql is a low alloy structural steel which is high in strength and comes with good weldability.

What is the yield strength of s690 steel?

690 MPa.

Yield strength of 690 MPa. Used in structures bearing extremely heavy loads, such as bridges, offshore drilling rigs and buildings, as well as in heavy construction equipment and cranes.