Nucor manufactures SBQ grades 1006, 1008, 1012, 1015, 1018, 1022, 1026, 1030, 1033V, 1035, 1040, 1045, 1050, 1060, 1070, 1080, 10B23, 10V38, 10V40, 10V45, 1117, 1137, 1141, 1144, 11V41, 1215, 1513, 1518, 1522, 1536, 1538, 1541, 1552, 15B25, 15B30, 15B37, 15B41, 15V32, 15V38, 15V42, 4037, 4120, 4125, 4130, 4135, 4140, 4145, 4150, 41B17, 41B30 4320, 4330 4330V, 4340 4620, 4715, 5120, 5125, 5140, 5150, 5160, 5180, 6418, 8620, 8630, 8640, 8720, 9226, 9228 and 9250. This is not a comprehensive list; additional grades may be available. Please inquire about your specific needs. 

Hot-rolled steel is utilized in various applications, including construction, automotive frames, railroad tracks, agricultural equipment, metal buildings and heavy machinery due to its strength, formability and cost efficiency. 

Quenching and tempering are processes that strengthen materials like steel and other iron-based alloys. These processes strengthen the alloys through heating the material while simultaneously cooling it in water, oil, forced air, or gases such as nitrogen. The purpose of controlled heating and cooling of steel is to achieve the desired mechanical properties that are not possible from the hot rolling process alone.​ 

Our in-house team of metallurgists and engineers provides continuous support from purchasing to project completion, saving customers time and money. For instance, if you are unsure which engineered bar product suits your project, our experts will assist you in choosing the best options and offer solutions throughout the process. 

Yes, upon completion of an order made to customer specifications, Nucor provides a mill test report on mill results for each product to ensure quality and compliance. 

Billets and blooms are semi-finished steel products used as primary feedstock for rolling into bars, rods, sections and other finished shapes. Billets typically have a square cross-section and are used in applications such as wire rod. Blooms are larger and are commonly used for structural shapes, rails and seamless pipe. Both products offer strength, consistency and flexibility for downstream processing in construction, manufacturing and infrastructure applications. 

Yes, 1018 round stock is weldable. It is a low-carbon steel with good weldability, machinability and formability. It can generally be welded with standard methods without preheating or post-heating.  

Depending on our customers’ engineered bar needs, we can employ vacuum degassing to: 

• Improve cleanliness by removing hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen.
• Ensure the steel is produced to uniform and close chemical specification ranges.
• Enhance the capability to produce low-carbon grades
• Improve temperature control during continuous casting. 

After refining and alloying, our ladles are taken to the continuous caster, where the molten steel flows through a ceramic tube while being shrouded by argon gas to ensure cleanliness. 

Hot-rolled steel is produced at high temperatures, which makes it easier to shape into large sections but results in a rougher surface and looser dimensional tolerances. Cold-finished steel is further processed at a lower temperature, resulting in a smoother finish, tighter tolerances and increased strength. 

When strength, size and surface are essential, cold-finish processing may be required. We offer a wide variety of cold-finish options, which include cold drawing, turning, polishing, grinding, heat treating, stress relieving, annealing, quench and tempering, normalizing, high-speed saw blanking, surface testing and ultrasonic testing. 

Our goal is to develop a deeper understanding of our customers’ businesses, enabling us to increase the value we provide through customization. We are proud to offer additional value-added processes and services to our hot-rolled and cold-rolled products.