Hardox® HiAce steel sets new standard in corrosive wear and high-heat environments

The steel solution where abrasion, corrosion and heat meet

At steelmaker SSAB, innovation in wear-resistant materials has taken a decisive step forward. Hardox® HiAce is engineered to outperform conventional abrasion-resistant (AR) steels, stainless steels and even ceramics in environments where wear, corrosion and elevated temperatures combine. It offers the same excellent hardness, yield strength and toughness as the renowned Hardox® 450 wear plate.

Unlike traditional materials that often excel only in one dimension, Hardox® HiAce delivers a combination of:

Designed for real-world corrosive wear

High- or low-pH environments, combined with abrasion and impact, can create corrosive wear mechanisms that rapidly degrade conventional steels and damage your equipment.

Acids, sulfates, ammonia and salts can oxidize steel surfaces, accelerate wear rates and dramatically reduce service life. In these conditions, higher hardness alone is not enough.

Hardox® HiAce was developed to resist this complex degradation scenario. It provides the hardness needed for abrasion resistance while maintaining structural integrity in chemically aggressive environments.

Typical industries include:

Why stainless steel falls short in corrosive wear environments

Stainless steels perform well in purely corrosive environments. But when abrasion and impact are introduced, their lower hardness limits service life.

According to internal testing at SSAB, Hardox® HiAce outperforms both stainless steel S304 and AR 400 steel in abrasive pH 4 conditions (see table below). “The main reason Hardox® HiAce outperforms stainless steel is its significantly higher hardness and dent resistance,” says Jonas Allebert, Senior Wear Specialist at SSAB.

Material

Hardness HBW

Toughness (typical)

Relative service life in corrosive wear*

Relative cost*

Hardox® HiAce

450

50 J at -40 °C

1

1

Stainless steel S304

≤201

60 J at -40 °C

0.8

2

AR 400 steel

400

45 J at -40 °C

0.5

1.7

*Tested in pH 4 abrasive conditions. Service life and cost figures are relative and based on real-world conditions at the time of writing. They should not be interpreted as guaranteed outcomes for specific applications.

In the corrosive wear tests, Hardox® HiAce achieved:

Proven performance: 6-year garbage truck field study

SSAB monitored a garbage truck operated by the Swedish company Allmiljö, where Hardox® HiAce flooring replaced stainless steel S304.

Over six years and 106,000 km (65,865 miles):

“At this wear rate, the extended service life fully meets the operator’s requirements,” Allebert says.

Pitting corrosion is a common cause of leakage and costly maintenance in garbage trucks using traditional AR steels. Hardox® HiAce eliminated this risk while extending operational life.

Hardox® HiAce can take the heat—at least up to 400°C (752°F)

Equipment operating in elevated temperatures can experience damaging heat spikes that can negatively influence conventional AR steels. Where these steels rapidly lose hardness and wear resistance, Hardox® HiAce maintains its excellent properties and resistance to wear—up to at least 400°C (752°F). This gives you a dependable thermal buffer, long-term stability and reliable performance even during prolonged exposure.

Proven in extreme heat conditions at SSAB’s coke plant

After red-hot coke exits the coal furnaces at SSAB’s Oxelösund mill, it is water-cooled and discharged onto sliding ramps while still extremely hot—creating a challenging environment as the coke is mildly to moderately corrosive in addition to being abrasive.

When one of the ramps required new liner plates, Hardox® HiAce was chosen for its combined resistance to abrasion, impact, corrosion and heat. After months of operation, wear levels were even lower than anticipated.

Other high-temperature applications for Hardox® HiAce in steel mills include quenching wagons, cooling beds, slag tippers and furnace inlet scrapers.

Additional high-temperature applications include:

Meet us at Conexpo 2026

Discover the superior performance of Hardox® HiAce and other Hardox® grades. Speak with our specialists about your wear and heat challenges at Conexpo 2026 in Central Hall, booth 20068.

For further information, please contact:
Jacqueline Gay, Regional Marketing Manager, SSAB Special Steels, jacqueline.gay@ssab.com, phone: (251) 206-9126

Ursula Egenhofer, Brand Manager Hardox® wear plate, SSAB Special Steels, ursula.egenhofer@ssab.com, phone: (412) 680-0080

SSAB is a Nordic and US-based steel company that builds a stronger, lighter and more sustainable world through value added steel products and services. Working with our partners, SSAB has developed SSAB Fossil-free™ steel and plans to reinvent the value chain from the mine to the end customer, largely eliminating carbon dioxide emissions from our own operations. SSAB Zero™, a largely carbon emission-free steel based on recycled steel, further strengthens SSAB’s leadership position and our comprehensive, sustainable offering independent of the raw material. SSAB has employees in over 50 countries and production facilities in Sweden, Finland and the US. SSAB is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and has a secondary listing on Nasdaq Helsinki. Join us on our journey! www.ssab.com, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and YouTube.

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