Automotive Worldwide

High strength IF steels

Extract from the product catalogue -European edition

Note: Information contained in this catalogue is subject to change.

Please contact our sales team whenever you place an order to ensure that your requirements are fully met.
Please contact us if you have a specific requirement that is not included in the range of products and services covered by this catalogue.
We are also reachable by the e-mail address automotive.request@arcelormittal.com.

We are also reachable by the e-mail address automotive.request@arcelormittal.com.

High strength IF steels

High yield and tensile strength
steels

Description
These steels were designed to provide an excellent combination of drawability and mechanical strength based on their specific interstitial
free(IF) metallurgy. IF180 offers drawability similar to that of ArcelorMittal 04 combined with tensile strength comparable to that of H220, for
example.
These steels are hardened by adding manganese, silicon and phosphorous in solid solution to the ferrite. The metallurgy of IF steels
optimizes their drawability.
Their low YS/UTS ratio and high strain hardening coefficient n ensure excellent deep-drawability and good strain redistribution.
Their high strain ratio r ensures good deformation behavior, making them suitable for deep-drawing.
These steels are particularly suitable for complex parts requiring high mechanical strength, such as wheel arches, toe-boards,
reinforcements, etc.
These steels have high strain hardening potential during forming, lending deep-drawn parts (trunks, tailgates, doors, linings, wheel arches,
etc.) good dent resistance.
The IF180 to IF 260 grades can be used, with certain coatings, to manufacture visible parts such as door panels. The IF 300 grade is
designed for more complex structural parts (longitudinal beams, cross members, suspension and chassis components, etc.).

Application
With their high mechanical strength guaranteeing good fatigue and impact resistance, these steels are intended for structural parts
(longitudinal beams, cross members, B-pillars, etc.) as well as for skin parts, in which they provide good indentation resistance.
In contrast to that of conventional drawing qualities, the weight reduction potential of these products increases with drawing depth.

Hood in IF220 Extragal

(thickness: 0.7 mm)

Designation and standard

EN 10268 :2006
(uncoated)

EN 10268 :2006 + EN
10152 :2009
(electrogalvanized)

EN 10346 :2009
(Extragal/Galvannealed)

IF 180

HC180Y

HC180Y +ZE

HX180YD +Z/+ZF

IF 220

HC220Y

HC220Y +ZE

HX220YD +Z/+ZF

IF 260

HC260Y

HC260Y +ZE

HX260YD +Z/+ZF

IF 300

HX300YD +Z/+ZF

Hot rolled Cold rolled

While the ArcelorMittal grades conform perfectly well to the indicated EN standards, ArcelorMittal grades generally offer tighter mechanical
properties (see table below).

Technical characteristics
Mechanical properties
Guaranteed for ISO 20x80 specimen of uncoated sheet in the 2
transverse direction

Mechanical properties
Guaranteed for ISO 20x80 specimen of uncoated sheet in the transverse direction

PS0,2 (MPa)

UTS (MPa)

ef (%)
L0 = 80 mm
th < 3 mm

IF 180

180 -230

340 -400

35

1,7

0,19

IF 220

220 -260

340 -400

33

1,7

0,19

IF 260

260 -300

380 -440

30

1,5

0,18

IF 300

300 -340

400 -460

28

1,5

0,17

Hot rolled Cold rolled

Chemical composition (%)

C
Max

Mn
Max

Si
Max

IF 180

0,010

1,00

0,25

IF 220

0,010

0,70

0,50

IF 260

0,010

1,00

0,50

IF 300

0,010

1,00

0,50

Hot rolled Cold rolled

Available coatings and surface finishes

Extragal

Ultragal

IF 180

Uncoated
XX

Electrogalvanized Galvannealed
XX

XX

XX

XX

IF 220

XX

XX

XX

XX

XX

IF 260

XX

XX

XX

XX

IF 300

Hot rolled Cold rolled

XAvailable -XX Available in visible part quality

Microstructure of IF 180

Recommendations for use and secondary processing

Forming
IF steels offer excellent drawability for their strength level as a result of their very good fracture elongation, normal strain ratios and strain
hardening coefficients.

IF steels offer excellent drawability for their strength level as a result of their very good fracture elongation, normal strain ratios and strain
hardening coefficients.
The diagram opposite shows examples of forming limit curves for the IF family of steels in 1.00 mm thickness.

Forming limit curves calculated for IF 180 and 260 steels

(thickness: 1.0 mm)

ArcelorMittal has an extensive database on the forming of IF steels. To integrate these steels at the design stage, a team of experts is
available to carry out specific studies based on modeling or shop-floor experience.

Welding
IF steels can be readily welded by all welding processes.
The table below shows examples of spot welding parameters according to the ISO 18278-2 method for products in the IF range:

Welding range (kA)

IF 180 Galvannealed
(thickness: 2 mm)

1,8

IF 260 Extragal
(thickness: 1 mm)

Hot rolled Cold rolled

1,4

Based on long experience in the spot and arc welding characterization of its products, ArcelorMittal can provide technical assistance in
adjusting the welding parameters of any other product in the IF range.

Fatigue strength
Fatigue strength can be expressed as an endurance limit (maximum stress).
Examples of Whler curves for a variety of IF steels are given in the graph below. The curves plot maximum stress versus number of cycles
to failure. They are calculated for a tension-compression loading ratio of R = 0.1.

Whler curves for a variety of IF steels

ArcelorMittal has a comprehensive database on the fatigue performance of IF steels.

ArcelorMittal | Last update: 31-07-2013
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