Swedish steel manufacturer SSAB has introduced a new wear-resistant steel designed for harsh industrial environments.
The material, called Hardox HiAce, is designed to handle corrosive wear, heavy abrasion, and high temperatures.
According to the company, the new steel offers the same hardness, strength, and toughness as Hardox 450, a well-known wear plate. However, it is specifically designed to work better in conditions where corrosion, abrasion, and heat occur together.
This combination has long been a challenge for traditional materials such as abrasion-resistant (AR) steels, stainless steels, and even ceramics.
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Industrial equipment often operates in conditions where chemicals, moisture, and heavy materials cause rapid wear. Substances such as acids, sulfates, salts, and ammonia can damage steel surfaces and shorten equipment life.
These conditions cause corrosive wear, a process that combines chemical corrosion with physical abrasion and impact.
SSAB developed Hardox HiAce to resist this type of damage. The steel maintains strong hardness while also protecting against chemical corrosion.
This makes Hardox HiAce suitable for industries operating in harsh, tough environments. These include sectors such as waste collection, pulp and paper production, wood processing, recycling, mining, agriculture, and transportation, where equipment is regularly exposed to heavy wear, corrosion, and impact.
Unlike many specialty materials, Hardox HiAce can also be fabricated with standard workshop equipment, without specialized manufacturing infrastructure.
Better Performance Than Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is often used in corrosive environments because it resists rust. However, its lower hardness can become a disadvantage when materials also cause abrasion and impact.
According to SSAB testing, Hardox HiAce performs better than stainless steel S304 and AR 400 steel in abrasive environments with acidic conditions.
Jonas Allebert, senior wear specialist at SSAB, explained why the material performs better.
“Hardox HiAce outperforms stainless steel mainly because it has much higher hardness and better resistance to dents,” Allebert said.
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The company’s corrosive wear tests showed several advantages of Hardox HiAce steel. The material demonstrated a service life up to 20 percent longer than that of stainless steel.
It also showed no signs of pitting corrosion, which can weaken steel surfaces over time. Because of its higher durability and longer lifespan, the steel can also help reduce operating and maintenance costs.
The steel has also been tested in real operating conditions. SSAB monitored a garbage truck operated by the Swedish company Allmiljö. In the trial, the truck’s floor plates made of stainless steel were replaced with Hardox HiAce.
Over a period of six years and more than 106,000 kilometers of operation, the results were promising.
Engineers recorded only 40 percent wear at the most exposed point, and no pitting corrosion was found on the steel surface.
“At this wear rate, the extended service life fully meets the operator’s requirements,” Allebert said.
Pitting corrosion is a common cause of leaks and costly repairs in garbage trucks. The new steel eliminated that issue during the test.
Hardox HiAce is also designed to work in high-temperature environments. The steel maintains its wear resistance and mechanical strength up to 400°C (752°F).
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This ability helps equipment handle heat spikes that normally weaken traditional abrasion-resistant steels.
SSAB has already tested the material at its Oxelösund steel mill. There, red-hot coke from coal furnaces moves across sliding ramps while still extremely hot and abrasive.
Hardox HiAce was installed as liner plates in one of these ramps. After months of use, engineers reported that wear levels were lower than expected.
Because of its strong resistance to heat, abrasion, and corrosion, Hardox HiAce steel can be used in a wide range of heavy-duty industrial applications. It is suitable for equipment such as dryer drums in asphalt plants, clinker cooler plates in cement plants, and ash-handling equipment in power plants.
The material can also be used in foundry scrapers and screeners, as well as crusher liner plates and clinker hammers, where machinery is exposed to extreme wear and high temperatures.
Industry experts say materials like Hardox HiAce could help companies increase equipment life, reduce maintenance costs, and improve reliability during demanding operating conditions.
