Key Properties and Advantages of AH36, DH36, and EH36 Shipbuilding Steel Plates

Grade	Minimum Yield Strength (MPa)	Impact Test Temperature	Typical Applications
AH36	355	0°C	General ship hulls and decks
DH36	355	-20°C	Offshore platforms, hull structures exposed to cold water
EH36	355	-40°C	Arctic vessels, LNG carriers, and deep-sea structures

All three grades possess the same chemical composition and tensile strength, but EH36 has the highest toughness level, making it ideal for extreme environments.

---

Chemical Composition of AH36, DH36, and EH36

The carefully balanced chemistry of these steel grades provides a perfect blend of strength, ductility, and corrosion resistance.

Typical Chemical Composition (%):

• Carbon (C): ≤ 0.18

• Manganese (Mn): 0.90–1.60

• Silicon (Si): 0.10–0.50

• Phosphorus (P): ≤ 0.035

• Sulfur (S): ≤ 0.035

• Niobium (Nb), Vanadium (V), Titanium (Ti): ≤ 0.10 (microalloying elements to enhance strength)

Micro-alloying with Nb, V, and Ti helps refine the steel’s grain structure, significantly improving its mechanical performance and impact toughness.

---

Mechanical Properties

The key advantage of AH36, DH36, and EH36 steels lies in their superior mechanical strength and resilience under dynamic loads.

Typical Mechanical Properties:

• Yield Strength: ≥ 355 MPa

• Tensile Strength: 490–620 MPa

• Elongation (in 50 mm): ≥ 21%

• Charpy V-Notch Impact Energy:

  • AH36: tested at 0°C

  • DH36: tested at -20°C

  • EH36: tested at -40°C

These properties ensure that ship hulls and structural components can endure heavy bending, vibration, and impact forces while maintaining integrity in cold, corrosive seawater environments.

---

Key Properties and Advantages

1. High Strength-to-Weight Ratio

AH36, DH36, and EH36 steels offer significantly higher strength compared to ordinary carbon steels, allowing shipbuilders to design lighter yet stronger vessels. This results in increased payload capacity and improved fuel efficiency.

2. Excellent Toughness at Low Temperatures

While AH36 performs well in moderate climates, DH36 and EH36 excel in subzero conditions, making them ideal for Arctic tankers, offshore platforms, and LNG carriers where steel must remain ductile even at -40°C.

3. Superior Corrosion Resistance

The chemical composition of these steels, along with optional coatings or galvanic protection, ensures resistance to seawater corrosion, oxidation, and rusting, extending the vessel’s service life.

4. Outstanding Weldability

These grades can be welded easily using common methods such as MIG, TIG, and submerged arc welding (SAW) without preheating. This ensures efficient fabrication and repair in shipyards.

5. Excellent Fatigue and Impact Resistance

Marine structures experience continuous stress cycles due to waves, cargo loads, and engine vibration. AH36, DH36, and EH36 steels provide exceptional fatigue strength and resistance to impact failure under repetitive loading conditions.

6. Uniform Quality and Dimensional Accuracy

Produced through controlled rolling and thermomechanical processing, sakysteel’s AH36, DH36, and EH36 plates exhibit uniform thickness, fine grain structure, and superior flatness, ensuring perfect fit and performance during assembly.

7. Compliance with International Classification Societies

All grades comply with the requirements of:

• ABS (American Bureau of Shipping)

• Lloyd’s Register (LR)

• Det Norske Veritas (DNV)

• Bureau Veritas (BV)

• China Classification Society (CCS)

• Germanischer Lloyd (GL)

These certifications guarantee full traceability and reliability for global marine construction projects.

---

Applications of AH36, DH36, and EH36 Steel Plates

1. Ship Hulls and Deck Structures

The high yield strength of AH36 and DH36 makes them ideal for ship hulls, bulkheads, and deck sections, ensuring structural integrity under dynamic ocean loads.

2. Offshore Platforms

EH36 plates are extensively used in offshore oil rigs, floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) units, and subsea structures, where impact and corrosion resistance are essential.

3. Cargo and Oil Tankers

The ability to resist corrosion and fatigue ensures the safe transport of oil, gas, and chemicals over long distances.

4. LNG Carriers and Cryogenic Vessels

EH36 is preferred for cryogenic environments, maintaining toughness even at extremely low temperatures during LNG storage and transfer.

5. Naval and Defense Ships

The combination of high strength and lightweight properties makes these steels suitable for frigates, patrol vessels, and amphibious craft, where performance and agility are crucial.

6. Marine Equipment and Structural Components

Beyond hulls, 316 and DH36 steels are used in cranes, winches, mooring systems, and substructures, where strength and corrosion resistance are vital.

---

Processing and Fabrication Characteristics

1. Rolling and Heat Treatment
Produced by controlled rolling and normalizing, AH36, DH36, and EH36 steel plates achieve an optimized balance between strength and ductility. Some may also undergo thermomechanical controlled processing (TMCP) for enhanced performance.

2. Cutting and Forming
The steels exhibit excellent machinability and formability, allowing plasma, laser, or oxy-fuel cutting without cracking or edge deformation.

3. Welding Compatibility
All three grades demonstrate high weld quality with minimal risk of cracking, eliminating the need for expensive preheating or post-weld treatments.

4. Surface Treatment
Plates can be supplied in shot-blasted, primed, or painted condition to meet specific customer requirements for corrosion protection.

---

Testing and Certification

To ensure top-quality performance, sakysteel performs extensive quality control and testing on every batch of AH36, DH36, and EH36 plates:

• Tensile Testing for yield and ultimate strength

• Charpy Impact Testing for low-temperature toughness

• Ultrasonic Testing (UT) for internal defects

• Dimensional and Surface Inspection for accuracy and flatness

• Chemical Analysis (Spectrometer) for composition verification

All products are accompanied by Mill Test Certificates (EN 10204 3.2 or 3.1), providing full traceability and conformity to international standards.

---

Why Choose sakysteel for Marine Steel Solutions

At sakysteel, we specialize in producing and supplying high-performance shipbuilding steels that meet the world’s most demanding marine standards. Our AH36, DH36, and EH36 plates are manufactured using state-of-the-art hot rolling and TMCP technologies, ensuring superior mechanical and corrosion-resistant properties.

sakysteel provides:

• Full-size range: thickness 5–150 mm, width up to 3,500 mm, length up to 12,000 mm

• Custom cutting and fabrication services

• Global certifications (ABS, LR, DNV, BV, CCS, GL)

• Fast delivery and export packaging suitable for marine transport

• Dedicated technical support for shipyard and offshore applications

With our commitment to quality, precision, and service, sakysteel helps shipbuilders and offshore contractors enhance structural performance while reducing maintenance costs and project downtime.

---

Future Outlook: High-Strength Steels in Modern Shipbuilding

As global shipbuilding trends move toward energy-efficient, lightweight, and eco-friendly vessels, high-strength steels like AH36, DH36, and EH36 are becoming increasingly important. They allow the construction of larger, more fuel-efficient ships without compromising strength or safety.

Additionally, with the growth of offshore wind energy and deep-sea exploration, the demand for EH36-grade steels — capable of withstanding low temperatures and deepwater pressures — is expected to surge.

Continuous research in metallurgy and controlled rolling techniques will further enhance the properties of marine steels, ensuring they meet future sustainability and performance requirements.

---

Conclusion

In today’s maritime and offshore industries, material reliability defines operational safety and efficiency. AH36, DH36, and EH36 shipbuilding steel plates stand as benchmarks for high-strength, corrosion-resistant, and weldable steels used in marine environments. Their superior mechanical properties, low-temperature toughness, and long-term durability make them the go-to materials for ship hulls, offshore platforms, and specialized vessels.

With global certifications, consistent quality, and proven performance, these grades ensure structural integrity and longevity even under the harshest sea conditions. Supported by advanced manufacturing technology and strict quality control, sakysteel continues to supply world-class AH36, DH36, and EH36 shipbuilding plates — helping clients build stronger, safer, and more sustainable vessels for the future of global maritime transport.