Round merchant bar is a popular hot-rolled carbon steel product that is supplied in various diameters. Round bar has a wide range of uses in just about every industry, from construction to automotive, and everything in between. It is also frequently incorporated into general engineering projects.
A solid, circular and versatile product that is produced to Grade 300 of the Australian steel standards, round bar is easy to shape and form. It has a good smooth surface and its dimensional accuracy is ideal for cutting, welding, machining, forming, and bending, just as long as the correct equipment is used for the process and as long as the right procedure followed.
While round bar is produced from a number of different metal types including stainless steel, high alloy steel and aluminium, round steel merchant bar is produced from general purpose low carbon steel.
Popular sizes in terms of diameter range from about 6 mm to 90 mm. Some of the most common uses of round bar of this type include bracing, pins, hinges, balustrade (provided only smaller sections are required), and vehicle axles, as well as items such as earth stakes and gazebo or tent pegs. Heavier sections may be machined or honed for tighter tolerances, depending on the design requirements of individual jobs.
Merchant Round Bar from BlueScope Distribution
At BlueScope Distribution, we ensure that all our steel products including the various round bar sections have relevant mill test certificates (available upon request at time of order) to ensure traceability and performance. It’s important to be aware that imported steel may not automatically meet the requirements of the relevant Australian Standards as well as the Building Code of Australia (BCA), whereas all BlueScope Steel meets or exceeds the various Australian Standards, including AS/NZ 3679.1. This standard guarantees that the steel products – in this case, round bar – comply with the minimum requirements for the various mechanical properties like tensile strength and ductility and chemistry. So, when designers specify which bar to use, they know what these properties are.
At BlueScope Distribution we ensure we keep up to date with industry developments and improvements in our endeavour to ensure that our merchant bar products are top quality. At the same time, we offer competitive pricing.
Our mild steel round bar with a diameter of 6 mm and 8 mm is supplied as HDLC wires. All the other bars, from those with a diameter of 10 mm to 90 mm, are normally supplied in 6 m lengths. Large rounds (with a diameter of 100 mm to 400 mm) are supplied in random lengths and to specific chemistry and finish to the material and end use requirements.
Contact BlueScope at the design phase to make sure we are able to meet your needs and the needs of your customers. If you require round bar that is not a standard diameter, we will do what we can to accommodate you.
Steel Used to Manufacture Round Merchant Bar
BlueScope uses hot-rolled steel for all merchant bar products.
The common round bar sizes produced by BlueScope Distribution start with a diameter of 6.3 mm and increase to 90 mm in size – specifically 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, 39, 42, 45, 48, 50, 56, 60, 65. 75, 80, and 90 mm. It can also be threaded for a variety of nut and bolt applications.
The smaller diameter sizes (from 6.5 to about 10 mm) are made from hard drawn low carbon steel, which is pulled through a die to achieve the diameter size without any additional tempering or processing. Hard-drawn steel wire is produced for a large number of industries and is commonly used for everything from automobile parts to shelving and the manufacture of shopping carts, indicating just how versatile it is.
Anything larger than this (in other words steel round bar that has a diameter of 10 mm to 90 mm or more) is manufactured according to the requirements of AS/NZ 3679.1:2016 Structural steel Part 1: Hot-rolled bars and sections. This joint Australian/New Zealand Standard specifies sectional size tolerance as well as general strength, straightness and diameter.
Catering for general structural and engineering applications, it specifies the feed steel-fed manufacturing process, chemical composition, and manufacturing tolerances for mild steel that is suitable for basic welding and mechanical performance.
Steel Used to Manufacture Round Merchant Bar
AS/NZ 3679.1 specifies testing of steel manufactured in accordance with the Standard and identification, test, and inspection certificates. It should be noted that until this standard was recently updated and republished in April 2016, dimensions were not a mandatory requirement of the label. This change reduces the potential risks created by unmarked (or poorly marked) steel. It also ensures that the steel can be traced back to the original test certificate. Type testing has also been introduced to make certain that the material supplied has been properly designed in terms of the Standard. This, in turn, aims to limit the supply of alternative or substitute materials that haven’t been type-tested.
Another new mandatory requirement that was introduced with the revised Standard calls for factory production control (FPC) to ensure that manufacturing systems produce steel that conforms to the Standard and reduces possible variability in the material properties that are supplied.