Tata Steel has launched an innovative and stronger structural steel tube product which can speed up the construction of new buildings and reduce the weight of machinery or large vehicles.

The next-generation steel - called Celsius® 420 - has been developed in conjunction with construction customers primarily for use in demanding building projects.

It offers significant weight savings, enabling construction teams to use smaller foundations and fewer temporary structures, helping to cut construction time and costs on site.

Celsius® 420 also has potential for use in mechanical products sectors such as industrial machines, agricultural vehicles and vehicle axles.

Henrik Adam, Tata Steel's chief commercial officer in Europe, said: "Our Celsius® range is already very well established in the structural hollow sections market. But we know our customers are constantly on the look-out for new materials with enhanced properties, which is why we focus so much on innovation to develop next-generation products.

"In Celsius® 420 we're bringing to market an entirely new range of hot-finished hollow structural sections that we think is in a class of its own."

The steel used to make Celsius® 420 hollow sections has a high yield strength (420 megapascals), which enables structural engineers to reduce the weight of the structural hollow sections they use by 17% compared with Tata Steel's successful Celsius® 355 products.

The special chemical properties of Celsius® 420 steel ensure it can be easily welded, despite its additional strength. This property - unique in high-strength tube products - means high-strength structures can be fabricated without changing standard weld procedures. Besides, tight radiuses can be maintained on the corner profiles of square and rectangular sections to ensure a pleasing and consistent aesthetic.

(Continued on the next page)