Welding BS960E: Carbon Equivalent, Preheat Temperatures, Heat Input and Filler Metal (Baosteel Handbook Data)

Q: What is the carbon equivalent of BS960E?

Per Baosteel's heat-treated products handbook, BS960E has a typical carbon equivalent Ceq (IIW) of 0.52 and a cold-crack susceptibility index Pcm of 0.28 — the same values as BS900D/E and BS960D, and comparable to BS960HB and BS960LR. For context, BS800E sits at 0.47/0.25, BS1100 at 0.56/0.30 and BS1300 at 0.64/0.37. These moderate Ceq values are what make 960 MPa steel weldable at all — but only with controlled preheat and heat input.

Q: Do I need to preheat BS960E before welding?

For the BS800–BS960 family in gauges up to about 14 mm, Baosteel's handbook lists room temperature (20 °C) as the acceptable minimum preheat under normal workshop conditions. For the higher-strength BS1100/BS1300 grades, minimum preheat rises — up to 150 °C depending on grade and thickness. In all cases: if ambient humidity is high or the temperature falls below 5 °C, increase the minimum preheat by a further 25 °C, and for mixed-thickness or mixed-grade joints, follow the thicker plate and the higher-strength steel.

Q: What heat input should I use for GMAW welding of BS960E?

Baosteel's recommended GMAW heat input decreases as gauge increases and strength rises. For the BS960 class: maximum 8 kJ/cm at t ≤ 6 mm, 10 kJ/cm at 6–10 mm and 12 kJ/cm at 10–14 mm. Practical settings from Baosteel's own procedure for BS960E use 80 % Ar + 20 % CO2 shielding at 20 l/min, a manual root pass on the back side, back-gouging, then automated fill and cap passes.

Q: Which filler metal is correct for BS960E?

Match the filler to the required weld strength. Baosteel's official matching table maps yield levels to EN 12534 (G62X, G69X, G79X, G89X by strength), AWS A5.28 (ER100S-X, ER110S-X, ER120S-X) and its own BH series wires (BH700-II to BH1000-II). Use equal-strength matching for load-bearing welds in high-stress service; use lower-strength matching for tie welds and low-stress locations. In published joint tests, BS960E welded with BH900-II and BH1000-II wire achieved 962–1,032 MPa joint tensile strength with intact 180° bends and -40 °C impact values of 47–59 J.

Q: Can BS960E be cut, bent and straightened in a normal workshop?

Cut thermally only — laser or plasma — with minimal heat-affected zone. Baosteel does not recommend shearing or blanking for 800 MPa and above. BS grades bend well cold provided the bend radius stays above the delivery-condition minimum; springback is large, so overbend. Prefer cold straightening; if hot straightening is unavoidable, keep it ≤ 500 °C for 800–960 MPa grades and avoid it entirely for 1100–1300 MPa grades.

Q: Where does BS960E fit against Strenx 960 and other 960 MPa steels?

BS960E is Baosteel's quenched-and-tempered 960 MPa structural grade in the same performance class as SSAB Strenx 960 and Dillimax 965. We publish data-driven comparisons with real mill certificate values — see our BS960E versus Strenx 960 comparison — and supply BS960E with original Baosteel mill test certificates.

Jay Zheng

Nov 19, 2026

Welding BS960E: Carbon Equivalent, Preheat Temperatures, Heat Input and Filler Metal (Baosteel Handbook Data)

Ultra-high-strength steel only earns its keep when the welds survive. BS960E — Baosteel's quenched-and-tempered 960 MPa structural grade — welds very well, but it demands tighter discipline than mild steel: controlled preheat, capped heat input and correctly matched filler metal. This guide is built on Baosteel's official heat-treated products handbook (BRR series): carbon equivalent values, preheat rules, GMAW heat input limits, the EN/AWS/BH filler matching table, and Baosteel's own published BS960E joint test results.

Carbon equivalent: why BS960E is weldable at all

Crack sensitivity in HSLA steel is driven by carbon equivalent. Baosteel publishes both IIW carbon equivalent (Ceq) and the cold-crack index Pcm for the entire BS family:

Baosteel BS series — typical carbon equivalent and Pcm (handbook values)
Grade	Ceq (IIW)	Pcm
BS800E	0.47	0.25
BS900D / BS900E	0.52	0.28
BS960D / BS960E	0.52	0.28
BS960HB / BS960LR	0.52	0.28
BS1100D / BS1100E	0.56	0.30
BS1300D	0.64	0.37

At Ceq 0.52 / Pcm 0.28, BS960E sits in the same band as most commercial 960 MPa steels worldwide — weldable with ordinary GMAW equipment, provided the rules below are followed.

Preheat and interpass temperatures

The handbook's preheat table for the BS family is thickness- and grade-based:

BS800–BS960, up to ~14 mm: room temperature (20 °C) is the listed minimum preheat under normal conditions.
BS1100–BS1300: minimum preheat rises with strength — up to 150 °C for the highest grades.
Always: if ambient humidity is high or temperature is below 5 °C, add 25 °C to the minimum preheat. For joints of unequal thickness or mixed grades, preheat by the thicker plate and the higher-strength steel.

GMAW heat input limits

Heat input is where 960 MPa welding most differs from everyday fabrication. Excessive heat input softens the HAZ and undermines the temper that gives the steel its strength. Baosteel caps GMAW heat input by gauge (BS960 class values shown):

Maximum GMAW heat input by plate thickness (Baosteel handbook, BS900/BS960 class)
Plate thickness t	t ≤ 6 mm	6 mm < t ≤ 10 mm	10 mm < t ≤ 14 mm
Max. heat input Q	≤ 8 kJ/cm	≤ 10 kJ/cm	≤ 12 kJ/cm

Baosteel's reference procedure for BS960E uses 80 % Ar + 20 % CO2 shielding at 20 l/min, a manual root pass on the back side followed by back-gouging, then automated fill and cap passes.

Filler metal matching: EN, AWS and Baosteel's BH series

Choose filler by the strength the weld must deliver. Baosteel's official matching table maps weld yield levels to all three common classification systems:

Baosteel official filler metal matching table for BS high-strength steels
Weld yield level Rp0.2 (MPa)	500	600	700	800	900
EN standard	EN440 G50X	EN12534 G62X	EN12534 G69X	EN12534 G79X	EN12534 G89X
AWS standard	ER80S-X / ER90S-X	ER90S-X	ER100S-X	ER110S-X	ER120S-X / ER140S-X
Baosteel wire	BH600-II	BH700-II	BH800-II	BH900-II	BH1000-II
Typical base steel	—		BS800	BS900 / BS960	BS1100 / BS1300

Equal-strength matching for load-bearing welds whose joints must guarantee strength in high-stress service.
Lower-strength matching for tie welds and other low-stress locations — a ductile weld that yields first is often the safer design.

Real joint test data: BS960E + BH900-II / BH1000-II

Baosteel publishes the proof, not just the recommendation. BS960E test panels were welded with BH900-II and BH1000-II wires under the procedure above:

Published BS960E weld joint performance (Baosteel handbook)
Wire	Panel size a×b (mm)	Joint tensile Rm (MPa)	Fracture location	180° cold bend (6a)	-40 °C impact KV2 (J)
BH900-II	8.57 × 12.70	990	Weld metal + HAZ	Intact	50
BH1000-II	8.36 × 12.80	962	HAZ	Intact	59
BH1000-II	8.31 × 12.70	1,032	Weld metal	Intact	47
BH900-II	8.40 × 12.62	989	Weld metal	Intact	53

Joint strengths of 962–1,032 MPa mean the weld develops the full 960 MPa class; intact 180° bends and 47–59 J at -40 °C confirm the heat-affected zone kept its toughness.

Cutting, bending, straightening

Cutting: thermal only — laser or plasma — smooth cut surface, negligible HAZ. Shearing and blanking are not recommended for 800 MPa and above.
Bending: BS grades have good plasticity for cold bending; keep the radius above the delivery-condition minimum. Springback is large — overbend to reach the target angle, and mind surface quality, edge quality and bend direction.
Straightening: cold preferred. If hot straightening is unavoidable: ≤ 500 °C for 800–960 MPa grades; not recommended at all for 1100–1300 MPa grades.

Where to get BS960E with real certification

We supply BS960E and the wider high-strength range from Baosteel with original mill test certificates — the same certificate format we decode in our guide to reading a Baosteel mill certificate line by line. For an honest, data-driven view of how it competes with European 960 MPa steels, see BS960E vs Strenx 960 and the Baosteel supply program. For gauges, quantities and FOB pricing, contact our sales engineers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the carbon equivalent of BS960E?

Per Baosteel's heat-treated products handbook, BS960E has a typical carbon equivalent Ceq (IIW) of 0.52 and a cold-crack susceptibility index Pcm of 0.28 — the same values as BS900D/E and BS960D, and comparable to BS960HB and BS960LR. For context, BS800E sits at 0.47/0.25, BS1100 at 0.56/0.30 and BS1300 at 0.64/0.37. These moderate Ceq values are what make 960 MPa steel weldable at all — but only with controlled preheat and heat input.

Do I need to preheat BS960E before welding?

For the BS800–BS960 family in gauges up to about 14 mm, Baosteel's handbook lists room temperature (20 °C) as the acceptable minimum preheat under normal workshop conditions. For the higher-strength BS1100/BS1300 grades, minimum preheat rises — up to 150 °C depending on grade and thickness. In all cases: if ambient humidity is high or the temperature falls below 5 °C, increase the minimum preheat by a further 25 °C, and for mixed-thickness or mixed-grade joints, follow the thicker plate and the higher-strength steel.

What heat input should I use for GMAW welding of BS960E?

Baosteel's recommended GMAW heat input decreases as gauge increases and strength rises. For the BS960 class: maximum 8 kJ/cm at t ≤ 6 mm, 10 kJ/cm at 6–10 mm and 12 kJ/cm at 10–14 mm. Practical settings from Baosteel's own procedure for BS960E use 80 % Ar + 20 % CO2 shielding at 20 l/min, a manual root pass on the back side, back-gouging, then automated fill and cap passes.

Which filler metal is correct for BS960E?

Match the filler to the required weld strength. Baosteel's official matching table maps yield levels to EN 12534 (G62X, G69X, G79X, G89X by strength), AWS A5.28 (ER100S-X, ER110S-X, ER120S-X) and its own BH series wires (BH700-II to BH1000-II). Use equal-strength matching for load-bearing welds in high-stress service; use lower-strength matching for tie welds and low-stress locations. In published joint tests, BS960E welded with BH900-II and BH1000-II wire achieved 962–1,032 MPa joint tensile strength with intact 180° bends and -40 °C impact values of 47–59 J.

Can BS960E be cut, bent and straightened in a normal workshop?

Cut thermally only — laser or plasma — with minimal heat-affected zone. Baosteel does not recommend shearing or blanking for 800 MPa and above. BS grades bend well cold provided the bend radius stays above the delivery-condition minimum; springback is large, so overbend. Prefer cold straightening; if hot straightening is unavoidable, keep it ≤ 500 °C for 800–960 MPa grades and avoid it entirely for 1100–1300 MPa grades.

Where does BS960E fit against Strenx 960 and other 960 MPa steels?

BS960E is Baosteel's quenched-and-tempered 960 MPa structural grade in the same performance class as SSAB Strenx 960 and Dillimax 965. We publish data-driven comparisons with real mill certificate values — see our BS960E versus Strenx 960 comparison — and supply BS960E with original Baosteel mill test certificates.