Hardox 500 Price vs NM500 Price: FOB, Landed Cost and What Drives the Quote
Jay Zheng
Nov 26, 2026
Hardox 500 is the reference name in 500 HBW wear plate — and its price is one of the most queried in the category. SSAB does not publish a global list price: every Hardox 500 quote is assembled locally by a stockist or distributor, which is exactly why the same plate can be quoted very differently in Santos, Jakarta or Dubai. This page does the opposite. It states the NM500 price openly — indicative FOB Shanghai 820–900 USD/MT for standard sizes — breaks down what actually drives the Hardox 500 price, and shows how to compare the two on total landed cost rather than sticker price.
What actually drives the Hardox 500 price
| Layer | How it moves the price |
|---|---|
| Base steel cost | Iron ore, alloy (Cr, Ni, Mo, B), energy and capacity utilisation — the same global inputs drive every QT mill, including Baosteel's. |
| Brand premium | Hardox carries the SSAB trademark premium — you pay partly for the name, the colour and the datasheet, not only the steel. |
| Stockist margin | Regional stock programs add a handling and availability margin; small lots pay disproportionately more per ton. |
| Freight and duty | Ocean freight, insurance, destination duty and port charges stack on top — see our steel tariff pages for the duty layer by country. |
| Currency and timing | Quotes are usually USD- or EUR-linked with validity windows of days, not months. |
The NM500 price, stated openly
Baohui Steel supplies Baosteel NM500 — the Chinese first-tier equivalent in the same 500 HBW class — at an indicative FOB Shanghai 820–900 USD/MT depending on thickness, width and volume, with original Baosteel mill test certificates and ISO 14025-verified EPDs. The band moves with ore, alloy and freight markets, so request a firm quote for your specification. Stock backing: over 10,000 tons across the NM series in Shanghai.
Hardox 500 vs NM500: price and value columns
| Item | SSAB Hardox 500 | Baosteel NM500 |
|---|---|---|
| Published list price | None — quoted per market and per stockist | Indicative 820–900 USD/MT FOB Shanghai, stated openly |
| Hardness guarantee | 470–530 HBW (plate ≤ 32 mm) | 500 HBW class; delivered plates typically 470–540 HBW |
| Real certificate data | Typical values published on the datasheet | 517 HBW avg, 1,410 MPa yield, 62 J at −20 °C on a delivered 12 mm plate |
| Impact guarantee | 27 J at −20 °C only on Hardox 500 Tuf | 62 J at −20 °C measured on the base grade (contract option) |
| Thin gauges | Sheet from 2.0 mm; plate from 4.0 mm | Heat-treated plate from 1.5 mm — a class unique to Baosteel |
| Mill documentation | SSAB datasheet and certificates | Baosteel MTCs + ISO 14025-verified EPDs |
| Stock | Regional stock programs | 10,000+ tons NM series in Shanghai |
Landed cost: the only comparison that matters
Sticker prices mislead. Compare total landed cost per ton: FOB price + ocean freight + insurance + destination duty + port and handling charges. For a 25-ton lot of 12 mm plate, NM500 at the mid-band works out to roughly 21,500 USD FOB before freight; the duty layer depends on your country — our steel tariff data pages document current duty, VAT and any trade-remedy measures for major import markets, each line linked to its official source. Send us the destination port and we return a firm landed-cost comparison against your latest Hardox quote.
When Hardox 500 is worth the premium — and when NM500 wins
Stay with Hardox where the procurement document names the brand — OEM service programs, warranty-bound machinery, specifications where the substitution paperwork costs more than the steel. Move to NM500 wherever the part is bought on performance: crusher liners, bucket wear parts, conveyors, mixer drums, chutes. The certificate data above is the technical basis for an equivalent-submission bid — same hardness class, measured toughness above the Hardox 500 Tuf guarantee, at a materially lower FOB price.
Read next
The full technical head-to-head in Baosteel NM500 vs Hardox 500: specs, price and real mill certificate data, the three-way AR500 vs Hardox 500 vs NM500 read, the NM400/NM450/NM500 series page for stock sizes, or the steel tariff hub for import duty data by country.
Comparing a Hardox 500 quote right now? Send us the specification and destination port — we reply with a firm NM500 FOB quote and a landed-cost breakdown for your market.
