Baosteel BS960E vs Strenx 960: Specs, Price and Real Mill Certificate Data

Jay Zheng

2026年11月19日

Baosteel BS960E vs Strenx 960: Specs, Price and Real Mill Certificate Data

BS960E is Baosteel's 960 MPa quenched-and-tempered flagship — the grade that lets crane builders, heavy-trailer makers and mining OEMs cut structural weight by a quarter without giving up capacity. Its Swedish benchmark, SSAB's Strenx 960, defined the class globally. Both deliver a guaranteed minimum yield of 960 MPa; both certify −40 °C toughness in their E grades. As with our other head-to-head reads, this page puts genuine Baosteel mill certificates — No. BGSAI2505300753400 (6 mm, issued 30 May 2025) alongside a 3 mm companion certificate — next to the published guarantees, so the comparison runs on delivered metal, not brochures.

BS960E vs Strenx 960: guaranteed specifications

Guaranteed values, both sides of the comparison
Item	Baosteel BS960E	SSAB Strenx 960
Standard / basis	GB/T 16270 + Baosteel technical delivery conditions; fully meets EN 10025-6 S960QL	SSAB product program
Yield strength, min	960 MPa (real 3 mm certificate: 1,125 MPa)	960 MPa
Tensile strength	S960QL window 980–1,250 MPa	Corresponding class window per SSAB program
Impact toughness	Real 6 mm certificate: KV2 avg 63 J at −40 °C	Strenx 960 E guarantees 27 J at −40 °C
Bend test	Real 6 mm certificate: 90°, d = 5a, OK	Bending per SSAB processing recommendations
Delivery condition	QT: quenched + tempered	Quenched + tempered
Thin gauges	≈ 2 mm in production; 3 mm covered by genuine certificates	Typically from ~4 mm depending on variant
Equivalents	Q960E (GB), S960QL (EN)	Strenx 960E / 960F variants

What the real BS960E certificates show

The headline values below are transcribed from inspection certificate No. BGSAI2505300753400, issued by Baoshan's core base (总部 / CORE BASE) on 30 May 2025 for a 6.00 × 1500 × 12000 mm QT plate — with the yield figure cross-checked against a companion 3 mm certificate from the same period:

Real delivered values, BS960E (certs. BGSAI2505300753400 and companion 3 mm cert.)
Property	Certificate result	Reading
Yield strength ReH	1,125 MPa (3 mm cert.)	17 % above the 960 MPa guarantee
Charpy V KV2, −40 °C	60 / 61 / 69 J, average 63 J (6 mm cert.)	More than double the Strenx 960 E guaranteed 27 J
Bend test	90°, d = 5a (30 mm mandrel on 6 mm), OK	Forms within rated limits, no cracks
Ladle analysis	C 0.18 %, S 0.001 %, CEQ 0.58	Clean low-sulfur QT chemistry — weld with discipline
Delivery condition	QT: quenched + tempered	The deep "fitness training" that activates the strength

The toughness number is the story. At 63 J average at −40 °C on a production 6 mm plate, Baosteel is not merely meeting the E-grade requirement — it is delivering the margin that keeps a crane outrigger or a cold-climate trailer frame safe when a weld detail, a notch or a shock load conspires against it. SSAB's answer to the same need is to sell a guarantee of 27 J on the Strenx 960 E and point buyers to premium variants for more. Our line-by-line MTC guide shows exactly where to find these fields on any certificate you receive.

Where Strenx 960 still has the edge — and where BS960E wins

Strenx 960 keeps its natural habitat: OEM programs written around SSAB designation, design software and welding procedures built on Strenx datasheets, and buyers for whom the brand itself is a procurement shortcut. BS960E wins the measurable columns: FOB price roughly 1,150–1,260 USD/MT for standard sizes against the Strenx premium; genuine 2–3 mm ultra-thin QT capability where most competitors cannot follow; and mill documentation — including ISO 14025-verified EPDs on the Baosteel hot-rolled chain — that increasingly decides tenders in Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. When the part is specified by performance rather than by brand, the certificate data above is your technical basis for equivalence.

Choosing across the 700–960 MPa range

If the part is formed cold — pressed, rolled, bent — stay with the TMCP cold-forming grades: BS700MC in the 700 MPa class. If the part is a flat, load-carrying structure where every kilogram counts and the workshop welds rather than forms, move to the QT grades: BS960E here, or the BS960E product page for stock sizes and current FOB pricing. For the middle ground, see our S690QL vs BS960E comparison or the in-depth BS960E engineering analysis. And if your buyer asks about the source chain behind these certificates, our Baosteel supplier page documents it end to end.

Need BS960E with original Baosteel mill certificates? Send us your thickness and quantity — we reply with stock availability and a firm FOB quote.

Further reading:

常见问题

Is Baosteel BS960E the same as Strenx 960?

In performance class, yes. Both guarantee a minimum yield strength of 960 MPa at the 960 class, and BS960E meets the EN 10025-6 S960QL criteria fully — Strenx 960 is SSAB's brand name for the same class. The differences are commercial rather than metallurgical: Strenx carries the SSAB brand premium and a global stock network; BS960E delivers the class from Baosteel's quenching-and-tempering lines at a materially lower FOB price, with real certificate data behind it — the genuine 6 mm certificate on this page shows 63 J average at -40 °C, more than double the 27 J that SSAB guarantees for the Strenx 960 E grade.

When should I choose BS960E instead of BS700MC?

BS700MC is a cold-forming TMCP grade — choose it when your workshop bends, rolls or presses the plate, as with crane arms, dump body ribs and container structures. BS960E is a quenched-and-tempered grade — choose it when the design calls for maximum strength in a flat, load-carrying plate: crane outriggers and booms, heavy trailer chassis rails, mining equipment frames, high-stress joints. As a rule of thumb: forming-intensive parts go to the MC grade, strength-critical flat parts go to the QT grade.

Is BS960E cheaper than Strenx 960?

Yes. BS960E from Baosteel trades well below Strenx 960 per ton for the same strength class, because you are paying for steel rather than the brand premium. Indicative FOB Shanghai pricing runs around 1,150–1,260 USD/MT depending on thickness, width and volume — check the product page for the current figure. The spread moves with ore, alloy and freight markets, so request a firm quote for your specification.

Can BS960E be welded reliably in the workshop?

Yes, with QT-grade discipline. The genuine certificate on this page shows C 0.18 % and carbon equivalent 0.58 — clean, low-sulfur 0.001 % steel, but still high-strength chemistry. Use low-hydrogen consumables, control heat input, and apply roughly 100–150 °C preheat on thicker sections. The certificate also shows the plate bending 90° on a mandrel of five times its thickness — the grade forms within its rated limits.

How thin is BS960E available?

Baosteel's QT line delivers BS960E down to about 2 mm in production quantities, with 3 mm covered by genuine mill certificates (a 3 mm certificate measured yield strength of 1,125 MPa). Ultra-thin QT plate at this strength class is a genuine Baosteel specialty — most competing mills stop well above 3 mm for 960 MPa quenched-and-tempered product.