Description
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Quality / Duration of storage
The value of steel products is in particular reduced
by the effects of corrosion and mechanical damage.
One particularly frequent cause of damage is rust due to seawater,
rain, condensation water in the means of transport, cargo sweat or
condensation inside the packaging. Unsuitable means of transport,
ships with poor hatch covers or without ventilation facilities,
damaged containers, uncovered railroad freight cars and trucks,
incorrect storage in the open, use of unsuitable tarpaulins,
exposed loading in wet weather conditions, and variations in
temperature and climatic conditions during long voyages may result
in rust damage.
In the case of hot-rolled steel, it is usual to store it in the
open and to transport it without protection, such that no
protection is provided against rain etc.. Such sheet therefore
generally exhibits a layer of surface rust (rust film). Since the
rust is removed from the steel (by pickling) prior to further
processing, the quality of the steel is not impaired. Protection
should be provided from seawater or chemical residues because
corrosion must remain within reasonable bounds, since pickling
cannot remove uneven local corrosion or pitting corrosion.
High-grade wires (e.g. prestretched wire or prestressed concrete
wire) should be protected from all kinds of corrosion by selecting
the correct packaging, warehousing and means of transport.
The degree of rusting of steel consignments should be recorded in
the shipping documents before acceptance of the consignment,
possibly using the following definitions:
1 Wet before shipment
2 Partly rust stained to rusty
3 Gear marked
4 Contaminated by foreign substance
5 Contaminated by saltwater
6 Chafed in places
7 Packing torn exposing contents
