Specialty steel
Premium steel from voestalpine BÖHLER that withstands high temperatures, corrosion and wear, with technical guidance on the right choice of material.
Specialty steel sits in more things than you would think. It is in the tools that make toothbrushes and yoghurt packaging as much as in advanced industrial components. There is a concrete reason the material is called specialty steel: the sulphur and phosphorus content is controlled to reach the purity the application demands, the alloying elements are selected, and every step of production is closely governed. That is why the steel can withstand high temperatures, corrosion, wear and deformation without losing strength, precision or dimensional stability. Pegol is the exclusive representative for voestalpine BÖHLER International and has worked with steel since 1945.
Specialty steel is chosen against a specification, and the specification comes out of the application. Temperature range, corrosive environment, strength requirements and testing requirements all hang together, and it is that chain we work through with you.
Tell us what the component sits in and which standards apply, and we will take it from there together with voestalpine BÖHLER.
Product range
Aerospace
The aviation industry needs materials for airframes, engines and landing gear. The governing requirement is high specific strength, meaning strength relative to weight, and in some cases high corrosion resistance as well. Steels and alloys are produced against given specifications and standards.
- High strength relative to weight
- Airframe, engine and landing gear
Automotive and transport
The automotive portfolio covers soft magnetic materials, high-performance case-hardening steels, and high-speed and hot work tool steels. The materials go primarily into heavily stressed parts of the powertrain and engine, and into injection components.
- Powertrain, engine and injection
- Case-hardening steels and soft magnetic materials
Energy and turbines
Compressors, steam and gas turbines and generators work under extreme thermal and mechanical stress in continuous operation. This is where corrosion-resistant steels, low-temperature steels and thermally resistant steels and alloys are used.
- Corrosion-resistant and thermally resistant steels
- Gas, water and steam
- For continuous operation
Oil, gas and chemical industry
Here corrosion is the governing factor: seawater, crude oil and natural gas, and chemical process media such as acids and alkalis. The materials range from super duplex steels to nickel-based alloys.
- Super duplex steels to nickel-based alloys
- Seawater, hydrocarbons and process chemicals
Medical technology and precision engineering
For medical technology, watchmaking and electronics, grades are developed beyond the usual industry standards, among them low-nickel steels and high-purity steels for fine and ultra-fine wire.
- Low-nickel steels
- High purity requirements
Technical properties
| Purity | The sulphur and phosphorus content is controlled to reach the purity required for each application. |
|---|---|
| Melting | Electric arc furnace (EAF), where sulphur, phosphorus and gases are removed, often using vacuum technology. |
| Alloying elements | Chromium and molybdenum are added for strength, corrosion protection and heat resistance. |
| Process monitoring | Digital control systems measure thousands of parameters during the process. |
| Further processing | The steel is cast into moulds, cooled and passed on to rolling or forging. |
| Temperature range, automotive and precision engineering | Mechanical strength and toughness from below -100 °C up to approximately 700 °C. |
| Corrosive environments, oil and gas | Seawater, crude oil and natural gas, and chemical process media such as acids and alkalis. |
| Material families, oil and gas | From super duplex steels to nickel-based alloys. |
| Supplier relationship | Pegol is the exclusive representative for voestalpine BÖHLER International. |
| Carbon in production | voestalpine's greentec steel programme aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in steel production. |
Specialty steel is ordered against a specification and a standard, not off a shelf. Which grade is right is decided by temperature range, corrosive environment and the testing requirements that apply in your industry. Analyses and grade designations are held by voestalpine BÖHLER, and we go through them together before the choice is locked.
Industries where this product is used
Aftermarket for this product
The choice of material is rarely made once and for all. When the application changes, a new standard has to be met or a material does not behave as expected, we go back to the specification together with voestalpine BÖHLER, whose specialists in metallurgy and application engineering can come out on site. The material is delivered against the specifications and standards you state, which means a delivery can be checked back against them.
Read more about our aftermarketFrequently asked questions
What separates specialty steel from ordinary steel?
Purity and control. The sulphur and phosphorus content is controlled to reach the purity the application demands, the alloying elements are selected, and every step of production is closely governed. That is why the material withstands high temperatures, corrosion, wear and deformation.
Why do sulphur and phosphorus matter so much?
They count as impurities and affect the properties of the material. The levels are governed already in the choice of scrap and raw material, and are then removed during melting in the electric arc furnace, often with the help of vacuum technology.
What do chromium and molybdenum do in the steel?
They are added as alloying elements after melting and give the steel strength, corrosion protection and heat resistance.
Which industries use specialty steel?
Aerospace, automotive and transport, the energy sector, tool and machine manufacturing, and medical technology. The requirements differ sharply: in aviation it is strength relative to weight, in oil and gas it is corrosion.
What is greentec steel?
voestalpine's programme for reducing carbon dioxide emissions in steel production and moving towards the global climate targets.
Related terms in the glossary:Electric arc furnace,Super duplex
Want to know more?
Contact us or fill in the form and we will get back to you as soon as we can.