Technical > Steel Properties

This is S280 steel, coated with 600g of zinc (inc. both sides) at the steel mill. When fabricated, the damaged zinc coating is locally repaired with zinc-rich paint.

This is the regular structural steel we use when structural sections are incorporated into our lintels, or when we manufacture lintels for hotdip galvanising.

304 Stainless Steel is an Austenitic Stainless Steel, historically a staple of the construction industry it retains a good finish in most building environments for decades.

This is a Ferritic Stainless Steel, commonly found in industry and particularly good where there is a mixture of abrasion and corrosion.

This is a Duplex Stainless Steel, previously used for high strength and high corrosion resistance industrial applications, the rising cost of 304 has led LDX 2101 intothe building industry as an alternative.

With a minimum yield strength of 280 N/mm2 it is stronger than many other manufacturer's pregalvanised lintels, but not strong enough to be used for our high strength stainless steel range designs.

With a minimum yield strength of 275 N/mm2 it is a typical structural steel. Some Stainless lintels feature S275JR inner elements, in which case the published loads take this into account.

With a minimum yield strength of 210 N/mm2, it is not very strong at all. The loads in our new dedicated stainless range do not apply to 304, so care should be taken if specifying 304 for lintels from that range.

With an average yeild strength of 370 N/mm2, it is stronger than the other steels, with the exception of LDX 2101. All the products in the LDX catalogue may also be manufactured in SS370 and the load tables apply.

With an minimum yield
strength of 480N/mm2, it is substantially stronger than the other steels. This means reduced gauges may be employed leading to cost saving vs using 304. LDX 2101 lintels should be chosen from our high strength stainless range.

G600 Price
This is usually the cheapest option we offer for our lintels, other manufacturers will typically use thinner zinc coatings, but their lintels must then also be painted to achieve British standard corrosion resistance.

Regular structural steel is the cheapest option for the basic fabrication, but subsequent corrosion protection can elevate the price beyond that of G600.

304 usually ends up the most expensive steel for a lintel (excluding grade 316). This is because it’s low strength required more material to be used. The 304 price is also very volatile, which frequently discourages specifiers.

Generally SS370 is more expensive than G600, but can be cost competitive with hot dip galvanising. It's around half the cost of 304 stainless steel.

Weight for weight, LDX 2101 is similar in price to 304 when the price of 304 is ’average to cheap’. However LDX2101 is far more stable in price, and it’s high strength means less is required, so it usually beats 304 on price.

G600 meets the British minimum standards for lintel corrosion protection without additional coatings, but G600 lintels in external walls should be installed with a separate DPC above to protect them from moisture.

The corrosion resistance of structural steel is generally inadequate for most dry or protected locations, it should be protected by an appropriate coating system for external use. As a minimum any S275 components leave our factory with a zinc-rich primer coating.

304 Corrosion Resistance
304 has good and proven corrosion resistance in most
applications, except
exposed coastal and some chemical environments such
as swimming pools.

The typical atmospheric corrosion rate of SS370 is10x slower than that of zinc, and 250x slowerthan that ofmild steel. Corrosionresistance is lower than for 304 however, and SS370 tends to tarnish rapidly onexposure to acorrosiveenvironment, though structural performance is rarely affected.

In all tests LDX 2101 hasshown better corrosionresistance than 304, and in some tests as good as 316. This is due to it’s Duplex grain structure and higher Chromium content than 304. Visit our High Strength Stainless Lintels site for more details.

G600 lintels are the cheapest alternative that meet British standard requirements. We tend to sell G600 into applications that have cost as the overriding factor. They are ideal for interior use, or for less exposed external applications. Care should be taken when specifying G600 for exterior use if there are welds on the front face of the lintels.

S275JR is normally used in the form of hot rolled sections to give structural advantages to our lintels that cannot be economically obtained using folded sheet stock. they must then be appropriately protected from corrosion, depending on the type of lintel and the steel used for the rest of the lintel.

We would use 304 where the client specifically requested (possibly so the finish matches other 304 items present), or where the lintel is required to integrate with other 304 components such as wind posts. Otherwise LDX 2101 now generally provides a better alternative to 304.