Steel Slabs

Steel slabs are intermediate products in steel manufacturing, characterized by their rectangular cross-sectional shape and substantial thickness. They serve as the primary feedstock for rolling mills that produce flat steel products such as plates, sheets, and coils. Slabs are produced through either continuous casting (where molten steel solidifies into continuous lengths) or traditional ingot casting followed by primary rolling. These semi-finished products typically have thicknesses ranging from 50mm to 300mm and widths from 600mm to 2000mm, with lengths varying based on production requirements and downstream processing needs.

Steel slabs are manufactured through metallurgical processes where molten steel is solidified into semi-finished rectangular forms. In continuous casting, liquid steel from the steelmaking furnace flows through a tundish into a water-cooled copper mold, where it begins to solidify. The partially solidified strand is continuously withdrawn through secondary cooling zones until complete solidification occurs, then cut to required lengths. In traditional methods, steel is first cast into ingots, which are then reheated and rolled through primary mills to achieve the slab dimensions. The slab's rectangular geometry provides optimal material distribution for subsequent rolling into flat products.