Hardox® 500 unearths its wear savings for stationary equipment in quarries and mines

A lot of this equipment relies on thick, standard AR steel with a relatively low hardness of around 400 HBW. At SSAB, we’re challenging that convention with Hardox® wear plate in higher hardness levels as a more cost-effective alternative.

At first glance, ordinary steel seems less expensive per kilo or pound than harder steel. But the real question is, how much of this “cheaper” steel will you need to buy, process, install and maintain over time?

For any operation facing extreme wear, the goals are clear:

• Maximize equipment and machine wear resistance

• Maximize productivity and the safety of your operation

• Minimize downtime for replacements, maintenance and repairs

So, what’s the best way to achieve these objectives? SSAB has tested wear steel at different hardness levels – and the results speak for themselves.

The hard facts of 40% savings with Hardox® 500*

*The service life, lifetime, and costs are relative differences, not absolute values and are based on real-life circumstances.

As the table shows, upgrading from an AR 400 steel to Hardox® 500 wear plate doubles the service life – from 2.4 to 4.8 in relative numbers. What can this mean in practical terms?

•          During the equipment’s lifetime, you can cut your wear plate purchases by 50%.

•          You only need to process 50% as many plates in the workshop and only need to install 50% as many plates, which saves man-hours and is a safety benefit.

•          Instead of downtime and man-hour costs for two maintenance stops, you only need one stop for the same period of time.

•          This adds up to a 40% daily cost reduction compared to an AR 400 steel.

With Hardox® 500, durability pays off – both in cost savings and sustainability. Using less steel means that less steel is produced, transported, processed and installed over the course of the equipment’s lifespan, reducing your environmental footprint.

What makes Hardox® wear plate more cost-efficient?

Several qualities set Hardox® wear plate apart from conventional wear steels. It is a highly consistent material with guarantees for thickness, flatness and bending properties. This results in predictable processing in the workshop and predictable performance and maintenance planning in the field.

One of the most critical factors in wear resistance is the steel’s through-thickness hardness. Hardox® wear plate retains at least 90% of its surface’s hardness all the way to the core. This unique benefit explains its exceptionally long service life, and why the data proves that Hardox® is a smart investment for your bottom line.

The chart below shows the hardness measurements through a cross section of a 75 mm thick plate of Hardox® 500 versus a standard AR 500 steel.

Know your wear

To find the optimal grade and thickness of Hardox® wear plate for a particular equipment and environment, we recommend a thorough evaluation of the wear conditions and abrasive materials. Our technical development managers and material specialists have decades of experience in solving wear challenges. They will help you assess your specific challenges and recommend the best Hardox® grade for maximum durability and performance.

Come talk to us at Bauma 2025, Hall A6, stand 439, to learn more.

Lining a crusher intake with Hardox® 500 wear plates has the potential to double the time between replacements compared to an AR 400 steel, drastically reducing lifetime costs for the equipment. This holds true for any type of stationary equipment in quarrying and mining that works in harsh wear conditions.

Hardox 500 wear curve