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What are the hardness grades of stainless steel strips
source：www.cnlichao.net | Release time：2026年06月01日Referring to HV Vickers hardness and HRB Rockwell B, industry standard states: soft, 1/4H, 1/2H, 3/4H, H, EH, SH
1. Soft state (fully soft/ANN/O)
Code: O/ANN
Hardness: HV 130-180
Features: Fully annealed, good plasticity, high elongation, low residual stress
Usage: Deep stretching, complex bending, kitchenware, tank body, stamping shell
2.1/4H (1/4 hard)
Hardness: HV 180-240
Features: Mild work hardening, easy bending, with a certain degree of rigidity
Usage: Shallow stamping, ordinary bending parts, home appliance panels, decorative parts
3.1/2H (1/2 hard, semi hard)
Hardness: HV 240-300
Features: Improved strength and rigidity, can be bent regularly, cannot be pulled deeply
Usage: structural components, buckles, ordinary spring clips, hardware accessories (with large usage)
4.3/4H (3/4 hard)
Hardness: HV 300-360
Features: High hardness, suitable for bending only large angles and thick materials, thin materials are prone to cracking
Usage: High rigidity components, wear-resistant gaskets, simple elastic parts
5. H (fully hard)
Hardness: HV 360-430
Features: High hardness, good elasticity, only minimal bending/micro bending, strictly prohibited from bending at large angles
Usage: Ordinary spring, spring plate, contact plate, blade
6. EH (ultra hard)
Hardness: HV 430-500
Features: High elasticity, high rebound, poor plasticity, basically unable to bend
Usage: Precision springs, battery springs, connectors, mechanical card springs
7. SH (Extra Hard/High Hard)
Hardness: HV 500 or above
Features: Extreme cold work hardening, with the strongest hardness and elasticity, and almost no plasticity
Usage: Ultra thin precision shrapnel, miniature springs, high-strength elastic components (mostly made of 301 material)
Addendum: 304 generally only achieves H-level; 301 cold work hardening has a better effect and is the choice for EH/SH high elasticity belts.
2、 Ferritic stainless steel strip (430, 409, etc.)
Ferrite is less prone to multi-level hard states and is commonly used in two types:
1. Soft state (O)
HV 140～190， Easy to bend and press, suitable for household appliances, kitchenware, and decoration
2. Semi hard/Full hard
Small customization, HV 220～320， Used for simple rigid parts, rarely used for high hardness
3、 Martensitic stainless steel strip (410, 420, 420J2 cutting tools/cutting edge materials)
Not relying on cold rolling hardening, relying on heat treatment quenching tempering to determine hardness, commonly marked as HRC Rockwell C:
Annealing soft state: HRC 15-25, easy to cut, bend, and machine process
Quenching and tempering: HRC 40-58, the higher the hardness, the more wear-resistant it is, used for blades, cutting tools, valve plates, and wear-resistant strips
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