In the global shipbuilding industry, the quality of steel for shipbuilding directly determines the safety, durability and operating efficiency of ships. As a core shipbuilding material, shipbuilding steel must be able to withstand brine corrosion, extreme temperatures and continuous mechanical stress. Among many shipbuilding steel products, ship plate is trusted by the whole world because of its compliance with international standards, excellent mechanical properties and versatility. In this paper, their definition, advantages, specifications and applications are discussed, and the key role of Q195 steel grade and hot rolling technology is emphasized.

1. What Is Shipbuilding Steel Sheet?
Shipbuilding plate is produced by Runfei (a professional manufacturer located in Tianjin, China) and is a high-performance shipbuilding plates certified by Lloyd’s Register of Shipping (), one of the most authoritative classification societies in the world. These steel plates are manufactured by advanced hot rolled technology, ensuring uniform internal structure, stable mechanical properties and excellent processing capacity. As an important type of shipbuilding steel, ship plate is specially designed to build and repair all kinds of marine ships, including cargo ships, passenger ships, offshore platforms and special-purpose ships. They strictly comply with multiple international standards such as AISI, ASTM, BS, DIN, GB, and JIS, as well as marine classification standards from CCS, ABS, GL, BV, DNV, NK, KR, and RINA, making them compatible with global shipbuilding requirements.
Q195 is adopted in many shipbuilding steel plates, which is a high-quality carbon structural steel widely used in shipbuilding steel. Q195 is a low carbon steel with excellent weldability, formability and cost-effectiveness, and it is an ideal choice for non-critical but important ship parts. According to the World Steel Association (https://www.worldsteel.org/), Q195 has a 195 MPa minimum yield strength and 315-430 MPa tensile strength, providing sufficient toughness. Combined with hot rolled steel processing, Q195-based plates balance performance and cost for diverse shipbuilding needs.
2. Key Production Technology: Why Hot Rolled Steel Plate Is the Key of Ship Plate
All ship build plates are made of hot-rolled steel plates, which determines their quality. Hot rolled steel is made by heating billets to 1250 20℃ and rolling it into plates. Different from cold rolling, it eliminates internal defects, refines grain structure and improves ductility, which is very important for shipbuilding steel in harsh ocean conditions.
The hot rolling technology of ship plate follows strict steps to ensure consistency and quality.
- Billet selection and inspection: Select high-purity billets (including Q195 billets) and use X-ray and ultrasonic detection to inspect their chemical composition and internal defects to ensure that they meet shipbuilding steel standards.
- Heating: The billets are heated to a uniform temperature of 1250 20℃ in a walking beam heating furnace to soften the steel and prepare for rolling. Temperature control is accurate to avoid overheating or uneven heating, which could affect the performance of the final product.
- Hot rolling: The heated billets pass through a series of roughing and finishing mills to achieve the required thickness (1.2 mm to 200 mm) and width (1000 mm to 4200 mm). The rolling speed and pressure are controlled by computer systems to ensure uniform thickness and smoothness.
- Layered cooling: After rolling, use a layered cooling system to cool the plate to control the cooling rate. This step is very important for refining the grain structure and improving toughness and strength of steel. For Q195-based plates, the cooling rate is adjusted to maintain the grade’s excellent weldability.
- Trimming and Straightening: The cooled plates are trimmed to remove irregular edges and straightened using a hydraulic straightener to ensure they meet the required flatness and dimensional tolerance (+/-05 mm for thickness, +25/-0 mm for width and length).
- Final Inspection: Each batch of hot rolled steel plates has undergone strict inspection, including surface inspection, thickness measurement, mechanical performance test and nondestructive testing (X-ray and artificial ultrasonic testing) to ensure that they meet and other international shipbuilding steel standards.
Per the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS, https://www.iacs.org.uk/), hot rolled steel accounts for over 85% of global shipbuilding steel due to superior performance and cost-effectiveness. shipbuilding board uses this technology to obtain reliable ocean performance.
3. Unique Advantages of shipbuilding Board
With the support of Q195 and hot rolled steel technology, ship plate stands out in the shipbuilding steel market because of its quality, versatility and cost-effectiveness. Major advantages include:
3.1 Strictly Abide by International Standards
Through Lloyd’s Register of Shipping () certification, ship plate meets international shipbuilding steel standards (CCS/ABS/GL, etc.) and general standards (AISI, ASTM, etc.), ensuring global compatibility. For example, Q195-based steel plates meets the GB/t 700 “Chemical Composition and Mechanics of shipbuilding Steel” standard.
3.2 Excellent Mechanical Properties
Due to the use of hot rolled steel, ship plate has high wear resistance, impact performance and ductility, and can withstand ocean stress. Q195 variant provides excellent weldability (Ceq < 0.3%), can be easily connected to other shipbuilding steel structures, and reduces construction costs.
3.3 Common Specifications and Customization
Shipbuilding board provides a variety of specifications to meet different shipbuilding needs. The thickness ranges from 1.2 mm to 200 mm, width ranges from 1000 mm to 4200 mm, and length can be customized according to customer’s requirements. The plates are available in multiple grades, including Q195, Q 235, Q 345B, SPHC, SPHD, SS400, ASTM A36, and various high-strength marine grades (A32/D32/E32/F32, etc.) catering to different structural requirements of ships. In addition, surface treatments, such as sandblasting and painting, can be customized to improve corrosion resistance and further prolong the service life of shipbuilding steel structures.
3.4 Strict Quality Control and Inspection
Quality is the most important thing in shipbuilding plate production. The manufacturer implements strict quality control from the selection of raw material to final delivery, including X-ray inspection, artificial ultrasonic inspection, surface inspection and hydraulic test. Each batch of plates comes with a complete quality inspection report, ensuring traceability and reliability. This strict quality control ensures that ship plate meets the highest standards of shipbuilding steel, and reduces the risk of ship structural failures.
3.5 Cost Effectiveness and Reliable Supply
Tianjin-based Runfei offers ship build plates at competitive prices. Q195 variants are cost-effective for budget projects, with a 50 mt MOQ catering to all scales. Shipment from Tianjin/Qingdao Port and timely delivery by sea, container or bulk.
4. Product Specifications of shipbuilding Board (Detailed Chart)
The following table provides a comprehensive overview of ship build plate product specifications, including grade, size, tolerance and other key parameters.
| Parameter | Details |
| Product Name | SHIP BUILD PLATES |
| Brand | Runfei |
| Place of Origin | Tianjin, China (Mainland) |
| Production Technique | Hot rolled |
| Grades | Q195, Q235, Q235A, Q235B, Q345B, SPHC, SPHD, SS400, ASTM A36, A/B/D/E, A32/D32/E32/F32, A36/D36/E36/F36, A40/D40/E40/F40, A131A/B/D/E/AH32/DH32/EH32/AH36/DH36/EH36/AH40/DH40/EH40, NVA420/D420/E420, NVA460/D460/E460, NVA500/D500/E500, NVA550/D550/E550 |
| Standards | AISI, ASTM, BS, DIN, GB, JIS; CCS/ABS//GL/BV/DNV/NK/KR/RINA |
| MOQ | 50 mt |
| Thickness | 1.2mm – 200mm |
| Width | 1000mm – 4200mm |
| Length | As customer’s requirement |
| Thickness Tolerance | +/-0.5mm |
| Width & Length Tolerance | +25/-0mm |
| Surface Treatment | Clean, blasting and painting according to customer requirement |
| Deep Processing | Cutting, milling, grinding, angle making, polishing, special parts manufacturing |
| Inspection | X-ray inspection, manual ultrasonic inspection, surface inspection, hydraulic testing |
| Packing | Standard sea worthy package or as customers’ requirements |
| Port | Tianjin, Qingdao, etc. |
5. Application Scenarios of Shipbuilding Board
Multi-purpose shipbuilding steel, ship plate benefits from the durability of hot rolled steel and the cost-effectiveness of Q195 its main applications include.
5.1 Shipbuilding
As core steel for shipbuilding, ship plate is widely used in the construction of various ships. Steel plates based on Q195 is an ideal choice for non-critical structural components, such as ship decks, bulkheads and hull frames, while high strength grades (e.g., AH32, DH36) are used for stress-bearing components such as keels and engine rooms. These signs apply to all types of ships, including cargo ships, passenger ships, fishing boats and special-purpose ships (e.g., LNG carriers, offshore supply ships).
5.2 Ship Repair and Maintenance
Shipbuilding plate is also widely used in ship repair and maintenance projects. Their excellent weld ability and compatibility with existing shipbuilding steel structures make them easy to install, and reduce maintenance time and costs. In particular, the variant of Q195 grade is cost-effective for repairing damaged non-critical parts, while high strength grades is used for repairing stressed parts. In addition, the board can be customized to meet the specifications of old ships to ensure a perfect fit.
5.3 Offshore Project
In addition to shipbuilding, shipbuilding boards are also used in offshore engineering projects, such as offshore platforms, oil drilling platforms and coastal defense structures. These projects need shipbuilding steel that can withstand harsh marine environment, and ship plate meets these requirements by virtue of its durability and corrosion resistance of hot rolled steel. High strength grades is an ideal choice for offshore platforms and oil drilling platforms, while Q195 grade steel plates are used for non-critical parts such as handrails and platforms.
5.4 Other Industrial Purposes
Because of its excellent wear resistance, impact resistance and machinability, shipbuilding board is also used in other industries related to shipbuilding steel, including metallurgy, coal, cement, electric power, glass, mining, building materials and brick making. In these industries, steel plates are used to manufacture equipment, structures and components requiring high durability and load-bearing capacity.
6. Frequently Asked Questions about Ship Build Plates
In order to help you better understand ship build plates, we have sorted out the most common questions and their answers, covering quality, supply, customization and so on.
Q 1: Where is your warehouse? How do I visit your company?
A 1: Our warehouse is located in Tianjin, about ten minutes’ drive from our office. All our customers, whether from home or abroad, warmly welcome to visit here! We can arrange a professional guide to show you our production line, quality inspection process, and warehouse, allowing you to personally check the quality of our hot rolled steel and Q195-based shipbuilding steel plates.
Q 2: How is your company doing in quality control?
A 2: Quality is very important, and it should always be given priority. Our team attaches great importance to quality control from beginning to the end. We choose high-purity raw materials (including Q195 billets), and carry out strict inspection at every production link-from billet heating to hot rolling and final product testing. All shipbuilding steel plates have undergone X-ray inspection, artificial ultrasonic inspection, surface inspection and hydraulic test to ensure that they meet and other international shipbuilding steel standards. Every batch has a complete quality report.
Q 3: Can I have some samples?
A 3: Yes, of course. We are honored to provide you with samples. We can provide free ship plate samples (including Q195 and other grades) for your test and verification. The sample size can be customized according to your requirements, and we will arrange delivery through international express delivery. Please contact our sales team to ask for samples.
Q 4: What’s your transportation mode?
A 4: We provide shipping, container, bulk or according to your requirements. Our warehouse is close to Tianjin, Qingdao and other major ports, ensuring convenient and timely delivery to customers all over the world. For small orders (e.g., Samples), we use international express delivery companies (DHL, FedEx, UPS) for quick delivery. We arrange sea transportation for large orders, which is cost-effective and suitable for shipbuilding steel plates in batches.
Q 5: What Payment Methods are Supported?
A 5: We accept telegraphic transfer, sight letter of credit, etc. For old customers, we can also provide flexible payment methods according to your credit and order volume. Our sales team will work with you to choose the most suitable payment method to ensure the safety and convenience of the transactions.
Q 6: What about your warranty?
A 6: We provide a 1-year warranty for SHIP BUILD PLATES. If the board has a quality problems (e.g.,mechanical property failure, surface defects) within the warranty period, we will conduct a comprehensive inspection and provide free solutions, including replacement, refund or repair. Our after-sales service team answers your questions around the clock and solves any problems.
7. Conclusion: Why Do You Choose Shipbuilding Plate for Your Shipbuilding Project?
Ship plate is reliable and cost-effective in the global shipbuilding steel market. It conforms to international standards, strengthens the balance between performance and cost of hot rolled steel and Q195, and is suitable for different shipbuilding needs for non-critical components.
Backed by Runfei’s strict quality control and after-sales service, ship plate has won the trust of the world. Whether building, repairing ships, or undertaking offshore projects, they are the top choice for high-quality shipbuilding steel.
If you want to know more about shipbuilding plate, Q195 grade, hot rolled steel plate technology, or ask for quotation, please contact our sales team. We are committed to providing you with customized solutions and high quality products to help you succeed in shipbuilding projects.