Quality	Standard	Material No.	Possible Surface Coating:
HC260I, HC260I+ZE	DIN EN 10268	1.0349	+ZE according to DIN EN 10152

Testing direction	Yield Point Re (MPa)	Tensil Strength Rm (MPa)	Elongation A80 (in %)	Vertical anisotropy r-value	Solidification exponent n-value
Q	260 – 310	320 – 400	≥ 32	≤ 1,4	≥ 0,17

HC260I is a cold-rolled micro-alloyed steel in accordance with the DIN EN 10268 standard, which impresses with its outstanding properties and wide range of applications. It is characterized by its particularly high strength, good formability, weldability and isotropic properties, making it a reliable and economical solution for demanding deep-drawing applications in a wide range of industries.

Features of HC260I

Differences between HC220I and HC260I isotropic steels
The HC220I and HC260I steels differ significantly in terms of their strength. HC260I offers the higher strength of the two steels. Further information can be found in the details in the table above.

Isotropic steels (I): Steels with a limited value of vertical anisotropy (r)
Isotropic steels, identified by the letter “I” in the standard designation, are characterized by a limited degree of vertical anisotropy. This means that their mechanical properties, such as tensile strength, elongation and hardness, are uniform in all directions of the material. In contrast, anisotropic steels (e.g. cold-rolled sheets) exhibit direction-dependent properties, as the deformation during the rolling process leads to a preferred orientation of the crystallites in the material.

Determining the vertical anisotropy
The degree of anisotropy is described by the r-value, which is determined in the tensile test on flat specimens at 0°, 45° and 90° to the rolling direction. The r-value is the ratio of the true transverse strain in the width direction to the true transverse strain in the thickness direction. An r-value of 1 indicates an isotropic steel, while values less than or greater than 1 indicate anisotropy in the sheet plane.

Conclusion
HC260I is a versatile cold-rolled micro-alloyed isotropic steel that impresses with its unique combination of high strength, good formability, weldability and limited value of vertical anisotropy (r).

The cold-rolled micro-alloyed HC260I steel offers a wide range of possibilities in the metalworking industry. A notable feature of this steel is its ability to be electrolytically galvanized, which increases its application flexibility. Electrolytic galvanizing allows the HC260I steel to be evenly coated with a layer of zinc, which improves its corrosion resistance and extends its service life. This property opens up new perspectives for the use of HC260I in various industries and applications where both strength and corrosion protection are required.

Characteristic overlay factor	Nominal zinc coating per side Thickness µm	Nominal zinc coating per side Mass g/m²	Minimum value per side Thickness µm	Minimum value per page Mass g/m²
ZE25/25	2,5	18	1,7	12
ZE50/50	5,5	36	4,1	29
ZE75/75	7,5	54	6,6	47
ZE100/100	10,0	72	9,1	65

Code letters	Type of surface treatment
P	phosphated
PC	Phosphated and chemically treated
C	chemically passivated
PCO	Phosphated, chemically treated and oiled
CO	Chemically passivated and oiled
PO	Phosphated and oiled
O	oiled
S	sealed
U	galvanized, without surface treatment