NLMK, which stands for Novolipetsk Steel, represents one of the world’s steel giants. Founded in Lipetsk, just 400 km from Moscow, this company has a long tradition dating back as far as 1685. Since its beginnings, NLMK has made quality and innovation its strengths, becoming one of the leading steel producers globally.

Two of the flagship products offered by NLMK are QUARD and QUEND steels, which are distinguished by their outstanding properties and numerous applications in various industries.

Quard: these abrasion-resistant sheets are available in hardnesses of 400 HB, 450 HB and 500 HB. Quard sheets are widely used in various fields, including:

• Construction sector: used to make load-bearing structures, linings, and wear components, such as bulldozers and hoppers.
• Mining sector: used for the production of mining and material transport equipment, such as excavators, dump trucks and conveyor belt.

Quard sheets are prized for their exceptional durability, which often triples that of standard steels, making them an ideal choice for applications subject to high stress and wear.

Quend high-strength steel is available in a range of yield strengths from 700 MPa to 1100 MPa. This steel finds use in a wide range of industries, including:

• Lifting and handling equipment: used for making cranes, telescopic booms, forklifts and work platforms due to its strength and light weight.
• Marine industry: used for the construction of supporting structures and components exposed to dynamic stresses and corrosive marine environments.
• Automotive industry: used for the production of structural and safety components, such as commercial vehicle chassis and suspension parts.

Quend steel offers superior performance in terms of strength and durability, making it the ideal choice for industrial applications subject to harsh conditions and severe environments.

NLMK’s QUARD and QUEND steels are the result of a state-of-the-art manufacturing process designed to ensure high performance and consistent quality. At NLMK, every stage of the production cycle undergoes rigorous quality control, ensuring that each plate meets the highest industry standards.

• Hot flaming: the process begins with hot flaming, during which slabs are preheated and oxidized to remove surface impurities, ensuring a clean and uniform surface.
• Rolling and tempering: slabs are then processed through an advanced rolling mill, where they are reduced to the desired thickness with precision and uniformity. Next, the sheets are hardened to improve their mechanical properties, ensuring optimal resistance to wear and abrasion.
• Tempering: after quenching, the plates undergo a controlled tempering process, which reduces internal stresses and improves the ductility of the steel, providing greater impact resistance and improved machinability.
• Quality control: throughout the production process, each plate undergoes rigorous quality control, including visual inspections, mechanical tests and chemical analysis. These checks ensure that each product meets the high standards of strength, hardness and homogeneity required by the most demanding industrial applications.

In Europe, the NLMK Group has as many as 6 strategically located production sites, each with a rich history and extensive experience in steel processing. From the renowned plants at NLMK Strasbourg and NLMK DanSteel A/S, to the facilities at NLMK Verona, NLMK La Louviére, and NLMK Clabeq, each site is distinguished by its specialization and autonomy in the processing and distribution of steel products to end users.

With this European production network, NLMK confirms itself as a strategic partner for industries requiring materials of excellence, offering a wide range of steel solutions to meet customers’ most demanding requirements.