9 Major Uses of Steel Plates
Steel plates, also referred to as structural steel, are made up of multiple steel layers that are compressed together to form individual plates. Those individual plates can be welded and cut as necessary, and they offer the strength and durability needed in a variety of applications. Steel plates come in different sizes and grades and are both corrosion and abrasion resistant. Due to variations in their thickness, they are an attractive alternative to steel sheet. They are used widely, for home construction, heavy civil construction, mining, machinery engineering, shipbuilding, for military projects, and in the oil and gas pipelines. More, specifically, here are some of the major uses of steel plates:
1. Construction
Steel plates play a versatile role in the construction industry. They’re particularly common in the construction of bridges, building, and warehouses. They’re also used for building large commercial structures like airports and sports arenas. Steel plates are used to help make building foundations stronger and to provide foundational support to bridges. They’re also an essential component of most pre-fabricated homes, including the new, trendy “tiny houses.”
In the heavy civil sector, steel plates are used for road plates, shoring plates, excavation, and more.
2. Military
Military buildings and vehicles are often fortified with the help of steel plates. They’re common in jeeps, tanks, trucks, helicopters, jets, and ships used for military purposes. They’re also used to test the strength of weapons and bullets. All branches of the military use steel plates in some fashion.
3. Ship construction
Easily welded and ultra-strong, steel plates are used in a significant number of ships and are probably one of the most commonly used materials in ship building. They’re also a key component of many oil rigs and in offshore construction. Their corrosion resistance makes them ideal for these applications.
4. Pressure vessels
Pressure vessels like gas tanks and boilers, which need to protect against leaks and extreme temperatures, are frequently made of steel plates. Oftentimes, these steel plates are specifically engineered to be able to hold gas or fluid contents at different temperatures to reduce the risk of explosion.
5. Shipping
Large shipping containers are commonly built using steel plates. Steel plates help preserve the life of these shipping containers due to their corrosion and rust resistance, and they are strong enough to protect all different types of cargo.
6. Oil and gas
In addition to being used for construction of rigs, many oil and gas pipelines use steel plates to maximize their strength and ensure they last longer without corroding. Steel plates can easily be welded to suit the needs of pipelines and can also be used for repair purposes when parts of pipelines need to be patched up.
7. Household appliances
You probably weren’t aware of this, but steel plates are even used to build your household refrigerators and dishwashers. In refrigerators, steel plates are beneficial because they help the appliance hold its temperature and are unlikely to rust even after years and years of use.
8. Automotive Industry
Steel plates are found in many cars on the road today. Due to their strength, they’re essential in keeping drivers and passengers safe in the event of accidents. They can also be relatively light in weight in comparison to other materials of their strength, which means they help improve the fuel economy of cars.
9. Road Work
In addition to being used in almost every other area of construction, steel plates are also used for road work projects. Skid-resistant, steel road plates can be a viable and temporary fix to place over holes and other compromised areas of road to allow road traffic uninterrupted access to those areas during construction projects and road repair projects.
Buy and Sell Used Steel Plates with Eiffel Trading
We have a large selection of used steel plates for sale. If you don’t see the type of steel plates you’re interested in, contact us here and our dedicated team of experts will help you find it.
From used sheet pile and used wide flange beams, to truckable marine equipment, our online marketplace has it all.
If you have any questions or would like additional information or help setting up a free listing, please call us at 1-800-541-7998 or email sales@eiffeltrading.com.