Indian steel major Tata Steel has launched an "innovative and stronger" structural steel tube product in Europe which can speed up the construction of new buildings and reduce the weight of machinery or large vehicles.
Celsius 420, which is being described as the "next-generation steel", has been developed in conjunction with construction customers primarily for use in demanding building projects.
"Our Celsius range is already very well established in the structural hollow sections market. But we know our customers are constantly on the look-out for new materials with enhanced properties, which is why we focus so much on innovation to develop next-generation products," said Henrik Adam, Tata Steel's chief commercial officer in Europe.
"In Celsius 420 we're bringing to market an entirely new range of hot-finished hollow structural sections that we think is in a class of its own," he added.
The new product claims to offer significant weight savings, enabling construction teams to use smaller foundations and fewer temporary structures, helping to cut construction time and costs on site.
"Celsius 420 also has potential for use in mechanical products sectors, such as industrial machines, agricultural vehicles and vehicle axles," the company said in a statement.
The special chemical properties of Celsius 420 steel ensure it can be easily welded, despite its additional strength, it added.
Jonathan Clemens, head of marketing, construction & infrastructure for Tata Steel's European operations, said: "Being a hot-finished welded product with added strength, Celsius 420 offers customers big advantages through lower material costs, good weldability and improved performance because of the high degree of uniformity in wall thickness".
"Customers can reduce the weight of the material they use, which gives additional benefits in terms of reduced building infrastructure requirements," he added.
"Added to this, the product has excellent sustainability credentials that come from the steel's endless recyclability, as well as its full traceability as part of the responsible sourcing attributes associated with Tata Steel's BES 6001 accreditation," Clemens said.
The Celsius 420 range of circular, square, rectangular and elliptical hollow sections entered production late last year and is currently undergoing customer trials.
The sections are made from strip produced at Tata Steel's plants in South Wales, which is formed into hot-finished tubes at the company's Hartlepool and Corby mills in the UK.
