The dedicated team at Saba Steel & Rolling Company, a subsidiary of the Mobarakeh Steel Group, has successfully produced S650MC High-Strength Hot Rolled Sheet for the first time in Iran. This achievement marks another significant step toward localizing the production of steel sheets used in the country’s automotive industry.
Following this achievement, the Technology Manager, the Reduction and Steelmaking Manager, and several heads of departments at Saba Steel & Rolling Company shared their insights:
Arash Hajipour, Technology Manager at Saba Steel & Rolling Company
“This grade is one of the high-strength micro-alloyed qualities used in manufacturing reinforcement parts and chassis for light and heavy vehicles. Other applications for this steel include the production of trucks and trailers.”
He stated that, given the modern equipment and the high level of knowledge and skill at Saba Steel & Rolling Company, this company has been designated as the hub for producing special steels within the Mobarakeh Steel Group. “For this reason, the drive towards manufacturing high value-added steels, which other domestic steelmakers cannot produce and are currently supplied through imports, began several years ago and is being vigorously pursued,” he further explained.
He said: “the automotive industry is one of the key target industries for Saba Steel & Rolling Company, holding a special place in its strategic roadmaps and planning. In this context, the S650MC grade is one of the high-strength steels produced globally, used in both light and heavy automotive industries. Consequently, it was included in the production roadmap for 2025-2026 grades. Following several months of study and analysis by the company’s expert team, and relying on the knowledge and experience of its personnel, the precise design of this alloy and its production processes was carried out to achieve the metallurgical and mechanical properties compliant with international standards. Subsequently, the necessary planning for manufacturing this valuable product was undertaken, and through the skill of the company’s experienced staff and specialists, the product was successfully produced. “
“I congratulate all employees, stakeholders, and business partners of Saba Steel & Rolling Company on this valuable achievement and appreciate the efforts of the company’s staff in this regard,” he concluded.
Farhad Rajabi, Reduction and Steelmaking Manager
“The S650MC steel grade is used in reinforcement parts and the chassis of heavy machinery. Due to the dynamic stress applied to the chassis during use, it is expected that a clean steel with minimum impurities is utilized. Therefore, producing a clean melt and reducing impurities is of great importance. In the steelmaking unit of Saba Steel Company, through precise control of the production process, including calcium treatment, we managed to produce this grade.”
Mehdi Nazemolroaya, Casting and Rolling Manager
“This type of steel is considered one of the High Strength Low Alloy (HSLA) micro-alloyed steels and has a wide range of applications across various industries.
By utilizing thin slab casting and advanced hot rolling technology, along with precise control of thermal and chemical parameters, the production of S650MC sheet with quality conforming to international standards was made possible for the first time in Iran.
These sheets feature characteristics such as a minimum yield strength of 650 megapascals, excellent bending capacity, a uniform surface, and high resistance to mechanical fatigue. Previously, similar products were imported from foreign countries, but now, with the localization of production know-how, it is expected that besides meeting domestic demand, the export of this product to regional countries will also commence.
The production of this steel grade is considered part of the national program for developing special steels and a significant step towards reducing the country’s industry’s currency dependence.”
Ahmad Tarazoo Zar, Head of Production Methods and Planning
“Producing special qualities requires meticulous planning and coordinated production. In this regard, to manufacture the S650MC quality, after holding technical meetings and coordination, its trial production was planned and successfully carried out. This was achieved through the effort and unity of my colleagues at Saba Steel & Rolling Company. I extend my appreciation to my dear colleagues and congratulate the Mobarakeh Steel Group and all stakeholders on this valuable success.”
Hamed Saffari, Metallurgy and Production Methods Expert
“High strength and maintaining formability are requirements for automakers in designing light and heavy vehicles. Today, one primary focus of carmakers is to design lightweight vehicles to increase safety and reduce emissions, due to stringent environmental standards. Therefore, to meet the needs of automotive customers, the S650MC quality was designed and produced in collaboration with the production units. The results showed that this quality conforms to EN 10149.”
Esmail Salimian, Steelmaking Technical Office Expert
“One of the most significant challenges in producing this grade in the steelmaking unit is the precise control of the chemical analysis. Hence, adding exact amounts of ferroalloys such as ferroniobium and ferrotitanium, as well as producing a clean melt and reducing the quantity and size of impurities, is critically important for achieving the mechanical properties desired by the customer.”
Nasser Ganji, Casting Technical Office Expert
“In the production of various steel grades in the casting area, there are different sensitivities and prerequisites. Although these sensitivities may sometimes seem minor, they typically have larger interactive effects in the presence of other variables. The casting of the automotive steel grade S650MC, considering the presence of microalloys and its specific subtleties, falls into this category. Producing this grade, taking into account specific elements like titanium and their behavior during solidification and secondary cooling, required precise control of the molten steel in the tundish and the determination of dedicated casting parameters. This was achieved thanks to the strong teamwork by the steelworkers of the casting unit at Saba Steel.”
Mohsen Hasanzadeh, Rolling Technical Office Expert
“In the production of the S650MC steel sheet, due to the differences in the thermomechanical properties of this grade, targeted adjustment of the rolling reduction was performed to control sheet waviness and distortion. Furthermore, controlling the rolling speed, cooling at the end of the line, and applying a low winding temperature, while maintaining a fine-grained structure, ensured the achievement of high strength and desirable shape quality in the final product.”
