Merchant bars … All You Need To Know

Did you see steel bars while walking beside an in-construction building? or did you notice the shape of your window frame? These are the merchant bars.

In this article we will take you on a tour to get a thorough understanding of them and their types.

What are Merchant bars?

Merchant bars term refers to a wide range of long semi-finished steel products that are used by steel fabricators to produce a number of various steel products.

Also, they are used directly in constructions and structural applications.

These bars are mainly used in applications that require welding, punching and forming.

Merchant bars are available in the steel market with different grades and shapes and have applications in multiple end products.

What are merchant bars made of? The difference between MBQ and SBQ?

Merchant bars are produced from hot-rolled, cold-rolled, galvanized or cold-drawn steel.

MBQ is an abbreviation for Merchant Bar Quality term which refers to the bar used in angles and beams that doesn’t receive much further treatment after production and the chemical ranges in it stay within standard limits.

While SBQ is an abbreviation for Special Bar Quality term which refers to a bit more specialized bar that is used when the end use requires unique characteristics such as a smoother surface and less imperfections.

In the abstract, We can’t say that MBQ is better than SBQ or reverse. It is essentially related to the application and the quality that needed in the end product.

Merchant bars forms:

Merchant bars are manufactured from prime steel or secondary steel and differ in the shape of cross-sections to have many basic forms:

❖    Angles:

Steel angles are a very common shape of merchant bars that are used mainly in framing, they are produced by bending a single side in a steel piece to form an angle, so they are the most basic type of roll-formed steel.

Angle  bars have the shape of the letter “L” and generally the angle is equal to 90 degree except for some special requirements.   

The legs of “L” can be equal or unequal in length and the larger angle gives more bearing of stress and weight.

●     Equal angles: The legs of “L” are equal in length.According to European standards the legs’ length range from 16 to 200 millimeters.

●     Unequal angles:The legs of “L” are unequal in length. According to European standards the legs’ length range from 30×20 to 250×90 millimeters.

Angle bars applications:

Supporting and structural uses: bridges, power and communication towers, warehouses and shelves, etc.

Everyday life uses: furniture (bed frames, chairs, tables…), fencing, frames for supporting air conditioner, and so on.

❖    Round bars:

Round bars are long steel stock bars with a circular cross-section area varying in diameters lengths and have many industrial and commercial applications.

Standard diameters start from 6 mm up to 200 mm. specific diameters can be available upon request.

Round bars features:

A round bar’s features are diverse between strength, tenacity, elasticity, elongation, retraction, malleability and ductility and each application requires a specific amount of each feature.

For example: a round bar used in construction must be stronger and more elastic than that used in the automotive industry.

Round bars applications:

Round bars are the most popular type of merchant bars because of their versatility. They have a lot of applications ranging from tent pegs to car axles.

Hot rolled round bars are used for constructions and other applications where the dimensions accuracy is not a priority.

Conversely, Cold rolled round bars are used where exact dimensions and perfect surface finish are essential like braces and frameworks.

Common applications of round bars include construction works, the machinery, equipment industry, and metal structures like bridges.

❖    Flat Bars or Rectangular Bars:

Flat bars are solid flat-surface steel sections with a rectangular cross-section area that are available in multiple lengths of height and width.

The bar’s dimension ranges from 10 to 500 mm in width and from 3 to 50 mm in height according to European standards.

Flat bars have two types: round edged flat bars or sharp edged flat bars. The end use of a bar determines the suitable type of it.

Flat bars applications:

Flat bars are used primarily by steel fabricators since they are easy to cut, drill and welding.

On the other side, these bars have many direct uses in constructions, infrastructure, agriculture industry,transportation and storage.

Flat bars can also be used as supportive elements in the post-construction stage to reinforce existing structures.

❖    Square bars:

Square bars are long solid blocks of steel with a square sectional-area that have variable side length ranges from 6 to 130 mm as stated in European Standards.

Square bars applications:

The shape and robust structure of square bars make them very strong bars.

Square bars are commonly used in security doors and windows, commercial and residential constructions as well as other ornate architectural and balustrade applications.

In addition,These bars are used in steel mills because it is easy to weld, form, cut and machine. They are ideally suited for bending and cold forming.

❖    IPE Bars:

IPE bars are a type of I beams that are designed according to the European Standard Universal Beam Profile with a straight internal surface of the flanges, that is the flanges are parallel.

IPE bars‘ dimensions range from 80 to 600 mm in height and 46 to 220 mm in width.

The main uses of IPE bars include metal constructions, supporting structures for roofs, belts and machinery.

❖    IPN Bars:

IPN bars are a type of I beams that are designed according to the European Standard Universal Beam Profile with an inclined internal surface of the flanges.

IPN bars‘ dimensions range from 80 to 400 mm in height and 42 to 155 mm in width.

Similar to IPE bars, these bars are mainly used in structural reinforcement, stairs constructions and machinery.

Exanvil Gmbh imports merchant bars for you:

Our company supplies all steel profiles of merchant bars directly from steel fabrication mills and brings you the product you need at competitive and reasonable prices.

The full inventory of Exanvil Gmbh is available to meet your needs and specific requirements.

Any Product can be offered at any steel grade, required size, quality and quantity compiling with your needs to guarantee best results and best projects for you within your budget.