CCS Grade B Shipbuilding Steel Plate

Technical Reviewer: Jack | SHH STEEL Material Solutions Department · Updated: 2026-10-27

CCS Grade B, commercially written CCS B on mill certificates and plate markings, is ordinary-strength hull steel under CCS Rules for Materials (IACS UR W11) that adds a 0 °C Charpy requirement where the thickness and supply-condition table calls for it. It shares Grade A’s minimum yield of 235 N/mm², tensile 400–520 N/mm² and 22 % min. elongation, but manganese is written as a fixed 0.80 % minimum (0.60 % if fully killed or cold-flanging) and silicon is capped at 0.35 %. Chinese yards often compare it with GB 712 Grade B; class work still needs the CCS stamp, not a GB 712 certificate alone. Commercial names: CCS Grade B / CCS B shipbuilding steel plate.

Equivalent grades: CCS Grade B ≈ ASTM A131 Grade B ≈ ABS B ≈ DNV NV B ≈ LR Grade B ≈ BV Grade B ≈ NK KB ≈ KR RB ≈ RINA Grade B ≈ GB 712 Grade B (all class-approved, stamped by the issuing society).

Because CCS B carries a 0 °C toughness guarantee where required, it is used for side shell, bottom shell and deck plating that must keep toughness near freezing, and for repair steel where the drawing allows A or B. Where the drawing calls for CCS Grade D or Grade E, Grade B cannot be substituted downward; supplying D or E for B is normally accepted when chemistry and tensile still meet Grade B. CCS Grade B remains the economical choice where no impact test is required up to 50 mm.

Plates that pass mill tests under CCS survey are die-stamped or stencilled CCS Grade B or CCS B (plus Z or U where through-thickness or ultrasonic requirements apply) and are supplied with a mill certificate the CCS Surveyor endorses. SHH STEEL supplies CCS B plate from Chinese mills that hold CCS works approval for the grade, from stock in common sizes or from a mill rolling cycle, with CCS survey arranged at the mill.

Size range. CCS B is rolled on wide plate mills in China from about 5 mm to 100 mm and more, widths 1500–3500 mm and lengths up to about 18 m depending on mill; 6–25 mm plate in 1800–2500 mm width is the bulk of the market. Plates under about 6 mm are often cut from CCS-approved hot-rolled coil, which needs separate approval of the coil process. Ask for confirmation for plates over 100 mm or wider than 3200 mm.

Product (check) analysis column: CCS Rules for Materials and Welding specify heat (ladle) limits; no numeric product-analysis tolerance is tabulated in the rule text reviewed, so product (check) limits are agreed on the order or taken from the approved mill specification and certificate.

Source: IACS UR W11 Table 1 (ladle samples) for normal-strength Grade B — the chemistry China Classification Society applies to CCS B hull plate under CCS Rules for Materials. The same ladle limits appear in GB 712 for Grade B, which is why mills often dual-produce GB 712 and CCS class plate from one heat; the Surveyor endorsement is what turns the product into class steel. Heat (ladle) analysis is determined by the mill on each heat and must meet Table 1. Product (check) analysis on the finished plate is not given numeric tolerances in UR W11 itself; when a purchaser or Surveyor requires product analysis on the certificate, ask at enquiry and record the agreed tolerances — do not invent numbers.

Grade B is the only ordinary-strength grade with a fixed 0.80 % Mn minimum (reducible to 0.60 % when fully killed or ordered cold-flanging). Silicon is capped at 0.35 %, tighter than Grade A’s 0.50 %. In practice Chinese mills supply aluminium-killed CCS B; treat typical ladle figures as indicative only and check the actual mill certificate.

On the 200 mm gauge full-thickness flat specimen (25 mm width), minimum elongation depends on thickness:

All four normal-strength grades share these tensile values. For each batch, one tensile test is taken from one piece (extra tests when finished weight exceeds 50 t, and for every 10 mm variation in thickness from the same cast), unless otherwise agreed by CCS.

CVN at 0 °C where thickness/condition table requires (typically >25 mm). Deoxidation: killed or semi-killed ≤50 mm; killed >50 mm. Average energies at 0 °C (full-size specimens, long / trans) per IACS UR W11 Table 6:

One individual value may fall below the average if it is at least 70 % of it. Generally only longitudinal specimens are prepared unless the purchaser or CCS asks for transverse. The test frequency and permitted delivery condition (AR, CR, N or TM) follow the UR W11 / CCS Materials supply-condition table for Grade B, so write the condition into the PO. Beyond 100 mm thickness is special consideration with CCS (see UNCERTAIN).

China Classification Society applies the thickness tolerances of IACS UR W13 (Thickness tolerances of steel plates and wide flats) unless the purchase order states otherwise. In practice class-approved hull plate is ordered to the class minus-tolerance band commonly associated with UR W13 (often 0.3 mm minus — confirm the exact class and plus tolerance on the PO; see UNCERTAIN). Plus tolerance, flatness, width and length follow the agreed national or international standard (for example ASTM A6, EN 10029 or GB/T 709) unless specified otherwise.

Surface quality follows a recognised standard such as EN 10163 parts 1–2 or the equivalent GB surface standard accepted by CCS. Surface defects may be ground within UR W11 limits; grinding areas are checked so remaining thickness stays within the allowed minus tolerance. If you plan to shot-blast and prime at the yard, state any surface class on receipt in the order.

Quantities are approximate and change daily (indicative — confirm before booking); all stock plates carry CCS B marking and CCS-endorsed mill certificates when sold as CCS class plate. Sizes outside the table (for example 3000 mm width, 60–100 mm thickness, or fixed lengths for a cutting plan) are produced in the next mill rolling cycle, typically 3–6 weeks including CCS survey. Send your size list and we will reply with what is in stock and what must be rolled.

Packing. Plates are bundled by size with steel strapping, marked with heat number, grade and CCS stamp, and shipped in containers (up to about 11.8 m) or break bulk for longer plates.

These are comparisons, not substitutions. A CCS-classed hull needs plate made by a mill approved by China Classification Society for this grade and certified under CCS survey. Dual or multi-class certification (for example CCS + ABS, CCS + DNV, CCS + LR or CCS + BV) can be arranged at the mill when the heat is surveyed by both societies. Do not treat a GB 712 certificate alone as a substitute for the CCS B stamp.

All four normal-strength grades share the same 235 N/mm² yield and 400–520 N/mm² tensile range; they differ in deoxidation and toughness. Compared with CCS Grade A, Grade B adds the 0 °C impact requirement in the thicknesses the supply table covers; Grade A still needs no CVN up to 50 mm. Grade D (−20 °C) and Grade E (−40 °C) go further for colder service. The hull steel grade for each strake is set by the classification rules according to structural member category and thickness, so check the approved drawing first. Sheer strakes, bilge strakes, deck stringers and ice-belt plating usually call for B, D, E or higher-strength plates under CCS.

Compared with land structural steels, CCS B is close in strength to ASTM A36, ASTM A283 Grade C and S275JR class steels but differs in class thickness tolerance practice, the C + Mn/6 ≤ 0.40 cap, and above all the CCS survey and CCS B stamp. For a CCS-classed vessel only CCS-certified plate is accepted.

When CCS CCS B is the right choice: typical uses are hull plating and members that the material class assigns a 0 °C toughness level, typically in the thicker range where Grade A is no longer accepted — side shell, bottom shell and deck plating near freezing, and repair steel where the drawing allows A or B. The Charpy temperature (0 °C) is fixed by the letter B, and the strength by the normal-strength level (ReH 235 N/mm²). Pick the strength from the scantling calculation and the letter from the material class and design temperature on the approved drawing. Swapping to a different letter or strength needs class approval of the drawing change, not just a new purchase order.

Typical uses: side and bottom shell in temperate-to-cool service, strength deck plating where 0 °C is specified, inland and coastal vessels with thicker Grade B members, pontoons and barges that outgrow Grade A, and ship-repair replacement steel. Offshore and port structures also use ordinary-strength grades for secondary steel; see offshore platform steel plates for primary structure grades.

Cutting: oxy-fuel, plasma and laser cutting all work without preheat in normal thicknesses. Welding: with C + Mn/6 at or below 0.40 %, CCS B is welded with ordinary-strength consumables approved for the grade and 0 °C toughness level required by the shipyard’s CCS-approved WPS; preheat is generally unnecessary below about 25–30 mm except in cold or humid conditions — follow your approved welding procedure, not a generic number from a catalogue. Forming: plates intended for cold flanging should be ordered with the flanging quality agreed on the PO.

Processing notes for CCS B: cold forming and flanging of normal-strength plate are routine. Keep the cut edges of plate thicker than 50 mm free of notches, because thick plate of this grade is controlled more tightly for deoxidation (killed or semi-killed ≤50 mm; killed >50 mm).

Every plate is tested and marked at the mill under China Classification Society survey; the mill certificate lists heat number, ladle chemistry (elements required by UR W11 Table 1, plus intentionally added elements), tensile results, impact results at 0 °C where required, condition of supply and plate numbers, and is endorsed by the attending Surveyor. On request we add EN 10204 3.2 certificates with third-party witness by TÜV, SGS, LR or another agency, ultrasonic testing (U mark) or through-thickness testing (Z mark), and multi-class certification with other major class societies (ABS, DNV, LR, BV, NK, KR, RINA).

On receipt, check: CCS Grade B / CCS B stamp and heat number on each plate match the certificate; the certificate shows CCS endorsement, not just a mill or GB 712 stamp; thickness at several points meets the ordered UR W13 / PO tolerance; impact results agree with the table below for the delivered thickness.

Charpy acceptance for CCS B by thickness (from IACS UR W11 Table 6; actual results as per standard and mill certificate):

On receipt, check that the test temperature is 0 °C and that the energy matches the band for the delivered thickness. Also check that the plate number on the stamp matches the certificate line, and that the CCS Surveyor endorsement is present. If UT was ordered (e.g. EN 10160 or ASTM A578 level), check the UT report as well. If the PO asked for 3.2, the inspector’s report must name the witnessed tests and plate numbers.

• Ordering “CCS B” or “Grade B” without requiring China Classification Society certification (CCS Grade B / CCS B stamp + Surveyor-endorsed certificate)
• Accepting Grade A certificates for a Grade B PO (missing 0 °C impact where required)
• Ignoring Mn 0.80 % min. (or 0.60 % when fully killed / cold-flanging) on the ladle analysis
• Substituting CCS Grade B where the drawing requires Grade D or Grade E
• Coil-cut plate without CCS coil-process approval
• Confusing Grade B with higher-strength CCS A32 / AH32

Each of these is avoided by writing the requirement into the purchase order and checking it on the certificate before the plates are cut.

State the grade and rule (CCS Grade B / CCS B, China Classification Society Rules for Materials – rolled steel for hull), whether multi-class certification is needed, thickness, width, length and quantity per size, condition of supply, any Z or U requirement, surface or primer requirements, certificate type (mill certificate with CCS endorsement, EN 10204 3.2 with third-party witness), packing and destination port. Send the list to SHH STEEL for price, available stock and lead time.

Sample PO line: “Steel plate to China Classification Society Rules for Materials, Grade B (CCS B), delivery condition [AR/CR/N/TM], 20 × 2500 × 12000 mm, 30 pcs, marked CCS Grade B / CCS B, certificate endorsed by CCS Surveyor, EN 10204 3.2 [if required], UT [if required], CIF [port].” Each bracketed item changes price, lead time and which mills can supply, so fix them at enquiry stage.

CCS Grade B / CCS B is ordinary-strength hull steel under China Classification Society Rules for Materials and IACS UR W11: 235 N/mm² minimum yield, 400–520 N/mm² tensile, Charpy at 0 °C where required, and class survey with the CCS B stamp. GB 712 Grade B is the related Chinese product standard — not a substitute for CCS class approval. What the rules leave open has to be fixed in the order: CCS (or multi-class) certification, the supply condition and impact testing, whether product analysis is required on the certificate, the thickness-tolerance class, and the certificate type (3.1 vs 3.2).

SHH STEEL supplies CCS B plate rolled by Chinese mills that hold China Classification Society works approval for the grade, so every plate carries the CCS B stamp and a Surveyor-endorsed certificate traceable to its heat. Common thicknesses are available from stock; other sizes are scheduled into the mill rolling cycle with CCS survey arranged at the mill. On request we add EN 10204 3.2 certificates with third-party witness (TÜV, SGS, LR or another agency) and joint certification with ABS, DNV, LR, BV, NK, KR or RINA.

We accept T/T or L/C payment, with inspection before the balance is paid. Small quantities in several sizes, or CCS B mixed with other CCS Grade A/B/D/E or higher-strength grades such as CCS A36 / AH36, can be combined in one container. A dedicated coordinator sends production and shipping updates with photos, and our own workshop cuts to size, bevels, drills and machines plates before shipment so they arrive ready for fabrication.

Request a quotation: send SHH STEEL the grade (CCS B / CCS Grade B), thickness, width, length, quantity per size and destination port, plus any multi-class, Z/U or 3.2 certificate requirement. We reply with price, available stock and lead time.