What is BS EN 10027-1- Designation systems for steels about?
BS EN 10027-1 is a safety standard on designation systems for steels.
BS EN 10027-1 specifies rules for designating steels by means of symbolic letters and numbers to express application and principal characteristics, e.g., mechanical, physical, chemical, to provide an abbreviated identification of steels.
BS EN 10027-1 applies to steels specified in European Standards (EN), Technical Specifications (TS), Technical Reports (TR), and CEN member's national standards. These rules may be applied to non-standardized steel.
Note: In the English language the designations covered by this European Standard are known as “steel names;” in the French language as “designation symbolique;” in the German language as “Kurznamen.”
Who is BS EN 10027-1- Designation systems for steels for?
BS EN 10027-1 on designation systems for steels is relevant to:
- Steel industries
- Engineers who designate steel
- Manufacturers of steel
- Steel numbering systems
- Metallurgical engineers
Why should you use BS EN 10027-1- Designation systems for steels?
There is a unique steel name for each steel.
Steel names allocated in accordance with BS EN 10027-1 comprise principal symbols. To avoid ambiguity, it is necessary to supplement these principal symbols by additional symbols identifying additional characteristics of the steel or steel product, e.g., suitability for use at high or low temperatures, surface condition, treatment condition, deoxidation.
For the purposes of designation, steel names are classified into two main categories:
- Category 1: Steels designated according to their application and mechanical or physical properties
- Category 2: Steels designated according to their chemical composition
Overall, BS EN 10027-1 is useful as it aids on the principal symbols for steels designated according to steel application and its mechanical and physical properties. BS EN 10027-1 also assists with steel casting.

