Key takeaways: Rockstar 500 at a glance
High-hardness ~500 HBW plate for wear applications, typically 470–540 HBW per cast, that number is what drives wear life.
It's quenched and tempered martensitic, low-alloy steel. The hardness and wear resistance come from the heat treatment, not from any alloying aimed at corrosion.
This is an abrasion grade, not a corrosion grade. Selection runs on Brinell hardness and wear life, not PREN or pitting resistance.
Weldable and cold-formable, too, provided you use low-hydrogen consumables and controlled preheat. Those methods stay within the limits the hardness sets.
Supplied as plate only, ex-stock for immediate dispatch. Every order ships with an EN 10204 3.1/3.2 mill test certificate.
What is Rockstar 500 abrasion-resistant plate?
Rockstar 500 belongs to the 500-HBW family of abrasion-resistant steel plate. Manufacturers make it by heating a low-carbon, boron-micro-alloyed plate above its austenitizing temperature, quenching it fast to form a hard martensitic matrix, then tempering it to a controlled nominal hardness around 500 HBW. The result is a hard structure all the way through, which stands up to the sliding and scratching abrasion that eats away at chutes, liners and buckets. That means markedly longer service life than mild steel offers. Rockstar 500 is one entry in Nandini Steel's abrasion-resistant plates line, sitting a step up in hardness from the tougher 400-HBW grade. The grade exists to resist wear, not chemical attack, so corrosion predicates like pitting resistance or PREN simply don't apply here.
Chemical composition
Rockstar 500 runs on a lean, low-carbon chemistry with boron and just modest hardenability additions. That lets the plate hit roughly 500 HBW on quenching without losing weldability. Below are the typical ladle (heat) maxima for the 500-HBW Q&T class. For your actual cast, though, go by the certified values on the mill test certificate.
| Element | C | Si | Mn | P | S | Cr | Ni | Mo | B | Fe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical max % | ≤0.30 | ≤0.70 | ≤1.60 | ≤0.025 | ≤0.010 | ≤1.50 | ≤1.00 | ≤0.60 | ≤0.005 | Balance |
The low carbon ceiling and the small boron addition are what make this grade work. Boron multiplies hardenability, so the plate transforms to martensite when quenched. Carbon stays low enough that weldability isn't lost in the process.
Mechanical & hardness properties
Hardness is what you're actually paying for. Rockstar 500 carries a nominal rating of about 500 HBW, and the mechanical values follow from that Q&T martensitic structure. Each cast gets checked by Brinell test, per ISO 6506 / ASTM E10.
| Property | Typical value (500-HBW class) |
|---|---|
| Nominal hardness | ~500 HBW (typ. ~470–540 HBW) |
| Yield strength (0.2%) | ~1250–1300 MPa |
| Tensile strength | ~1550–1600 MPa |
| Elongation (A5) | ~8% |
| Impact toughness | Lower than Rockstar 400; Charpy values reported on request |
Against the tougher 400-HBW grade, Rockstar 500 gives up some impact toughness in exchange for higher hardness and a longer wear life. That's the right trade when abrasion, not impact, is what's wearing the part down.
Physical properties
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Density | 7.85 g/cm³ |
| Elastic modulus | ~210 GPa |
| Magnetic response | Ferromagnetic |
Plate weight comes straight from the density: thickness (mm) × width (m) × length (m) × 7.85 gives you kilograms per plate. Or just use our steel plate weight calculator to size a delivery.
Equivalent / comparable wear plates
Rockstar 500 falls into the 500-HBW wear-plate class, right alongside the branded AR500 plates listed below. The comparison only holds at the hardness-class level, though. There's no UNS number or standardized hardness designation for this proprietary grade. Always check certified hardness and chemistry on the MTC before substituting it.
| Class | Comparable 500-HBW brands |
|---|---|
| ~500 HBW abrasion-resistant plate | Hardox 500 · XAR 500 · Dillidur 500 · Quard 500 · Raex 500 · Abrez 500 · JFE-EH500 |
Rockstar 500 vs Rockstar 400: which hardness class
Rockstar 500 holds up better against pure sliding abrasion. It's harder, around 500 HBW, so it lasts longer in liners, chutes and screen parts, places where metal just gets worn away bit by bit. Rockstar 400 runs softer at roughly 400 HBW, but it's tougher, and that's the grade to step down to when impact, gouging or cold forming are the main concern. Dump-body floors taking heavy rock drop are a good example.
People often default to the hardest plate on the shelf even when the job calls for something else. That's a mistake when impact is doing the damage. In gouging service, the tougher 400-HBW grade frequently outlasts 500 HBW, simply because it resists cracking better. The hardness class needs to match the wear mechanism at work, not whatever number sounds most impressive on the spec sheet.
Available forms, sizes & thickness
Rockstar 500 ships as plate only, a flat product. We don't stock it as sheet, coil or long products. Below are the typical commercial formats for 500-HBW wear plate. All plate sits ex-stock for immediate dispatch, and we'll confirm the exact thicknesses and cut sizes held for your part when you submit an RFQ.
| Dimension | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Thickness | ~8–80 mm |
| Width | up to ~2000–3200 mm |
| Length | up to ~6000–12000 mm |
| Form | Plate (cut-to-size on request) |
Applicable standards & delivery condition
Rockstar 500 is a proprietary abrasion-resistant grade defined by the manufacturer's specification, there is no governing ASTM or EN grade that fixes its hardness. Dimensional and flatness tolerances are supplied to EN 10029, and material traceability is documented with an EN 10204 3.1 mill test certificate reporting the certified chemistry and Brinell hardness for each cast. The plate is delivered in the quenched-and-tempered condition. Genuine, traceable mill plate is supplied with full documentation on every order.
Fabrication: cutting, welding & forming
Rockstar 500 can be machined and welded, but only within the limits its hardness imposes. A few precautions matter here:
- Cutting: Plasma, laser or abrasive water-jet all work; account for the hardness when setting your parameters, and watch your heat input so you don't wreck the edges.
- Welding: Stick with low-hydrogen consumables, and control preheat and interpass temperature closely. The heat-affected zone softens no matter what you do. Welding won't bring the plate's roughly 500 HBW hardness back in the HAZ, so keep critical wear faces away from weld lines wherever you can.
- Forming: Cold forming works, but it demands generous minimum bend radii. The harder the plate, the bigger the radius needs to be to avoid cracking. Bend across the rolling direction when the geometry allows it.
Applications
Rockstar 500 gets called out anywhere sliding abrasion, not impact, is what wears a component down.
- Mining & quarrying, chute and hopper liners, skirt plates and transfer-point wear faces.
- Earthmoving, liners for excavator and loader buckets, backing that holds up to heavy abrasion, and wear floors for dump bodies working in rough, grinding conditions.
- Crushing & screening, crusher wear parts, screen plates and feeder liners handling hard, abrasive ore.
Where a tougher grade is needed for impact-led duty, or as a stand-in for the mild-steel plate it replaces, compare it against A516 Gr 70 plate and its 400-HBW sibling before locking in the specification.
FAQ
What hardness is Rockstar 500 plate?
Can you weld Rockstar 500?
Rockstar 500 or Rockstar 400, which should I choose?
Does Rockstar 500 come with a mill test certificate?
Request a Rockstar 500 quote
All Rockstar 500 plate sits ex-stock, ready for immediate dispatch, and every order ships with EN 10204 3.1/3.2 mill test certificates. Want live pricing for your thickness and cut size? Request a Rockstar 500 quote. Nandini Steel holds ISO 9001:2015 certification as a stockist and supplier of genuine mill plate. Since 2003, the company has delivered 307+ projects for 260+ clients across 36+ export countries, over more than 20 years in business.
Nandini Steel, 25, Dreamland Building, 601, 6th Floor, Mama Parmanand Marg, Charni Road, Opera House, Girgaon, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400004, India
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