How Is Steel Strapping Made? From Steel Coil To Finished Strap

Quick answer: We make our blued and painted steel strapping through the following process:

Raw steel coil → Slitting → Edge smoothing and deburring → Bluing heat treatment → Cooling → Painting and/or waxing, with drying → Rewinding → Packing.

At JUHONG, we select the raw material to meet the strength and elongation specified for each order. For our blued and painted products, we also control the heating temperature and line speed during heat treatment. We check the strap during production and inspect the finished coils before shipment. Our galvanized and bright strapping follow different routes, as explained below.

What Is Steel Strapping Made Of?

For our blued, painted and bright steel strapping, we buy carbon steel coils that have already been cold-rolled to the required thickness. For galvanized strapping, we purchase coils with the zinc coating already applied. We select the raw material grade according to the material and performance requirements on the order.

Q195, Q235B, DB460, and HT: What These Material Names Mean

Some customers specify a material name such as Q195, Q235B, or DB460, while others give us only the finished performance they need. Q195 and Q235B are Chinese steel grade designations. DB460 and our HT special material are higher-performance raw material options used for stronger steel strapping.

These names identify the raw material we start with. They do not, by themselves, state the tensile strength of the finished strap. Finished performance depends on both the selected material and the production settings. The table below shows the performance ranges we produce from each option.

If you are unsure which material name to request, send us the strap width and thickness, minimum tensile strength, minimum elongation, and required standard. We will select the matching raw material and confirm the finished specification for your order.

Incoming Coil Inspection

We check each incoming coil's thickness, tensile strength, and surface condition before it goes to the slitter. We also record the raw material batch number in our production log, linking the finished strapping to the steel used in that production run.

How Steel Strapping Is Made: Our Production Process

Our blued and painted steel strapping passes through slitting, edge smoothing, heat treatment, surface finishing and rewinding before packing. The coating steps depend on the finish ordered.

1. Uncoiling and Slitting

We load the raw coil onto the uncoiler and feed it through the slitter. Rotary knives cut the wide steel strip into the widths specified on the order. Our width tolerance is ±0.10 mm.

Consistent width helps the strap feed through the strapping head and fit the seal correctly. Slitting also leaves burrs and sharp edges, so the strips pass through edge smoothing before heat treatment.

2. Edge Smoothing and Deburring

The edge smoother removes burrs and rounds the cut edges. This reduces sharp edges during handling and helps the strap travel through tools and machine guides without catching. We reject strap with burrs, cracked edges or ragged cuts during inspection.

3. Bluing Heat Treatment and Cooling

For blued and painted strapping, we pass the strip through high-temperature heat treatment and then cool it. We set the heating temperature and line speed for the material and the finished strength and elongation required. Bluing also produces the blue oxide layer on the steel surface.

We record these settings for each production run, together with the raw material batch. The records give us a reference for repeat orders and for investigating any variation in test results.

4. Painting, Waxing, and Drying

Painted strapping receives a paint layer after bluing and cooling. We dry the paint, apply wax, then dry and air-cool the strip before rewinding. Blued strapping goes through waxing, drying, and air cooling without the paint step.

Paint provides additional corrosion protection. The wax coating lubricates the surface to help the strap feed through manual tools, pneumatic tools, and automatic strapping machines.

We check paint adhesion with a cross-hatch test. Our internal acceptance requirement allows only small flakes at the cut intersections, affecting less than 5% of the cross-cut area; this is recorded as ISO class 1 / ASTM class 4B. We also check color consistency within the batch. Our steel strapping surface finish guide compares finishes for different storage and shipping conditions.

5. Rewinding into Finished Coils

We rewind the finished strip into ribbon, oscillated or jumbo coils, with coil weights ranging from 5 kg mini coils to 1,000 kg jumbo coils. Winding must be tight and flat, with no loose wraps.

Our standard coil inside diameter is 406 mm, with a tolerance of ±2 mm. Coil format, inside diameter, and weight are confirmed for the order so the coils fit the customer's dispenser or strapping machine.

Every coil we supply is joint-free, including jumbo coils. This removes the welded splice that could otherwise catch in a strapping head or fail under tension. See our comparison of ribbon, oscillated and jumbo coils for winding options.

6. Export Packing and Delivery

We stack the coils on export pallets and wrap individual coils in VCI (vapor corrosion inhibitor) paper when specified on the order. The pallet is wrapped in VCI anti-rust film, with desiccant inside, followed by an outer kraft-paper layer.

We offer JUHONG-branded, neutral, and customer-branded packing. Each pallet is secured with four steel straps before container loading. Our article on steel strapping rust during sea shipment explains the role of moisture protection during transit.

How the Process Changes for Different Finishes

Blue Steel Banding

Black Painted Steel Strapping

Galvanized Steel Strapping

The production sequence above describes our blued and painted strapping. For galvanized strapping, we purchase hot-dip galvanized coils with the zinc coating already applied by the steel supplier. At our plant, we slit the coils, smooth the edges, then wax, dry, air-cool, and rewind the strip.

Bright strapping has no protective bluing, paint or zinc layer and is prone to rust. We still receive orders for dry, indoor applications where the strap is used over a short period. For help matching the material, dimensions, and finish to an application, see our steel strapping selection guide.

How We Produce Different Strength Grades

We adjust the raw material selection and heat-treatment settings to produce different strength grades. Slitting, edge smoothing, coating and rewinding follow the same basic sequence for our blued and painted products.

Alongside the material options listed above, we supply regular-duty grades from about 600 to 850 MPa, including the 750 MPa Ridge series. For customers who need strength and elongation together, our HT special raw material produces finished strapping with tensile strength of at least 1,020 MPa and elongation of at least 10% over a 100 mm gauge length.

Grade names vary between standards. GB/T 25820-2025 classifies 830 and 880 MPa as regular grades and 930 and 980 MPa as high-tensile grades. We therefore confirm the numerical strength and elongation requirements as well as the material grade when reviewing an order. Specifications are available on our high tensile steel strapping and regular duty steel strapping pages.

Tensile Strength and Elongation

We test tensile strength and elongation together. Tensile strength describes the stress the steel can withstand, while elongation measures how much the test sample stretches before it breaks. Both are relevant to strapping used on loads exposed to movement and impact.

In May 2025, SGS tested a sample of our 19 × 0.8 mm strapping to EN 13246. Report XMIN2504001106ML02 recorded 1,082 MPa tensile strength and 14.5% elongation over a 100 mm gauge length.

The report can be checked through SGS's online verification service. Our UltiMax high-tensile with high-elongation strapping provides more detail on this product range.

How We Check Steel Strapping Quality

We inspect the strap during production and carry out a final batch inspection before shipment.

Production Checks Every Two Hours

Our inspectors sample 10 coils every two hours. Under our in-process inspection procedure, a failed tensile or repeated-bend test stops the line, and the material produced during the preceding two hours is scrapped.

Dimensions and Coil Condition

We check width, thickness, camber, flatness and twist, as well as the finished coil's dimensions and winding condition.

These are our standard inspection limits. For mini coils and other custom formats, we confirm the coil dimensions and weight tolerance in the order specification.

Camber and twist affect machine feeding. Straps that bows sideways or twists can run off-center in the feed track, even if its tensile strength meets the specification.

Tensile, Elongation and Repeated-Bend Tests

We use a tensile testing machine to measure tensile strength and elongation. An automatic bending tester checks ductility through repeated bending, and we also check hardness.

ASTM D3953 includes requirements for breaking strength, elongation, lubrication, bend ductility, and straightness. The test requirements for an order depend on the specified product and standard.

Coating Inspection

We check painted strap for coating continuity, bare spots, and adhesion. For galvanized strapping, our inspection requirement is a 24-hour salt spray test to GB/T 10125, assessed to GB/T 6461, with a rating of RA ≥5.

Final Inspection and Batch Records

Before shipment, we sample each batch under GB/T 2828 special inspection level S-3, with zero acceptance for critical defects. Our outgoing inspection report covers tensile strength, elongation, appearance, coating, dimensions, weight, and packing.

We retain the raw coil and paint batch references, line speed, and heating temperature in the production records. If a customer reports a problem, we can trace the order back to its production run.

Test reports and supporting documents are available on request. You can also view our company certificates.

Standards and Certification

Steel strapping requirements vary between markets. We can manufacture and test steel strapping to the national or international standard specified in the order, including ASTM D3953, EN 13246, ISO 24259, GB/T 25820, ABNT NBR 6653 and applicable JIS requirements. Before production, we confirm the required grade, size, finish and test items with the customer.

Every shipment is accompanied by our Product Quality Certificate, which includes test data from our in-house laboratory. If independent verification is required, we can arrange testing by SGS or cooperate with a third-party inspection company appointed by the customer.

What to Include in Your Steel Strapping Inquiry

Send us your existing specification or the details below. If you already use Q195, Q235B, DB460 or an HT high-strength, high-elongation material, include that information so we can quote against it.

We can provide a sample coil for trials with your tools, seals or strapping machine before a bulk order.

Frequently Asked Questions About How Steel Strapping Is Made

1.Does all your steel strapping go through bluing?

Our blued and painted strapping goes through bluing heat treatment. For galvanized strapping, we buy coils that have already been galvanized by the steel supplier and do not run them through our bluing furnace. Bright strapping also skips bluing at our plant.

2.What tensile strength do Q195, Q235B, DB460 and HT strapping offer?

In our production, Q195 is used for finished strapping in the 650–750 MPa range, while the Q235B family covers 800–930 MPa. DB460 is used for strapping at 980 MPa and above. For customers who need both higher strength and higher elongation, our HT special material reaches at least 1,020 MPa tensile strength with at least 10% elongation over a 100 mm gauge length. These figures describe the finished strapping, not the number contained in the raw material grade name.

3.What is the difference between tensile strength and breaking force?

Tensile strength is expressed in MPa, equivalent to N/mm². Multiplying it by the strap's cross-sectional area gives the corresponding breaking force in newtons.

For example, our SGS-tested sample measured 18.99 mm wide and 0.790 mm thick. At 1,082 MPa, its calculated breaking force is approximately 16,230 N, or 3,650 lbf.

A 19.05 × 0.76 mm strap at 930 MPa gives approximately 13,465 N, compared with approximately 14,768 N at 1,020 MPa. These are calculated strap breaking forces; the joint has its own strength and must be assessed separately.

4.Do your coils contain welded joints?

No. All our finished coils are joint-free, including jumbo coils weighing up to 1,000 kg. This avoids a welded splice passing through the strapping head during use.

5.Do you still supply bright steel strapping?

Yes. Demand is limited, but some customers still specify it for dry, indoor use over short periods. It has no bluing, paint or zinc layer and rusts more readily than protected finishes.

6.Can we check the quality before placing a bulk order?

Yes. We can supply a sample coil and the available test report for the relevant product. You can trial the sample on your equipment and check its dimensions and feeding performance. Third-party testing can also be arranged for the order.

7.Request a Specification or Sample

Contact our team with your specification, quantity and destination port. We will confirm a matching product and can arrange a sample coil for testing. Our steel strapping range includes the available finishes and coil formats.

About JUHONG

We have been making steel strapping in Changzhou since 1997. Over the years, we have learned that small details—clean edges, stable heat treatment and tight winding—make a real difference when the strap reaches a customer's production line. That experience shapes how we run our equipment, check each batch and help customers choose a specification.

Today, our 20,000 m²+ factory can produce up to 60,000 tonnes of steel strapping a year. We also make PET strapping, stretch film and steel strapping seals, and we took part in drafting GB/T 39040-2020, China's national standard for strapping seals.

If you are comparing materials or working on a new specification, send us your requirements. We will help you choose the grade, finish and coil format that suit your application.

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