Vanitec, the International Trade Association representing the companies and organisations involved in the processing, manufacture, mining, research and use of vanadium and vanadium-containing products, today praised the Standardization Administration of the People’s Republic of China on its recently released new high strength rebar standard intended to reduce the use of substandard steel and make buildings in China more earthquake resistant. 

The new rebar standard, GB/T 1499.2-2018 released by the government on 6 February 2018, eliminates low strength Grade 2 (335MPa) rebar and authorizes 3 different high strength standards: Grade 3 (400MPa), Grade 4 (500MPa), and Grade 5 (600MPa).

Professor Yang Caifu, of the Chinese Central Iron & Steel Research Institute (CIRSI) who leads the joint Vanitec/CISRI Vanadium Technology Centre noted that “for hot-rolled HS rebar, V content will be at 0.03% V in Grade 3, 0.06% V in Grade 4, and more than 0.1% in Grade 5 rebar so the implementation of the new standard will significantly promote the application of vanadium in Chinese rebar products.” 

The implementation date for the new standard is 1 November, 2018.  Professor Yang Caifu added that the concept for the new standard is widely accepted by the Chinese rebar producers.

John Hilbert of Vanitec hailed the new standard, which has been in development for over a year, as a very positive development towards the increased consumption of vanadium.  “Vanadium is the most common addition for high strength rebar, because it offers the best combination of high strength, good ductility, bendability, weldability, and reduced sensitivity to strain aging.” 

Unlike niobium, vanadium permits the use of economical hot rolling practices due to the high solubility of vanadium carbonitrides in austenite which minimizes the risk of cracking during casting. 

Vanitec, based in Tonbridge, Kent UK, was founded in order to promote the use of vanadium bearing materials, and thereby to increase the consumption of vanadium in high strength steels and steel products as well as to support the use of vanadium in new ventures such as the Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRFB) and other leading-edge technologies which take advantage of the unique properties of vanadium.