Mn13-Rolled High Manganese Steel Plate: Applications, Global Standards & Grades

1. Core Properties of Rolled High Manganese Steel Plates

Rolled high manganese steel plates fall into two major categories:

1. 12%–14% Mn Wear-resistant High Manganese Steel (Mn13 / X120Mn13, Hadfield Steel) Work-hardening austenitic steel. Initial hardness HB 180–220; surface hardness rises above HB 500 under heavy impact while the core retains excellent toughness. Outstanding resistance to impact and gouging abrasion, non-magnetic. Must undergo water toughening solution heat treatment before service.
2. 22%–25% Mn Low-temperature High Manganese Steel (Exclusive for LNG Storage Tanks) Low-carbon high manganese grade with superior ultra-low temperature toughness, an alternative to 9% Ni steel for LNG cargo tanks. No work-hardening wear resistance.

2. Applications of Rolled Mn13 Wear-resistant High Manganese Steel Plates (12%–14% Mn)

2.1 Mining & Aggregates (Largest Consumption Sector)

Jaw plates and concave liners for crushers; mill liners and end guard plates for ball mills & vertical mills; wear liners for silos, chutes and feeders; bucket liners & cutting edges for excavators; wear guards for loaders; inner liners of scrap metal crushers.

2.2 Cement, Thermal Power & Metallurgy Industry

Diaphragm plates and vertical mill guards for cement mills; elbow liners for ash conveying pipelines and coal mill liners in thermal power plants; crushing teeth for sinter machines, furnace bells for blast furnaces, protective plates for continuous casting machines, chamber liners and blades for shot blasting machines.

2.3 Rail Transit

High manganese steel rail frogs, turnout guard rails (non-magnetic, withstand repeated train impact), wear-resistant base plates for subway tracks.

2.4 Explosion-proof, Security & Construction Machinery

Anti-ballistic steel plates, explosion-proof cabinet bodies, heavy-duty safes; track guards for bulldozers; wear parts for construction waste crushers; hopper liners for port handling equipment, buffer guards for belt conveyors.

2.5 Unique Advantages of Rolled Plates

Permitted plasma/flame cutting, bending and welding. Compared with cast high manganese components, rolled plates feature flat surfaces, uniform thickness and zero casting defects (porosity, cracks), extending service life by over 30%.

3. Special Applications of Low-temperature Rolled High Manganese Steel Plates (22.5%–25.5% Mn)

Cargo tanks for LNG carriers, onshore LNG storage tanks, liquid hydrogen storage & transportation vessels, low-temperature pressure vessels and cryogenic pipelines. Cost-effective substitute for high-priced 9% nickel steel, remains ductile without brittle fracture at -196 °C; certified material for classification societies ABS, BV, DNV.

4. Global Standards & Grade Comparison Table

Category 1: Wear-resistant Rolled High Manganese Steel Plates (12%–14% Mn, Hadfield Steel)

Note: GB/T 5680-2010 of China originally covers castings only. Domestic rolled plates adopt mill enterprise standards with the commercial grade Mn13. International rolled plates comply with EN and ASTM plate standards.
表格

Country / Region	Applicable Standard	Standard Grade	UNS / Material No.	Equivalent Grade Remark
China	GB/T 5680-2010 (casting benchmark)Rolled plate: internal standards of Baowu, Wuyang Iron & Steel	ZGMn13-2 (casting grade)Commercial rolled grade: Mn13	—	Equivalent to European X120Mn13
EU / Germany	EN 10293	X120Mn13	1.3401	Globally universal high manganese plate grade
United States	ASTM A128 / A128M (for plates & castings)	Grade AGrade B2	J91109 (A)J91129 (B2)	B2 matches carbon & manganese content of domestic Mn13
Japan	JIS G5131 (castings), JIS G4404 (rolled plates)	SCMnH2	—	Approximate equivalent to Mn13
Russia	GOST 977	110Г13Л	—	Equivalent to domestic ZGMn13-1
ISO International	ISO 13521 (casting standard)	GX120Mn13	—	Casting equivalent of X120Mn13
United Kingdom	BS 3100	BW10	—	Legacy Hadfield steel plate grade

Reference Chemical Composition of Mn13 / X120Mn13 (wt%)

C: 1.00~1.30; Mn:12.0~14.0; Si ≤0.6; S ≤0.03; P ≤0.07

Category 2: Low-temperature Austenitic Rolled High Manganese Steel Plates (22~25 Mn, LNG Dedicated)

表格

Country	Standard	Grade / Specification	Application Scope
China	GB/T 713.5-2023	Pressure-bearing low-temp high Mn steel Mn23, Mn25	Pressure vessels & storage tanks below -40°C
ISO International	BS ISO 18819:2026	Thin low-temp high Mn plate (thickness ＜6mm)	Thin strips for LNG ships, bulkhead panels
United States	ASTM A1106 / A1106M	Low-temp austenitic high Mn pressure vessel plate	LNG storage tanks per US standards
South Korea	KS D 30131	24Mn low-temperature high manganese steel plate	LNG cargo holds for Korean shipbuilding

Chemical Features of Low-temperature High Manganese Steel

Mn:22.5~25.5%, low carbon C:0.35~0.55%, trace Cr/Cu added to enhance corrosion resistance; strictly controlled impurity content to guarantee low-temperature toughness.

5. Key Supplementary Distinction Notes

1. Cast vs Rolled High Manganese Steel ZGMn13 is a casting grade; hot-rolled high manganese steel plates are uniformly named Mn13 in commercial trade, with European plate grade X120Mn13 (Material No.1.3401). Material No.1.3401 is prioritized in foreign trade orders.
2. The two types of high manganese steel cannot be interchanged

• Mn13 (12Mn): Wear-resistant & impact-resistant, forbidden for low-temperature storage tanks;
• Mn23/Mn25 (23Mn): Excellent ultra-low temperature toughness, no work-hardening performance, unsuitable for wear liners.

3. Heat Treatment Requirements Finished rolled Mn13 wear plates must undergo 1050°C solution water toughening treatment; otherwise, they cannot achieve work-hardening wear resistance. Low-temperature high manganese plates are delivered in normalized & tempered condition.