An AR (abrasion resistant) plate is a quenched and tempered, through-hardened low-alloy steel plate made to resist wear from sliding and impact abrasion. AR plates are graded by Brinell hardness rather than by an ASTM chemistry: AR400 is about 400 BHN, AR450 about 450 BHN and AR500 about 500 BHN. A harder plate wears longer but is harder to bend, cut and weld.

What is the difference between AR400, AR450 and AR500 plates?

The difference is hardness. AR400 (360–440 BHN) is the general-purpose grade, easy to form and weld, used for liners, chutes and truck bodies. AR450 (430–480 BHN) gives longer life in the same applications while still being workable. AR500 (460–544 BHN) is for severe sliding wear such as crusher parts and screening, but needs more care in bending and welding. Choose the highest hardness your fabrication can handle.

What is a 400 BHN or 500 BHN plate?

BHN means Brinell hardness number. A "400 BHN plate" is an abrasion resistant plate with a nominal hardness of about 400 on the Brinell scale, which is the AR400 class. A "500 BHN plate" is the AR500 class. Hardness is measured on the plate surface to ASTM E10 and reported on the mill test certificate.

Is AR500 the same as Abrex 500 or Hardox 500?

They belong to the same hardness class, so they are often used interchangeably. Abrex is a brand of Nippon Steel and Hardox a brand of SSAB, and each mill sets its own chemistry, toughness and thickness range. AR500 is a generic hardness grade. For critical parts, compare the data sheets or ask us for the mill certificate of the brand supplied.

Can AR plates be welded and cut?

Yes. AR400 and AR450 weld well with low-hydrogen consumables; thicker plates and AR500 or AR600 need preheating to avoid hydrogen cracking. Plates can be cut by plasma, laser, oxy-fuel or waterjet, but overheating during cutting can soften the edge, so cutting heat should be controlled. Higher hardness grades also need a larger bending radius.

What thickness of AR plates do you supply?

We supply AR plates from 8 mm to 65 mm thick, in widths up to 2900 mm and lengths up to about 14.6 m. Plates can be cut to size or profiled to your drawing. Other thicknesses can be sourced on request.

AR Plates Supplier India | AR400, AR450, AR500 Wear Plates

Abrasion Resistant Steel Plates for Mining, Cement & Material Handling

Dinesh Tube India supplies AR (abrasion resistant) wear plates in AR400, AR450, AR500 and AR600 grades from Mumbai to fabricators, OEMs and plant maintenance teams across India and overseas. AR plates are quenched and tempered, through-hardened steel plates. They last several times longer than mild steel in buckets, chutes, hoppers, liners and truck bodies that face constant sliding and impact wear.

We stock and source plates from 8 mm to 65 mm thick, including Abrex 400, 450, 500 and 600 and equivalent-class plates, cut to size or profiled to drawing. Every plate comes with a mill test certificate showing its Brinell hardness. Send the grade, thickness, size and quantity for a quote, with delivery anywhere in India, including North India, and for export.

Table of Contents

What Is an AR Plate?
AR Plate Specification
AR Plate Hardness by Grade (BHN)
AR400 vs AR450 vs AR500
Equivalent Brands (Abrex, Hardox)
Typical Chemical Composition
Cutting, Bending & Welding
Applications
FAQs

What Is an AR Plate?

An AR plate (abrasion resistant plate, also called a wear plate or wear resistant plate) is a low-alloy steel plate that is quenched and tempered, so it is hard all the way through, not just on the surface. Unlike carbon steel plate grades, AR plates are not defined by an ASTM chemistry. They are sold by Brinell hardness (BHN): an AR400 plate has a nominal hardness of about 400 BHN, AR450 about 450 BHN, and AR500 about 500 BHN. Each mill uses its own chemistry to reach that hardness while keeping enough toughness for impact.

Harder plates resist wear longer, but they are more difficult to bend, cut and weld. Most buyers therefore choose AR400 for general wear parts, AR450 for longer life in the same parts, and AR500 or AR600 where sliding abrasion is severe and fabrication is simple.

AR400, AR450 and AR500 abrasion resistant wear plates in stock

AR Plate Hardness by Grade (BHN)

Grade	Typical Brinell Hardness	Formability & Weldability
AR400 (400 BHN)	360 – 440 HBW	Good
AR450 (450 BHN)	430 – 480 HBW	Good to moderate
AR500 (500 BHN)	460 – 544 HBW	Moderate; preheat for welding
AR600 (600 BHN)	570 – 625 HBW	Limited; mainly flat wear parts

Hardness ranges are typical and vary slightly by mill and thickness.

AR400 vs AR450 vs AR500: Which to Choose?

If you need…	Choose
General wear parts that must be bent and welded (truck bodies, chutes, hopper liners)	AR400
Longer life in the same parts, still workable in normal fabrication shops	AR450
Severe sliding abrasion: crusher and screen parts, bucket wear strips	AR500
Extreme abrasion on flat liners where little forming is needed	AR600
Weathering resistance rather than abrasion resistance	Corten steel plates

AR Plate Equivalent Brands

Many mills make plates in the same hardness classes under their own brand names. Plates in the same class are often used interchangeably, but chemistry, toughness and thickness range differ by mill.

Hardness Class	Generic Grade	Comparable Brand Grades
400 BHN	AR400	Abrex 400, Hardox 400, Quard 400, SAILHARD 400
450 BHN	AR450	Abrex 450, Hardox 450, Quard 450
500 BHN	AR500	Abrex 500, Hardox 500, Quard 500
600 BHN	AR600	Abrex 600, Hardox 600

Abrex, Hardox, Quard and SAILHARD are trademarks of their respective mills (Nippon Steel, SSAB, NLMK and SAIL). The table shows comparable hardness classes only.

Typical Chemical Composition of AR Plates (%)

Element	C	Mn	Si	P	S	Cr, Mo, Ni, B
Typical range	0.15 – 0.35	up to 1.60	up to 0.70	≤ 0.025	≤ 0.010	Added in small amounts for hardenability

There is no single standard chemistry for AR plates. Carbon content generally rises with hardness grade and thickness. The exact analysis is shown on each plate's mill certificate.

Cutting, Bending & Welding AR Plates

Cutting: plasma, laser, oxy-fuel or waterjet. Control the heat input, because overheating softens the cut edge.
Bending: AR400 and AR450 bend in normal press brakes. Higher grades need a larger punch radius and more force.
Welding: use low-hydrogen consumables. Preheat thicker plates and AR500/AR600 to avoid hydrogen cracking.
Machining: possible with carbide tools at low speeds. Drilling AR500 and above is difficult.