SSAB Swedish Steel has developed Docol Roll – the world’s first advanced high strength steel made specifically to roll forming. This steel is available in two strength grades and can be formed to very tight radii.
The new Docol Roll cold-rolled, high strength roll forming steel is characterized by high yield strength, good dimensional stability after roll forming, and suitability for being formed to tight radii. The steel is produced in two strength grades – Docol Roll 800 with a minimum tensile strength of 800 N/mm2 and Docol Roll 1000 with a minimum tensile strength of 1000 N/mm2.
In addition to high tensile strength, Docol Roll also has a high yield strength, and the difference between the yield strength and tensile strength is small. This is the reason for the good roll forming properties of the steel. As a result, the profiles produced are dimensionally stable and flat, with low stress differences in the cross-section.
”Docol Roll minimizes the risk of bending or twisting of the profile, explains Karl-Inge Nilsson, Product Manager for Docol. ”Another benefit is that the material can be formed to very tight radii that used to be impossible to reach with steels of this strength class. This is possible thanks to its high purity which, in combination with a new annealing process, allows roll forming of parts with very tight radii.”
Docol Roll is the first advanced high strength, cold-rolled steel on the market designed specifically to roll forming. Even at the first development stages, the new steel aroused great interest in the automotive and other industries, and the product has been tested and evaluated in real-scale trials.
”This is a brand new steel for a market in which the interest in roll forming is steadily growing,” says Karl-Inge Nilsson, ”and where we anticipate a major breakthrough for Docol Roll in the future.”
The keen interest of the automotive industry in roll forming is due to its high productivity at low production costs that the method offers. The bodywork and the safety parts will certainly be the first items to be made in Docol Roll.
This method has been previously used for producing sheet steel parts for the building industry, although the benefits of roll forming are also evident in other industries, particularly in combination with high strength steels.
”Several furniture manufacturers use roll forming in their production, and their use of high strength steels is also increasing,” says Karl-Inge Nilsson. "Furniture contains a number of parts that are suitable for roll forming, and the trend here goes towards thinner profiles that can nevertheless withstand high stresses; this makes high strength steel an interesting proposition. In this sector too, we can therefore see a good market for Docol Roll.”
Docol Roll is now being launched throughout the world and will be available at SSAB Swedish Steel sales subsidiaries and also through distributors.

By SSAB