Loader buckets and front loader buckets are traditionally made of 400 or 450 Brinell harness steel or even softer steel. The development of Hardox® 500 Tuf wear steel enables the use of even harder steel in a large part of a loader bucket. Hardox® 500 Tuf has a hardness of approximately 500 HBW. The higher strength enables thinner steel components and lighter buckets. This means the bucket can be used for heavier scoops and higher productivity, or on smaller machines. Higher hardness results in a longer service life, as shown in the graph. This guide gives examples and recommendations of how and where to use Hardox® wear plate. 

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1. Bottom plate

Recommended steel: Hardox® 500 Tuf. 
The bottom plate will be affected by sliding wear under high pressure, which will lead to a high wear rate. It is important to choose the hardest plate possible in the structure. This is why we recommend Hardox® 500 Tuf to utilize the full potential of the plate. For additional wear protection underneath the bottom plate, we recommend wear strips of Hardox® 600. 

2. Shell plate

Recommended steel: Hardox® 500 Tuf. 
The shell plate will have a relatively lower wear rate compared to the bottom plate and will benefit from the high hardness and high yield strength that comes with Hardox® 500 Tuf. As the shell plate is a large component, it is an important candidate for weight saving. In most cases, Hardox® 500 Tuf enables a reduction in both thickness and weight, while prolonging the wear life. 

3. Side plates

Recommended steel: Hardox® 500 Tuf. 
Just like the shell plate, the side plates are large components with relatively low wear. With Hardox® 500 Tuf, the thickness can be thinner and the weight lower, yet still offer longer service life. 

4. Side cutters

Recommended steel: Hardox® 500 or Hardox® 450. 
The side cutters are, like the cutting edge, heavily subjected to sliding wear under high pressure. In addition, to cut into the dug material, the side cutters also protect important structural parts. We recommend using Hardox® 500 or Hardox® 450 in these areas. 

5. Lower side wear plates

Recommended steel: Hardox® 500 or Hardox® 500 Tuf. 
The lower side wear plates are exposed to very high wear. To protect the side plates and lower side edge area, we recommend Hardox® 500 or Hardox® 500 Tuf. We recommend the same thickness and steel grade as in the side plate, to optimize the material usage. 

6. Cutting edge

Recommended steel: Hardox® 450. 
The cutting edge is made to withstand high wear combined with high structural forces. To master both, we recommend using Hardox® 450. The cutting edge should be protected with bolt-on edges using Hardox® 450, bolted to the cutting edge. 

7. Top beam

Recommended steel: Strenx® 700. 
Use of Strenx® 700 in the top beam makes it possible to reduce the thickness and save weight. The upgrading design rule of thumb indicates that it is possible to replace a 20 mm S355 with a 14 mm Strenx® 700. 


8. Safety grid

Recommended steel: Strenx® 700.
Due to its high toughness, it is optimal to use Strenx® 700 in the safety grid to ensure protection of important components such as the hydraulics. 

The information in this report is only applicable to SSAB’s products and should not be applied to any other products than original SSAB products. 

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