Simply comparing the process level per ton between different steel grades does not offer a complete picture of costs. Although a tipper or dump body in Hardox® wear steel initially involves a higher upfront investment, the cost benefit will be realized over the lifetime of the tipper. A tipper body made out of Hardox® will outlast a body in mild steel by 2-3 times.

When using high-strength steel like Hardox® wear plate, designers can specify thinner steel plate, which often also helps to substantially reduce the cost of both processing and materials. Thinner gauges help to drive down the costs of cutting, bending and welding in the workshop. Laser cutting in in high-strength steel such as Hardox® wear plate is no different from cutting in mild steel, and fabricators can decrease cutting time thanks to the thinner gauge. In most cases, welding thinner material offers the greatest cost reductions because there are fewer consumables and welding speed can be increased.

The good bendability of Hardox® wear steel can also help to reduce the number of welds needed. Bending our steel profiles generally does not require greater force than profiles in a thicker gauge made from conventional steel. However, the spring-back of Hardox® wear steel is greater than for conventional steel and needs to be compensated for during fabrication. In addition, using Hardox® wear steel enables the use of fewer components, which can result in less material needed and thus a higher value per ton.