Aerospace-Grade Purity: How SLH High Purity Iron & Low Carbon Steel Power China’s Aircraft Engine Innovation

Aerospace engines operate in extreme conditions—temperatures up to 1,200°C, pressures of 300MPa—and their performance depends entirely on the materials used. For China’s rapidly growing aerospace sector, SLH Pure Iron has become a trusted partner, supplying High Purity Iron and Low Carbon Steel that meet the industry’s strictest standards. From turbine blades to structural components, SLH’s materials are helping China’s aircraft engines reach new heights of efficiency and durability.

SLH’s High Purity Iron (99.95% Fe) is a critical ingredient in nickel-based superalloys, used to make turbine blades. Impurities like phosphorus (which causes “hot cracking” at high temperatures) and sulfur (which weakens grain boundaries) are strictly limited: SLH’s High Purity Iron has P ≤0.006%, S ≤0.005%, far below the aerospace threshold of 0.01%. A leading Chinese aerospace research institute tested SLH’s material against an imported German grade in its latest engine alloy: the results were identical in creep strength (350 MPa at 1,100°C), but SLH’s High Purity Iron cost 30% less and had a lead time of 10 days (vs. 3 months for the German supplier). This allowed the institute to accelerate alloy development by 6 months, a crucial edge in the competitive aerospace race.

Complementing its High Purity Iron, SLH’s Low Carbon Steel (grade S355J2W) is used in engine structural components like casings and brackets. Its key advantage is a perfect balance of strength (tensile strength: 470–630 MPa) and weldability—critical for assembling large, complex parts. Unlike high-carbon steels, which require preheating to avoid weld cracking, SLH’s Low Carbon Steel can be welded cold, cutting production time by 30%. A Chinese aircraft manufacturer used SLH’s Low Carbon Steel for the casing of its C919 jet engine: the casing passed 10,000 hours of fatigue testing (equivalent to 20 years of flight) with no signs of deformation, meeting international safety standards.

As a China manufacturer, SLH understands the aerospace sector’s unique needs: strict quality control (every batch undergoes 12-point sampling and third-party testing) and traceability (each component is labeled with a unique ID for full lifecycle tracking). With China aiming to become a global aerospace leader by 2035, SLH Pure Iron’s High Purity Iron and Low Carbon Steel are set to play a pivotal role—proving that domestic materials can power world-class innovation.