A good hardfacing quotation starts with operating conditions, not just plate thickness or alloy grade. When a customer asks for a custom overlay, the supplier needs enough information to select the right hardfacing alloy, deposition process, layer thickness, substrate and inspection method. If key service conditions are missing, two suppliers may quote completely different products for the same application.

This guide provides 8 essential operating-condition questions that should be answered before requesting a customized hardfacing quotation. The questions are designed for wear plates, wear liners, fabricated components and other surfaces exposed to abrasion, impact, heat or corrosion.

1. What Material Is Causing the Wear?

The first question should identify the material that contacts the hardfaced surface. Different abrasives produce different wear mechanisms, so a general description such as “severe wear” is not enough.

Useful information includes whether the abrasive is sand, quartz, limestone, coal, iron ore, slag, cement clinker, rock, gravel or another mineral. If the material is known, its approximate hardness should also be provided.

Quotation tip: If the abrasive composition is known, provide the material name and particle size range rather than simply saying “mineral.”

2. Is the Wear Dry, Wet or Slurry-Based?

Water or another liquid can significantly change the wear mechanism. A surface handling dry sand does not necessarily require the same overlay as a component exposed to an abrasive slurry.

The supplier should know whether the equipment operates with dry particles, water, slurry, mud, chemicals or a combination of liquid and solids. Corrosive liquids can introduce a corrosion-abrasion mechanism that requires a different material strategy.

3. How Severe Is the Impact?

Impact is one of the most important questions in a hardfacing quotation. A material that performs well under low-stress abrasion may not be suitable for repeated high-energy impact.

Describe whether the component experiences:

• Low-impact sliding abrasion
• Repeated moderate impact
• Heavy impact from large particles
• Impact combined with abrasion
• Impact combined with thermal cycling

The size and drop height of the material can also be useful. For example, fine powder flowing across a liner creates a very different load from large rocks falling directly onto the surface.

4. What Is the Operating Temperature?

Temperature should always be stated when the component operates above normal ambient conditions. Some hardfacing systems are designed primarily for room-temperature abrasion, while others are developed for elevated-temperature service.

Temperature can affect matrix hardness, carbide stability, oxidation and thermal fatigue. Therefore, a room-temperature abrasion test alone may not represent actual high-temperature performance.

5. How Fast Does the Material Move?

Sliding speed and material flow rate influence contact conditions and heat generation. For rotating parts, provide the approximate RPM or surface speed. For conveyors, chutes and pipelines, provide the material flow rate or conveying speed when available.

Speed becomes particularly important when the surface experiences continuous sliding. The same abrasive can produce different wear rates under different contact pressures and sliding speeds.

For a quotation, useful information includes:

• Conveyor speed
• Rotational speed
• Material flow rate
• Approximate sliding speed
• Frequency of loading or impact

6. What Load or Contact Pressure Is Applied?

Wear severity depends not only on the abrasive but also on the force applied to the surface. A liner carrying a light stream of particles may have a very different service life from one subjected to heavy compression and sliding.

If available, provide the contact pressure, material weight, feed rate, hydraulic pressure, clamping force or approximate mechanical load. Even an estimated load range is more useful than leaving the condition unspecified.

7. What Service Life Is Expected?

The required service life helps determine whether the design should prioritize maximum abrasion resistance, impact toughness, repairability or overall cost efficiency.

State the current service life if the component is already in operation. For example, a customer may report that an existing liner lasts 3 months, 6 months or 12 months before replacement. The target can then be expressed as a percentage improvement or a specific operating period.

This information prevents over-specification. A component that only needs six months of service may not require the same overlay design as one expected to operate continuously for several years.

Bimetallic Wear Plate

Hardfaced Plate Hardcarb

Overlay Wear Plate

Hardfacing Wear Plate

8. What Are the Substrate, Dimensions and Fabrication Requirements?

The overlay cannot be selected independently from the base material. The supplier should know the substrate grade, thickness, component dimensions and existing fabrication condition.

Important information includes:

• Base steel grade
• Base thickness
• Finished component dimensions
• Required overlay thickness
• Single-layer or multi-layer deposition
• Required flatness or dimensional tolerance
• Machining or drilling requirements
• Bending or forming requirements
• Required welding procedure or repair method

Overlay thickness should also be discussed carefully. A thicker layer does not automatically mean better performance. Excessive thickness can influence residual stress, cracking behavior, distortion and fabrication cost.

The 8 Questions at a Glance

How These Answers Affect Hardfacing Selection

The eight questions should be considered as a complete system. Abrasive hardness may influence carbide selection, while impact conditions may require greater toughness. Temperature can restrict the usable alloy system, and slurry service can change the dominant wear mechanism. The substrate and component geometry then determine how the overlay can be deposited and fabricated.

For this reason, the best quotation is rarely based on a single keyword such as “high chromium” or “maximum hardness.” A professional specification should balance abrasion resistance, impact resistance, thermal stability, cracking behavior, overlay thickness and fabrication requirements.

What to Send When Requesting a Custom Hardfacing Quote

A concise inquiry can be prepared using the following format:

Teda Ganghua Support for Customized Wear-Resistant Materials

Teda Ganghua supports industrial buyers with wear-resistant steel and customized material solutions for demanding applications. For a hardfacing project, providing the eight operating-condition answers above helps the technical team understand the actual wear mechanism before recommending a material specification.

For buyers sourcing plates and materials for mining, cement, aggregate, coal handling, construction machinery and other abrasive applications, the wear-resistant steel range can be evaluated according to the required hardness, thickness, application environment and fabrication requirements.

A complete inquiry should ideally include drawings, photographs of the worn component, existing material specifications and previous test or service-life data when available. These details can significantly improve the accuracy of material selection and quotation.

FAQ

What is the most important information when requesting a hardfacing quotation?

The abrasive type and actual wear mechanism are among the most important inputs. They should be provided together with impact level, operating temperature, load and service environment.

Is hardness enough to select a hardfacing material?

No. Hardness is only one factor. Carbide structure, matrix toughness, impact conditions, temperature, abrasive characteristics and overlay thickness can all affect actual performance.

Why does particle size need to be included in the inquiry?

Particle size influences contact conditions and impact energy. Fine particles can produce severe sliding abrasion, while large particles may introduce significant impact and gouging wear.

Should the existing component be described even when the customer knows the required alloy?

Yes. The equipment, substrate, dimensions and failure mode can reveal whether the proposed alloy and overlay thickness are suitable for the actual application.

Can service-life data improve a customized quotation?

Yes. Existing service life, failure thickness and replacement intervals provide a useful baseline. They allow the supplier to evaluate the required performance against the current solution instead of selecting a material from incomplete information.