Documentation
What a test certificate says, section by section
Most incoming inspection departments check that an MTC is present and file it. That satisfies the paperwork and misses the point. Reading it properly takes about two minutes.
The document
Two certificates travel with every consignment
The first is the mill test certificate for the heat — issued by the mill that melted and rolled the steel, stating the certified chemistry and mechanical properties of that melt.
The second is the Kalika test certificate, covering what we made from it: the grade, size, tolerance band, quantity and the verification we carried out before dispatch. Both carry the same heat number, which is what ties them together and ties them to the bundle in your yard.
A redacted sample is shown here. To receive an actual sample certificate for a specific grade, ask us and we will send one — it is the fastest way for your quality department to check that our documentation meets their requirement before you place a first order.
Section by section
What each part tells you
- 01
Heat number
The identifier for the melt the steel was cast from. Everything else on the certificate describes that melt. This is the field to check first, and the one most often skipped — if it cannot be matched to a number physically on your material, the certificate is describing steel you cannot prove you have.
Check: Match it against the QR tag on the bundle and the number on your delivery challan.
- 02
Grade and specification
The grade designation and the standard it is certified against — for example EN8 to BS 970 080M40, or 16MnCr5 to EN 10084.
Check: Confirm it matches what your purchase order specified, not what you assumed.
- 03
Chemical composition
Measured percentages, element by element, for that heat. Not a range — actual values.
Check: Compare each element against the specification range for the grade ordered. Know which ones matter for your part: Mn and Cr for carburising, S for machining, C for welding.
- 04
Mechanical properties
Tensile strength, yield strength, elongation and hardness, measured on test pieces from that heat, in a stated condition.
Check: Check the condition the values were measured in. Hot rolled, cold drawn, annealed and hardened-and-tempered give quite different numbers for the same steel.
- 05
Hardenability data
On H grades such as 16MnCr5H, the Jominy end-quench results — hardness at defined distances from the quenched end. This is the certified property that makes it an H grade.
Check: A certificate for an H grade without Jominy data is not certifying the thing you are paying extra for. Ask for it.
- 06
Dimensions and quantity
Size, tolerance band, length, bundle count and weight as dispatched.
Check: Reconcile against the delivery challan and the weighbridge slip.
The three checks worth making on every consignment
- Does the heat number on the certificate match the number physically on the material?
- Does every listed element fall inside the specification range for the grade you ordered?
- Do the mechanical values correspond to the condition the material was supplied in?
Want a sample certificate?
Tell us the grade and we will send one for your quality department to review before you order.