Blue Steel Strapping: Blue Tempered & Waxed, for Indoor and Domestic Loads
JUHONG makes blue steel strapping in Changzhou, China, and has made steel strap since 1997. Every size and grade on our spec sheet can be blue tempered and waxed, from regular duty to high tensile. It is the most economical of our three finishes, made for loads that are stored indoors and shipped on short logistics routes. Distributors, importers and mills buy it by the container for heavy duty industrial packaging, together with the seals and tools that fit it.
Trusted by Global Industrial Buyers
What Is Blue Steel Strapping?
Blue steel strapping is a steel strapping band made from cold rolled steel, slit to width, heat treated and then waxed. We use a lead-free heat treatment that sets the strap’s tensile strength and elongation and leaves a thin blue oxide film on the surface, which gives the strap its color. A coat of water-based wax on top gives it double protection. Buyers also call it blue tempered steel strapping, blued steel strapping or bluing steel strapping, and the finish is often called “blue and waxed”. It is a strong, low-cost packaging steel for heavy loads that do not need a paint coating.
What the Blue Oxide Layer and the Wax Each Do
The blue oxide film forms during heat treatment, so it adds no extra process, and there is no paint layer to chip or flake. It gives the steel light rust resistance in a dry warehouse. The water-based wax adds a second layer of rust protection, and it also lubricates the strap. In friction-type tensioners the two layers of strap slide over each other as they are pulled tight, so waxed steel strapping tensions smoothly without binding. ASTM D3953 asks for a wax coating on regular duty strap for this reason.
Why Buyers Choose Blue Tempered Strapping
- It costs the least of our three finishes, with the same steel, sizes and break strength.
- The finish is clean and even, with no paint to chip in tools, seals or machine feed wheels.
- It suits indoor storage, domestic trucking and short shipping routes.
- It runs in manual tools, pneumatic tools and high-speed automatic strapping lines.
Blue Tempered vs Black Painted vs Galvanized Steel Strapping
Three finishes cover most export and domestic orders. They differ in durability and cost, so choose by storage time, climate and shipping route.
Blue tempered & waxed
Is Blue Steel Strapping Rust-Proof?
No. Blue steel strapping has basic corrosion resistance only. The oxide film and the wax protect it in a dry warehouse, but it will rust in damp storage, during long-distance transportation by sea, or outdoors. For containers and humid ports, choose black painted steel strapping. For loads that stand outdoors or near the sea for months, choose galvanized strap.
How to Store Blue Steel Strapping
Blue strap keeps for a long time indoors if it stays dry. Store coils in their original wrapping, off the floor and away from open doors, roof leaks and condensation, and use the oldest stock first. Once a coil is opened, use it soon: bare blue strap left in a damp area will start to rust.
Blue Steel Strapping Sizes & Specifications
Every size and grade below can be blue tempered and waxed. Break strength depends on width, thickness and tensile class.
Break Strength by Size and Tensile Class
Swipe sideways to see every grade →
| Width | Thickness | Terra650 N/mm² | Ridge750 N/mm² | Pivot830 N/mm² | Duro930 N/mm² | Nexa980 N/mm² | Length / Weight | Coil Winding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 in12.7 mm | 0.015 in0.38 mm | 706 lbs3,137 N | — | — | — | — | 39.2 ft/lb26.5 m/kg | M/R |
| 1/2 in12.7 mm | 0.020 in0.51 mm | 947 lbs4,210 N | 1,093 lbs4,858 N | 1,209 lbs5,376 N | 1,355 lbs6,024 N | 1,428 lbs6,347 N | 29.4 ft/lb19.8 m/kg | M/R/O/J |
| 1/2 in12.7 mm | 0.023 in0.58 mm | 1,077 lbs4,788 N | 1,243 lbs5,525 N | 1,375 lbs6,114 N | 1,541 lbs6,850 N | 1,624 lbs7,219 N | 25.6 ft/lb17.2 m/kg | M/R/O/J |
| 5/8 in16 mm | 0.015 in0.38 mm | 889 lbs3,952 N | — | — | — | — | 29.6 ft/lb20.0 m/kg | M/R |
| 5/8 in16 mm | 0.020 in0.51 mm | 1,193 lbs5,304 N | 1,377 lbs6,120 N | 1,524 lbs6,773 N | 1,707 lbs7,589 N | 1,799 lbs7,997 N | 23.6 ft/lb15.9 m/kg | M/R/O/J |
| 5/8 in16 mm | 0.023 in0.58 mm | 1,357 lbs6,032 N | 1,566 lbs6,960 N | 1,733 lbs7,702 N | 1,941 lbs8,630 N | 2,046 lbs9,094 N | 20.5 ft/lb13.8 m/kg | M/R/O/J |
| 3/4 in19 mm | 0.020 in0.51 mm | 1,417 lbs6,299 N | 1,635 lbs7,268 N | 1,809 lbs8,043 N | 2,027 lbs9,012 N | 2,136 lbs9,496 N | 19.6 ft/lb13.2 m/kg | M/R/O/J |
| 3/4 in19 mm | 0.023 in0.58 mm | 1,611 lbs7,163 N | 1,859 lbs8,265 N | 2,058 lbs9,147 N | 2,306 lbs10,249 N | 2,429 lbs10,800 N | 17.1 ft/lb11.5 m/kg | M/R/O/J |
| 3/4 in19 mm | 0.028 in0.71 mm | 1,973 lbs8,769 N | 2,276 lbs10,118 N | 2,519 lbs11,197 N | 2,822 lbs12,546 N | 2,974 lbs13,220 N | 14.2 ft/lb9.6 m/kg | M/R/O/J |
| 3/4 in19 mm | 0.031 in0.79 mm | 2,195 lbs9,757 N | 2,532 lbs11,258 N | 2,803 lbs12,458 N | 3,140 lbs13,959 N | 3,309 lbs14,710 N | 12.5 ft/lb8.4 m/kg | M/R/O/J |
| 3/4 in19 mm | 0.035 in0.89 mm | 2,473 lbs10,992 N | 2,853 lbs12,683 N | 3,157 lbs14,035 N | 3,538 lbs15,726 N | 3,728 lbs16,572 N | 11.1 ft/lb7.5 m/kg | M/R/O/J |
| 1 in25 mm | 0.031 in0.79 mm | 2,888 lbs12,838 N | 3,332 lbs14,813 N | 3,688 lbs16,393 N | 4,132 lbs18,368 N | 4,354 lbs19,355 N | 9.5 ft/lb6.4 m/kg | M/R/J |
| 1 in25 mm | 0.035 in0.89 mm | 3,253 lbs14,463 N | 3,754 lbs16,688 N | 4,154 lbs18,468 N | 4,655 lbs20,693 N | 4,905 lbs21,805 N | 8.5 ft/lb5.7 m/kg | M/R/J |
| 1-1/4 in31.75 (32) mm | 0.028 in0.71 mm | 3,296 lbs14,653 N | 3,803 lbs16,907 N | 4,209 lbs18,710 N | 4,716 lbs20,965 N | 4,970 lbs22,092 N | 8.5 ft/lb5.7 m/kg | M/R/J |
| 1-1/4 in31.75 (32) mm | 0.031 in0.79 mm | 3,668 lbs16,304 N | 4,232 lbs18,812 N | 4,683 lbs20,818 N | 5,248 lbs23,327 N | 5,530 lbs24,581 N | 7.4 ft/lb5.0 m/kg | M/R/J |
| 1-1/4 in31.75 (32) mm | 0.035 in0.89 mm | 4,132 lbs18,367 N | 4,768 lbs21,193 N | 5,276 lbs23,454 N | 5,912 lbs26,279 N | 6,230 lbs27,692 N | 6.7 ft/lb4.5 m/kg | M/R/J |
| 1-1/4 in31.75 (32) mm | 0.040 in1.00 mm | — | 5,357 lbs23,813 N | 5,928 lbs26,353 N | 6,642 lbs29,528 N | 7,000 lbs31,115 N | 5.9 ft/lb4.0 m/kg | R/J |
| 1-1/4 in31.75 (32) mm | 0.044 in1.10 mm | — | 5,893 lbs26,194 N | 6,521 lbs28,988 N | 7,307 lbs32,480 N | 7,700 lbs34,227 N | 5.3 ft/lb3.6 m/kg | R/J |
| 2 in50 mm | 0.047 in1.20 mm | — | — | — | — | 8,400 lbs37,338 N | 3.1 ft/lb2.1 m/kg | R/J |
UltiMax High Tensile, High Elongation
| Width | Thickness | Strengthlbs / N | Tensile ClassN/mm² | Elongation | Length / Weight | Coil Winding | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/4 in19 mm | 0.031 in0.79 mm | 3,377 lbs15,010 N | 1,000 | ≥ 10% | 12.5 ft/lb8.4 m/kg | R/O/J | ASTM & EN |
| 1-1/4 in31.75 mm | 0.031 in0.79 mm | 5,643 lbs25,083 N | 1,000 | ≥ 10% | 7.4 ft/lb5.0 m/kg | R/O/J | |
| 3/4 in19 mm | 0.031 in0.79 mm | 3,039 lbs13,509 N | 900 | 6.5–12% min | 12.5 ft/lb8.4 m/kg | R/O/J | |
| 1-1/4 in31.75 mm | 0.031 in0.79 mm | 5,078 lbs22,574 N | 900 | 6.5–12% min | 7.4 ft/lb5.0 m/kg | R/O/J |
Average break strength of one strap. Width tolerance ±0.10 mm. Length / Weight shows how much strap you get per pound or kilogram, so you can work out the footage per coil from the coil weight. Coil winding: M = mini, R = ribbon wound, O = oscillated wound, J = jumbo. A dash means the size is not made in that grade.
Strength Grades Available in Blue Tempered
Every grade can be supplied blue tempered and waxed: Terra 650, Ridge 750 and Pivot 830 N/mm² for regular duty steel strapping, Duro 930 and Nexa 980 N/mm² for high tensile steel strapping, and our UltiMax high tensile, high elongation strap at 900 or 1,000 N/mm². The extra elongation in UltiMax gives shock resistance on loads that shift in transit.
Is Blue Strapping Low Carbon or High Carbon Steel?
Low carbon. All the steel we use for strapping is low-carbon steel: Q195 for our medium-strength strap, Q235 and Q235DB for our high strength strap, DB460 for our extra-high-strength strap, and a special low-carbon steel for UltiMax, chosen to meet ASTM and EN requirements for high tensile, high elongation strap. The strength of each grade comes from the steel together with cold rolling and heat treatment. Any of these steels can be blue tempered.
Coil Formats: Ribbon, Oscillated, Jumbo & Mini
Blue steel strapping comes in the same four coil formats as the rest of our range. Match the format to your tool and dispenser.
Ribbon Wound (RW) Coils
25 to 50 kg per coil, inside diameters of 200, 300 or 406 mm, for manual tools and semi-automatic tools. Ribbon wound blue strap is mostly used to pack steel products such as steel pipes and bars, non-ferrous metals and glass. About 1,000 kg per pallet.
Oscillated Wound (OW) Coils
40 to 50 kg on a 406 mm inside diameter, for pneumatic tools, long shifts and automatic strapping. Needs an oscillated-coil dispenser. 12 to 18 coils per pallet.
Jumbo Coils
170 to 1,000 kg on 406 or 610 mm inside diameters, for high-speed automatic strapping lines, such as those packing hot-rolled and cold-rolled steel coils and hot non-ferrous metal products. Most jumbo coils are 32mm wide. Heavy coils mean fewer coil changes and better line efficiency.
Mini Coils
Under 25 kg and easy to handle, for small orders, field work and trials.
How We Heat Treat, Blue and Wax Our Strapping
Our line runs in one pass: uncoiling, slitting, edge smoothing to remove burrs, heat treatment, cooling, waxing, drying, rewinding and packing. The blue color forms during heat treatment, so blue strap skips the painting stage that black and green strap go through.
Uncoiling · Slitting · Edge smoothing to remove burrs
Heat treatment · Bluing · Cooling
Waxing · Drying
Rewinding · Packing in anti-rust paper
Tensile and Elongation Tests
Break strength and elongation set one grade apart from the next. SGS has tested our steel strapping to GB/T 25820 and EN 13246, and the reports are on our Downloads page. For orders bound for North America, we can test to ASTM D3953 on request.
In-Line Checks Every Two Hours
Every two hours, inspectors take 10 coils from the line and check width, thickness, tensile strength and bend performance. A failed bend or tensile result stops the line.
What Blue Steel Strapping Is Used For
Buyers use blue steel strapping to secure and bundle heavy, dense, non-compressible loads that are stored indoors or transported over short distances. Ribbon wound coils are mostly used by hand to pack steel products, non-ferrous metals such as aluminium and copper, and glass. Oscillated and jumbo coils feed automatic strapping lines in steel mills and metal plants, including hot-rolled and cold-rolled steel coils and hot non-ferrous metal products. Outside the metal industry it has a wide range of applications: timber, bricks and other construction materials, and palletizing and unitizing loads. For sea freight or humid storage, choose painted strap instead. For more strapping applications, see our steel strapping page.
How We Pack Blue Steel Strapping Coils for Export
Good steel strapping packing matters more for blue strap than for any other finish, because its rust protection is light. Every coil is wrapped in anti-rust paper as standard, and every sea-freight order gets VCI anti-rust film. Each pallet also gets a rust-preventive desiccant and an outer layer of moisture-resistant wax paper, held with four straps on a fumigation-free wooden pallet or a steel pallet. Tell us how you want your coils labeled, and we will confirm what we can supply under your brand. Ask for a container loading plan with your quotation.
Coils on the Pallet
Coils are stacked on a fumigation-free wooden pallet or a steel pallet.
Individual Packing
Each coil is wrapped on its own in anti-rust paper.
Desiccant
A metal rust-preventive desiccant goes inside each pallet.
VCI Plastic Film
The coils are enveloped in VCI anti-rust film, standard for sea freight.
Humidity-Proof Wax Paper
Moisture-resistant wax paper covers the outside, with four straps for reinforcement.
Delivery
Packed pallets are loaded into the container by forklift.
What to Put on Your Purchase Order
Send these details and you will get an exact quote and the right strap.
Width and thickness, in inches or millimeters
Grade or required break strength
Finish: blue tempered and waxed
Coil format and inside diameter: RW, OW, jumbo or mini
Coil weight and quantity
Packing: anti-rust paper, plus VCI film for sea freight
Coil labels are customizable: our label, or your brand (we confirm what we can supply)
Seal type and size, or your tool model
Destination port, and whether you want samples first
Seals and Tools for Blue Strap
Seal width matches the width of the strapping band, and the seal style follows your tool: push type, snap-on, thread-on or open seals for manual sealers, and magazine seals for machines. We make seals in two finishes, galvanized and plain cold-rolled, and both work with blue strap. We can ship them in the same container as the strap. Send us your tool model and we will confirm the strap and seals that fit. If you also need tools for steel strapping, we can supply manual and pneumatic tensioners and sealers to match. Tensioned metal strapping can spring back when it is cut, so use a proper strap cutter and wear gloves and eye protection.
Switching Suppliers? Match the Blue Strap You Use Now
Whether you resell strap or run it on your own packing line, send a photo of your current coil label or spec sheet. We will match width, thickness, grade and coil format, and send samples to test in your own tools and machines. Distributors and importers can combine blue strap, seals, PET strapping and stretch film from our factory in one container. Minimum quantities and lead time depend on size, grade and volume, so we confirm them with your quote.
Blue Steel Strapping FAQ
Short answers to the questions buyers ask us about blue strap.
Is blue steel strapping the same as blue tempered or blued strapping?
Yes. Blue steel strapping, blue tempered steel strapping, blued steel strapping and “blue and waxed” strapping are names for the same product: heat-treated steel strap with a blue oxide finish and a coat of water-based wax.
Is blue steel strapping rust-proof?
No. It has basic rust resistance for dry, indoor storage. In damp storage, on long voyages or outdoors it will rust; choose painted or galvanized strap for those loads.
Can I use blue strapping for sea freight or outdoor storage?
We pack every sea-freight order in VCI film to protect the coils in transit. Once the strap is on a load in a humid port or outdoors, though, it will rust. For loads that travel by sea or stand outside, choose black painted or galvanized strap.
Blue tempered or black painted steel strapping: which should I choose?
Choose blue tempered for indoor storage, domestic transportation and the lowest cost. Choose black painted and waxed strap for container shipments, humid warehouses and export routes. Both come in the same sizes and grades.
Why is blue steel strapping waxed?
The wax adds rust protection and lubricates the strap so it slides and tensions smoothly in friction-type tensioners. ASTM D3953 asks for a wax coating on regular duty strap for this reason.
Is blue strapping low carbon or high carbon steel?
Low carbon. All our strap is made from low-carbon steel: Q195, Q235, Q235DB, DB460, and a special low-carbon steel for UltiMax. The strength comes from the steel together with cold rolling and heat treatment.
Which sizes and grades come in blue tempered?
All of them, from 1/2 in to 2 in wide, from regular duty to high tensile, including UltiMax high tensile, high elongation strap.
Can blue steel strapping run in automatic strapping machines?
Yes. Jumbo coils of 170 to 1,000 kg feed automatic strapping lines, and the wax helps the strap feed and tension smoothly. Tell us your machine model and we will confirm the size and coil format.
How should I store blue steel strapping?
Indoors and dry, in the original wrapping, off the floor and away from condensation. Blue strap keeps a long time in those conditions, but use opened coils soon.
Get a Blue Steel Strapping Quote
Send us your size, grade, coil format, quantity and destination port, or a photo of your current coil label. We will reply with a quotation, matching seals and a sample plan.
- Strap width, thickness and grade
- Coil format and coil weight
- Quantity and destination port
- Or a photo of your current coil label
Request a Quotation
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