What Is Temper Passed Steel and Where Is It Used?
In the world of steel manufacturing and fabrication, the smallest differences in finish, flatness, and surface quality can make the biggest impact on downstream operations. For projects where precision, appearance, or formability matter, temper passed steel offers a major performance advantage.
At Olympic Steel, we supply high-quality temper passed sheet and coil products engineered for flatness-critical and surface-sensitive applications. In this guide, we’ll explain what temper passing means, how the steel tempering process works, and where these products are most commonly used across industrial sectors.
What Is Temper Passed Steel?
Temper passed steel also known as skin passed steel is hot or cold rolled steel that has undergone a light cold rolling reduction after the initial rolling and annealing stages. The process involves passing the steel through a temper mill with low reduction pressure (typically 0.5–2% of thickness) to improve flatness, eliminate yield point elongation, and enhance surface finish.
This temper pass process doesn’t significantly change the steel’s thickness or tensile properties but does provide:
- Improved sheet flatness
- Smoother surface profile
- Elimination of stretcher strains
- Better shape control
- Enhanced coating and painting performance
By applying slight compression at room temperature, the material is "reset" and stabilized, preventing future shape distortion during fabrication or storage.
How the Steel Tempering Process Works
The temper pass process is typically performed after steel has been:
- Hot rolled and cooled
- Pickled (to remove mill scale)
- Cold rolled and/or annealed (if applicable)
Once clean and softened, the steel strip is fed through a temper mill a precision two- or four-high rolling mill that applies low rolling pressure. The goal is not to reduce thickness but to smooth the surface, flatten out any waviness, and create a consistent mechanical condition across the sheet.
Some temper mills also include a tension leveling unit to further improve shape and control crossbow or coil set.
Key Benefits of Temper Passed Steel
Fabricators and manufacturers choose temper passed steel when they need enhanced:
- Flatness – Minimizes distortion during stamping, laser cutting, or forming
- Surface Quality – Uniform finish ideal for painting, coating, or visible applications
- Dimensional Stability – Reduces springback and ensures tighter tolerances
- Processability – Better feeding in stamping presses and laser equipment
Unlike standard cold rolled sheet, which can display yield point elongation and stretcher strain marks during forming, temper passed steel maintains surface integrity and dimensional predictability.
Temper Passed vs. Other Finishing Options
Here’s how temper passed steel compares with other finishing and conditioning processes:
| Feature | Temper Passed Steel | Cold Rolled (Untempered) | Tension Leveled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flatness | Excellent | Good to fair | Excellent |
| Surface Appearance | Smooth, uniform | May have stretcher strain | Variable |
| Shape Stability | Very good | Prone to springback | Very good |
| Suitability for Coating | High | Medium | High |
| Processing Cost | Slightly higher | Lower | Higher |
For industries that require consistent appearance or surface-sensitive processing (such as painting or powder coating), temper passed material is often the most economical and effective choice.
Applications of Temper Passed Steel
At Olympic Steel, we supply temper passed steel to clients across a wide range of industries. This material performs particularly well in:
Automotive Panels
Exterior panels, hoods, fenders, and trunk lids benefit from the improved surface finish and formability of temper passed sheet. It helps avoid paint defects and surface wave issues.
Appliance Manufacturing
White goods like washers, dryers, and refrigerators rely on uniform, smooth sheet steel to achieve cosmetic-grade finishes after powder coating or enameling.
Electrical Enclosures
Electrical cabinets, panels, and HVAC ducting require flat sheet stock for proper assembly and fit. Temper passed steel ensures crisp edges and better panel alignment.
Office Furniture & Storage
Desks, cabinets, and shelving systems benefit from surface-stable steel that resists warping, bowing, or cosmetic damage during assembly.
Laser Cutting and Precision Stamping
Flat, tension-free sheet improves feed reliability and minimizes cutting errors in high-speed production environments.
Olympic Steel’s Temper Passed Steel Offering
Olympic Steel maintains robust inventories of hot rolled, cold rolled, and galvanized temper passed steel in coil and sheet formats. We offer:
- Standard and custom widths
- Available in gauges from light sheet to mid-gauge plate
- Various coating weights and finishes
- Blanking, shearing, and part preparation
- Primer or pre-paint coating upon request
Whether you need prepped blanks for an appliance line or raw coil for an industrial enclosure system, our material arrives ready to run.
FAQs: Temper Passed Steel
Is temper passed steel the same as cold rolled steel?
Not exactly. While temper passing is often applied to cold rolled steel, it is a finishing step that can also be applied to hot rolled or galvanized products to improve shape and surface characteristics.
What’s the purpose of skin passing steel?
Skin passing (temper passing) improves flatness, reduces stretcher strains, enhances coating performance, and stabilizes steel before fabrication.
Is temper passed steel more expensive?
It can cost slightly more than untempered steel, but the improved formability, finish, and yield during fabrication can reduce downstream costs.
Can you temper pass galvanized steel?
Yes. Galvanized sheet is often temper passed to enhance surface uniformity and coating adhesion.
What’s the reduction ratio in temper passing?
Typical reduction is 0.5% to 2%, just enough to change the mechanical structure without significantly altering gauge.
Final Thoughts
For manufacturers seeking improved flatness, stability, and surface consistency, temper passed steel offers an excellent return on investment. Whether you're stamping parts for automotive, forming enclosures for electrical systems, or fabricating furniture-grade panels, this process provides the predictability and performance today’s production environments demand.
At Olympic Steel, we back every coil and blank with responsive service, reliable logistics, and full material traceability. If your application depends on precision, contact our team to spec the right temper passed product for your next fabrication run.
