Shearing
Steel shearing: tolerances, the sheared edge, and where the thickness ceiling is
Shearing cuts steel with a straight, closing blade rather than a moving tool — you supply the requirement, a shop with a shear supplies the cut pieces, from thin sheet up through bar and profile stock. This page covers what a sawing or laser page doesn't need to: the actual condition of a sheared edge, and the thickness above which a mechanical shear stops being the right tool.
Achievable tolerances
| Process | Form | Tolerance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shearing | Thin sheet | — | ±0.5 mm | Supplier-published | Source: Gemmel-Metalle, published tolerance table (DIN ISO 2768-1 class c) — the same figure contract-sawing cites for shearing; reused here, not restated differently. |
| Shearing | Round, hexagon, square and flat bar | Up to 50 mm | ±0.3 mm | Supplier-published | Source: WS STAHL, published Anarbeitung tolerance table — 'Schere' row, distinct from that page's 'Sägen' rows: round, hexagon, square and flat stock, 10–50 mm, max. ±0.30 mm. |
Read against DIN ISO 2768-1, class c. Indicative figures. Confirm the achievable tolerance and thickness limit with the provider for your grade, section and quantity.
What drives the price
- Material thickness
- Steel grade and hardness
- Edge quality requirement
- Cut length and batch size
- Straight or shaped cut
- Total volume
What to send for a quote
- Grade or material number
- Form and dimensions
- Cut lengths and quantity
- Required edge quality
- A drawing, if the cut is shaped or complex
- Whether you need an inspection certificate
- Delivery address and required date
Traceability and EN 10204 certificates
- 2.1
- 2.2
- 3.1
- 3.2
Standard for steel purchases: 3.1
The certificate belongs to the material, not to the cut. Shearing does not create an EN 10204 certificate — the real question is whether traceability survives the cut, and how the pieces are marked so that it does.
Standard-defined
Source: EN 10204 defines inspection-document types.
What a sheared edge looks like
| rollover | The plastically deformed zone where the blade first bends the material as it contacts the edge. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| burnish | The zone where the blade penetrates the material before it fractures — the surface compresses against the tool and comes out flat, smooth and shiny. | ||
| fracture | The zone where the material fractures and separates. Rougher than the burnish zone, and set at an angle to the cutting direction rather than square to it. | ||
| burr | Metal pushed out and elongated on the trailing edge of the cut, on the side the blade exits. |
Indicative
How deep the shear affects the edge
| DP780 | 1.56 mm · 41% | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| CP800 | 2.9 mm · 20% |
Indicative figures. Confirm the achievable tolerance and thickness limit with the provider for your grade, section and quantity.
Indicative
How thick can shearing go
| How thick can shearing go | 20 – 40 mm |
|---|
Indicative
What can be sheared
- Thin sheet
- Round, hexagon, square and flat bar
Services
What tolerance can shearing achieve?
It depends on the material form. Shearing thin sheet typically holds about ±0.5 mm — the same figure published against DIN ISO 2768-1 class c that contract-sawing also cites for shearing. On round, hexagon, square and flat bar and profile stock from 10 to 50 mm, one supplier publishes a tolerance of max. ±0.30 mm. Confirm the achievable tolerance for your grade, form and quantity with the provider.
What does a sheared edge actually look like?
A mechanically sheared edge has four zones. Rollover is the plastically deformed area where the blade first bends the material as it contacts the edge. Burnish is where the blade penetrates before anything fractures — flat, smooth and shiny, because the surface compresses against the tool. Fracture is where the material actually separates, rougher than the burnish zone and set at an angle rather than square to the cut. Burr is metal pushed out and elongated on the trailing edge, where the blade exits. None of that is a defect — it is simply what a sheared edge is, as opposed to a melted or eroded one.
How deep into the material does shearing affect it?
How far the shear disturbs the material below the visible edge depends heavily on grade and thickness. In one published comparison of advanced high-strength automotive grades, the shear-affected zone reached about 41 percent of initial thickness on a 1.56 mm DP780 sheet, and about 20 percent on a thicker 2.90 mm CP800 sheet. Those two grades are not general mild or structural steel, so treat the range as illustrative of how much depth can vary by grade and thickness rather than a number to apply to your own order.
What's the maximum thickness that can be sheared?
There is no single industry-wide maximum — it is a property of the specific machine, not of shearing as a process. Shear-machine manufacturer specifications commonly span roughly 0.1 to 40 mm mild steel capacity, most standard machines cap out around 20 mm, and heavy-duty hydraulic shears go past 30 mm. Ask the provider for their shear's actual rated thickness rather than assuming a nominal spec-sheet number applies to your grade.
When should I use shearing instead of laser or plasma cutting?
Shearing leaves the metallurgy untouched — no melted edge, no heat-affected zone — and for straight cuts within a shear's rated thickness it is usually the cheaper, faster choice. Above that thickness, or for shaped and contoured cuts a straight blade cannot follow, the work moves to a thermal process such as plasma or laser cutting, which trades the clean mechanical edge and the untouched metallurgy for reach into much thicker material and arbitrary shapes.
What material forms and shapes can be sheared?
Two forms, sourced from different suppliers' published capabilities: thin sheet, and round, hexagon, square and flat bar or profile stock in the 10 to 50 mm range. If your requirement sits outside either of those — very thick plate, or an unusual profile — ask the provider directly whether their shear reaches it before assuming it does.
What information do you need for a quote?
Send the grade or material number, the form and dimensions, the cut lengths and quantity, and the edge quality you actually need. Add a drawing if the cut is shaped or complex, say whether you require an inspection certificate, and give the delivery address and the date you need it.
Do I get an EN 10204 3.1 certificate?
EN 10204 defines inspection document types 2.1, 2.2, 3.1 and 3.2, and 3.1 is the usual buyer default in steel procurement. But shearing does not create a certificate — the certificate belongs to the material. What matters is whether traceability survives the cutting operation, and how each sheared piece is marked so it stays linked to its heat. Ask the provider that directly.
Is there a minimum order quantity?
There is no industry-wide minimum order quantity for shearing; it varies by provider. Some will cut a single piece, others price small quantities in a way that makes them impractical. Ask as part of your enquiry rather than assuming.
What is the lead time?
No general lead time can be stated honestly — it varies by provider, and with the section, quantity and their current load. Ask for a committed date with your quote.
Is the sheared edge deburred?
There is no industry-wide norm here — whether the sheared edge is deburred, and whether that is included or charged separately, varies by provider, exactly as it does for contract-sawing. Because it is not a given, put it in the enquiry explicitly if you need the burr removed.
What does shearing cost?
Shearing is not priced from a single rate, so any figure quoted here would mislead. What drives it is material thickness, steel grade and hardness, the edge quality you require, cut length and batch size, whether the cut is straight or shaped, and total volume. Send the items in the quote checklist and you will get a firm price instead of a range.
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