Tinplate – because some things can’t be left to chance

For the secure transport of hazardous goods by road, rail, and sea

Hazardous goods in Germany are primarily transported by road. Rail transport, which is used to transfer delicate goods, comes in second place, while even greater demands are made on the transport of goods internationally by sea. Cargo can include products whose chemical and physical properties pose a risk to human health and the environment, such as paints, varnishes, glues, and solvents. Does that all sound rather dangerous to you? It should – because there are no second chances if worse comes to worst. That’s why packaging for hazardous goods has to be completely failproof – which it thankfully is.

An accident in handling or transporting flammable or environmentally hazardous substances could pose a major risk to human health and the environment. This leaves absolutely no room for error. The same applies equally to the raw materials used to make packaging and its production process. Regulations in this regard are strict, and are standardized across the world. For example, steel packaging has to be able to withstand a fall from a height of up to 1.80 meters and a high internal pressure of at least one bar. Another part of the “type examination” is that it cannot buckle when stacked. It is only when each of these conditions has been met and the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung – BAM) has granted individual approval that the packaging for hazardous substances may enter serial production and be sent to the filler with the seal of approval. If it is determined later on within the course of a routine external quality control that the material or processing does not meet the defined specifications, this can result in the approval being suspended, as well as significant economic losses for the manufacturer.

Trust and reliability – the secret to success

The Europe-wide market leader for hazardous goods packaging, the Huber Packaging Group, has obtained the tinplate it needs to produce packaging for fragile goods from the Packaging Steel Business Unit based in Andernach, Germany, for many years.

When it comes to reliability and quality, we are able to totally rely on thyssenkrupp Steel. Our successful partnership has lasted for over 30 years, and we can rest easy knowing that the specifications our supplier needs are always fully satisfied.

Bernhard Kürschner, Head of Marketing and PR, Huber Packaging

Secure Packaging with Tinplate — Several variations available: Individual packaging solutions are also available for hazardous goods, depending on product characteristics. © Huber Packaging

The Huber Packaging Group manufactures bottles, canisters, pails, drums, and hobbocks (big barrel-like, round containers with two handles on the side and a removable lid) using rasselstein^® tinplate.

We don’t leave the quality of our products – and thus our customers’ safety – to chance. Compared to other materials, such as plastic, tinplate has a very high solvent resistance. This not only ensures that the environment is protected from its contents, but also that its contents are protected from the environment.

Bernhard Kürschner, Head of Marketing and PR, Huber Packaging

Why tinplate from thyssenkrupp Steel is the best choice

rasselstein^® tinplate is thinly rolled and tinplated or chrome-plated by means of an electrolytic process. This makes it ideal for use as packaging material for hazardous goods. Whether it’s intended for transport by road, rail, or sea, tinplate from Packaging Steel is robust, shock-resistant, shatterproof, temperature-resistant, and non-combustible. On top of all that, the steel shows hardly any signs of wear, and can be recycled again and again. Scrap steel and resources such as coal, iron ore, and limestone are smelted at the steel mill in Duisburg, Germany, to produce new steel that never reduces in quality, no matter how many times it is recycled. What’s more, tinplate packaging can be simply stacked and is highly impermeable, which means that it keeps out light, gasses, liquids, and pests.

The transport of paints, glues, and many other chemical substances no longer poses an issue, thanks to tinplate. However, a myriad of strict rules and regulations mean that innovations are undertaken in small steps. But close cooperation between Packaging Steel and Huber Packaging in the field of research and development ensures that they are implemented. One is example of this is how damage caused by vibrations during transport in hobbocks was significantly reduced by attaching beading to the bottom of hazardous goods packaging.

This is where customer proximity is crucial, and where it’s important to speak the same language as them.

Stefan Thomas from the local technical customer service department at Packaging Steel

All these factors and more amount to a partnership that truly works. thyssenkrupp Steel has supported Huber Packaging as a raw material partner – leaving nothing to be desired in terms of quality, performance, and material research – for 30 years.

About 2,400 employees in the Packaging Steel Business Unit at thyssenkrupp Steel produce roughly 1.5 million tons of tinplate per year. This steel is rolled to a thickness of 0.100 millimeters and given a surface finish of tin or chrome. This can be used to make cans for food or pet food, as well as premium-quality crown caps and screw caps. Packaging Steel supplies tinplate in 280 specifications to the Huber Packaging Group, which processes it into different container types.

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