kaltgewalzt

Kaltgewalzt is a term used in metalworking to describe material that has been processed by rolling at or near room temperature. After the initial hot rolling, sheets or strips are passed through rollers at ambient temperature, which is below the recrystallization temperature of the metal. This cold working deforms the metal plastically, increasing strength through work hardening and producing a smoother surface finish and tighter thickness tolerances.

The process yields higher yield and tensile strength compared with hot-rolled material, and it often results in reduced ductility. Because of the work hardening, cold-rolled products may require heat treatment to restore formability or to achieve a desired hardness. Commonly, cold-rolled metal is annealed, tempered, or otherwise processed to balance strength and ductility. Surface conditioning, such as pickling or coating, may also accompany cold rolling to improve corrosion resistance or provide a ready-to-use finish.

Typical materials produced cold-rolled include steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and copper alloys. Cold-rolled sheet and coil are widely used in automotive body panels, home appliances, construction products, electrical enclosures, and packaging applications. Compared with hot-rolled material, kaltgewalztes metal offers better dimensional accuracy, a superior surface finish, and more uniform thickness, at the cost of reduced ductility and sometimes higher production costs.