Diamond plate, also known as checker plate or tread plate is a metal plate with a regular pattern of raised diamonds or lines on one side with the other side being plain. It can be made of steel, stainless steel or aluminum. The raised pattern helps to reduce slips which make diamond plates ideal for use in stairways, pathways, cat walks, trailers, truck beds, etc.
How Is Diamond Plate Made?
Diamond plates or checker plates are usually made by two methods- Stamping or Hot Rolling.
Stamping
Stamping involves the use of a stamping machine with two giant rollers, one smooth and the other with a stamped pattern. The pressure of both of these rollers and the way they are set up helps to emboss the diamond pattern on one side of the plate while keeping the other side smooth or plain. Stamping is ideal for aluminium plates.
Hot-rolling
Hot rolling is usually used to make steel checker plates. In this method, pairs of rollers gradually compress a block of hot metal until it achieves the desired thickness. A diamond pattern is created using a roller with a raised pattern towards the end of this process while the metal is still hot.
In hot rolling, steel is heated above its recrystallization temperature which is between 400 and 700 degree Celsius. Bringing steel above its recrystallisation temperature helps to reduce or remove the effects of strain hardening, which keeps the yield strength and hardness low and ductility high. Once steel has reached the final desired shape, it is allowed to cool slowly.
There are many other methods used to make checker plates, although the above two are the most common. The rolling process is very economical, and that is the reason checker plates can be found at relatively cheaper prices.
Looking to buy steel checker plates?
At Melsteel, we offer checker plates of various sizes and thicknesses. Some of the standard thickness levels we offer are 2.1 mm, 3 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm and 8 mm. If you require any of the listed checker plates, simply add them to cart, checkout by filling in your details and wait for our customer service team to contact you to collect payment details. We can also cut to size and fabricate according to your needs.
Give us a call on 03 8794 3100 for a fast-free quote or buy your steel channel online.