What is the Chinese equivalent of NiCr 40/20 or Ni40Cr20?

GB Cr20Ni35. NiCr 40/20 has Ni ≥37.0%, Cr 18–22%, Si 1.8–3.0% and resistivity ≈1.05 μΩ·m; GB Cr20Ni35 has Ni 34.0–37.0%, Cr 18.0–21.0%, Si 1.00–3.00% and resistivity 1.04 μΩ·m. The two overlap across the composition range.

Is there a grade called Cr20Ni40 in the Chinese standard?

No. GB/T 1234 does not define Cr20Ni40. Some Chinese suppliers use it as a commercial name, but the standardised grade is Cr20Ni35.

Does NiCr 40/20 have an ASTM or DIN number?

No. It has no ASTM, UNS, Werkstoff or DIN designation — it is an industry trade grade.

Can NiCr 40/20 be used in a sulphur-bearing atmosphere?

No. All nickel-chromium grades are unsuitable in sulphur atmospheres. Use FeCrAl instead.

Home › Products › Nickel-Chromium Strip (NiCr Ribbon)

Nickel-Chromium Strip (NiCr Ribbon)

Short answer: we roll nickel-chromium strip in Cr20Ni80, Cr15Ni60, Cr30Ni70, Cr20Ni35 and Cr20Ni30, thickness 0.05-3.5 mm, width 2-300 mm, bright annealed or acid pickled, in coils or straight lengths.

Strip or wire? This matters more than most buyers expect
The same grade in strip and in round wire behaves differently in a furnace. Strip has a far larger surface area per unit mass, so at the same power its surface load is lower and its element temperature runs cooler. It also sags differently: strip resists sag better across a span, but a thin strip is easier to buckle if the supports are uneven. Tell us the span and we will advise strip or wire, not just quote what was asked for.

1. Grades and properties

Grade	Ni %	Cr %	ρ20 (μΩ·m)	Max service temp.	Positioning
Cr20Ni80	75-78	20-23	1.09 ±0.05	1200 °C / 2192 °F	General purpose, best ductility
Cr15Ni60	55-61	15-18	1.12 ±0.05	1150 °C / 2102 °F	Fe-bearing, lower cost
Cr30Ni70	balance	28-31	1.18 ±0.05	1250 °C / 2282 °F	Higher oxidation resistance
Cr20Ni35	34-37	18-21	1.04 ±0.05	1050 °C / 1922 °F	Matches NiCr 40/20
Cr20Ni30	30-34	18-21	1.06 ±0.05	1050 °C / 1922 °F	Lower nickel, lower cost

2. Size range and tolerance

Item	Range	Typical tolerance
Thickness	0.05 - 3.5 mm 0.002" - 0.138"	±0.03 mm for <0.5 mm ±0.05 mm for 0.5-1.5 mm ±0.08 mm above 1.5 mm
Width	2 - 300 mm 0.079" - 11.8"	±0.20 mm for <20 mm ±0.30 mm for 20-100 mm ±0.50 mm above 100 mm
Thickness variation in one coil	-	≤5 % of nominal, or to your spec
Edge	-	Slit, deburred, square edge
Surface	-	Bright annealed / acid pickled
Condition	-	Annealed soft / half-hard
Coil	-	ID 300 mm, 20-80 kg per coil, 1 joint max

3. Weight per metre and length per kilogram

Useful when you are comparing prices quoted by weight against prices quoted by length, or when you need to work out how far one coil will go.

Thickness × width	Weight per metre (Cr20Ni80)	Metres per 100 kg
0.50 × 10 mm 0.020" × 0.394"	0.042 kg/m 0.028 lb/ft	2,381 m
1.00 × 20 mm 0.039" × 0.787"	0.168 kg/m 0.113 lb/ft	595 m
2.00 × 25 mm 0.079" × 0.984"	0.420 kg/m 0.282 lb/ft	238 m
3.00 × 20 mm 0.118" × 0.787"	0.504 kg/m 0.339 lb/ft	198 m

Basis: density 8.4 g/cm³ for Cr20Ni80 (8.2 for Cr15Ni60, 8.1 for Cr30Ni70). Weight per metre = thickness (mm) × width (mm) × density ÷ 1000.

4. Surface load guidance

The surface load (W/cm²) is what actually decides element life. It sets how far the element runs above furnace temperature — roughly 60-80 °C per 1 W/cm².

Application	Surface load (W/cm²)	Notes
Open air, static	1.0 - 1.8	Poorest heat transfer
Box / bogie furnace	1.5 - 2.5	Most common range
Pit furnace	1.5 - 2.2	Deep cavity
Fan circulated	2.5 - 4.0	Forced convection allows higher
Mesh-belt furnace	2.0 - 3.0	Belt shadows the elements
Vacuum	1.0 - 2.0	Radiation only

Rule of thumb we apply
For intermittent furnaces (daily on/off), take the lower end of the range and then reduce a further 20-30 %. Repeated heating cycles crack the oxide film, and each cycle consumes aluminium, so intermittent service ages the element faster than continuous service at the same temperature.

5. Typical applications

Furnace heating elements for box, bogie, pit and mesh-belt furnaces
Resistance ribbon for rheostats, braking resistors and load banks
Glass tempering furnaces (NiCr preferred — good thermal shock resistance)
Ceramic roller kilns (FeCrAl usually preferred — see our FeCrAl page)
Domestic and commercial heating appliances

6. Please confirm these 4 points before ordering

Grade — Cr20Ni80 is our default recommendation. If the drawing says NiCr 80/20, that is Cr20Ni80. If it says NiCr 40/20, that is Cr20Ni35.
Thickness and width, with tolerance — and whether the tolerance applies point-to-point or as a coil average. These are different requirements and differently priced.
Atmosphere — nickel-chromium must not be used in sulphur-bearing atmospheres. Sulphur destroys the Cr₂O₃ film and forms low-melting nickel sulphides. Use FeCrAl instead.
Span between supports — if over 400 mm, tell us. It changes whether we recommend strip with an edge fold, or a niobium-bearing FeCrAl grade.

Need a quotation?

Send grade, form, size with tolerance and quantity — we reply within one working day (GMT+8).

WhatsApp +86 136 6174 5686 Enquiry form

About Shanghai Xinxiang Alloy

Shanghai Xinxiang Alloy Materials Co., Ltd. was founded in 2014 and is a source manufacturer of electric heating alloys and nickel-based precision alloys. Production base in Taixing, Jiangsu, approximately 20,000 m², 48+ pieces of melting, forging, rolling, drawing, heat-treatment and testing equipment, 200+ staff, annual capacity about 7,500 tonnes.

Contact: Tel +86 136 6174 5686 / +86 21 6911 6339 | Email shryhjcl@126.com

Grade cross-references are commercial equivalents, not a guarantee of interchangeability. Final acceptance is subject to the composition sheet agreed at order.