DATASHEET METRIC
Stainless steel lightweight solutions for transportation industry
Stalatube stainless steel lightweight solutions
Tubes, sheets and components for bus bodies, chassis, collision guards and cabin structural parts
Stalatube’s product portfolio contains standard and fully custom-made square and rectangular tubes, tube components, sheets, and welded structures. Laser cutting, bending, and creating ready-to-assemble component kits are at the core of our services for the transport industry. Lead time is reduced through flexible stocking and delivery options.
Elements carrying batteries on the roofs of e-buses
Roof arcs
Side pillars
Chassis
Front collision elements
Stainless steel lightweight solutions
In transportation sector the ultimate goal is clear – lighter vehicles with lower CO2 emissions paired with the very highest occupant safety. Stalatube’s innovative high strength stainless steel materials and optimal vehicle structure design help achieve the weight reduction necessary as well as to meet CO2 goals.
Achieve your carbon footprint goals
Stainless steel is 100% circular. It is the most recycled material in the world, and its quality is preserved in the process. Using stainless steel decreases your own as well as your customer’s carbon footprint.
About Stalatube
Stalatube is a manufacturer of highly developed stainless steel hollow sections, profiles and components. We are known worldwide as the leading provider of stainless steel solutions. With a global presence, in-depth material expertise and the world’s widest product portfolio in stainless square and rectangular hollow sections, we help customers connect the most suitable product with their application or project - in even the most complex of cases. Our customizable, environmentally conscious solutions are here to build a better future. We believe that by working with customers and investing in R&D, anything is possible.
For over 50 years of pioneer work in the industry, we have built an international distribution network covering all continents and over 50 countries. Our head office and main production facility are in Finland, sales offices are in the USA and the Netherlands, an R&D office in Turkey, and a production facility for further processed products in Poland. To assist you in being the best, we provide world-class stainless steel expertise, cutting-edge technology and a full range of professional services.
Use our special consultation service
How to design the most lightweight bus body?
Our team has a long technical experience and know-how in bus body design. Major savings in total weight of a vehicle can be achieved by optimizing the bus body structure. We are here to help our customers to choose the right materials and products to maximize the benefits of stainless steel.
Tolerances
Cut to length service 4-18 m, tolerance -0/+20 mm
Precise cutting 20-9000 mm, tolerance ± 1 mm ≥ 9000 mm, tolerance depends on the length
Angle cutting 30-90°, tolerance ±1°
Laser cutting Tolerance ±0.5 mm
Mechanical properties
Chemical composition
Engineered stainless steel solutions enhancing strength, stiffness, fatigue performance, and safety
STALA Smart Solutions STALASMART SOLUTIONS
Our newest innovations, STALA Opti, STALA Connect, STALA Ultimate and STALA Flex, are designed to enhance bus body structures with optimized strength, fatigue resistance, and stiffness.
STALA Opti offers superior flexural strength and lightweight design, while STALA Connect significantly improves the fatigue strength of welded tube connections. STALA Ultimate is engineered to maximize roll-over safety, offering superior load transfer efficiency and enhanced bending resistance. STALA Flex enables the reliable connection of dissimilar stainless steel profiles.
STALA Opti
The new reinforced tube with optimized strength, fatigue, and stiffness properties
The STALA Opti tube offers an excellent combination of flexural strength and light weight. Heavier wall thickness at the end of the tube allows better weld penetration and improved fatigue strength in welded tube joints. Reinforcement inside the tube significantly increases buckling resistance.
The optimal solution in those areas of the bus body structure where stiffness is required. STALA Opti offers excellent flexural strength for our customers looking for strength and durability without weight increase and stronger joints. This is a unique solution to strengthen the required area while eliminating the weight increase and is mainly suitable for bus body structures.
STALA Opti is available in all stainless steel grades in Stalatube’s product portfolio.
STALASMART SOLUTIONS
High flexural strength and buckling resistance | Avoid problems related to welding of thin wall thicknesses | Big weight-saving potential 30% increase in FAT class under bending loads | Improved fatigue resistance
STALA Connect
Longer welding line, enhanced force distribution, and extreme fatigue life with joint parts
STALA Connect is designed to improve the fatigue strength of welded tube connections. It can be used in L, T and X joints. STALA Connect allows loads to be transferred further away from the joint. STALA Connect offers many times the fatigue strength
Engineered for ultimate rollover safety
STALA Ultimate STALASMART SOLUTIONS
This patent-pending innovation delivers unmatched structural stiffness and energy absorption for bus body applications. Compared to S420 carbon steel, STALA Ultimate provides very higher stiffness and toughness in static and drop tower opening/closing test scenarios with significantly improved load transfer and bending resistance. Designed for maximum protection, it redefines safety and durability in lightweight stainless-steel structures.
Ultimate energy absorption | High contribution to rollover safety | Extreme bend limits
STALA Flex
Simplifying complex connections with strength and flexibility
Designed to connect dissimilar stainless-steel profiles, STALA Flex enhances both durability and structural integrity at profile transitions. Delivering outstanding strength and stiffness beyond conventional methods, it ensures reliable, lightweight, and efficient structures for the next generation of buses.
Exceptional for dissimilar joints | Better load transmission |
EN 1.4003
EN 1.4003 offers the benefits of more highly alloyed stainless steels such as strength, corrosion and abrasion resistance, durability and low maintenance. It is weldable and formable
Delivery condition
Forming Cold formed (roll-formed)
Welding process Laser or HF
Weld condition External weld bead removed
Bundle packing
Plastic bands
Tube marking
Ink-jet marking on tube
Stalatube Oy made in Finland, steel grade, dimensions, coil number, production week/year, welding operator
Bundle tag Dimensions, steel grade, surface condition, bundle size, batch id, coil number, bundle number
COST-EFFICIENT
allowing it to be fabricated using conventional techniques. Ferritic is also cost-efficient choice.
Surface condition As welded (unpol)
Tolerances (according to EN 10219-2)
Characteristic Tolerance
Outside dimensions, B and H
< 100 mm: ± 1 %, min ± 0.5 mm
≥ 100 mm: ± 0.8 %
Concavity / Convexity Max. 0.8 % with minimum of 0.5 mm
Wall thickness, T ± 10 %
Squareness of side 90º ± 1º
External corner profile (C1, C2 or R) 1.6T - 2.4T Length
Straightness 0.15 % of total length
Twist 2 mm + 0.5 mm/m
1) Exception from standard
HIGH-STRENGTH STALA400F
1.4162
EN 1.4162 grade answers to the most demanding needs by offering a superior combination of high strength and elongation, corrosion resistance and lowered life cycle costs.
Delivery condition
Forming Cold formed (roll-formed)
Welding process TIG/Plasma or Laser
Weld condition External weld bead removed
Bundle packing
Plastic bands
Tube marking
Ink-jet marking on tube Stalatube Oy made in Finland, steel grade, dimensions, coil number, production week/year, welding operator
Bundle tag Dimensions, steel grade, surface condition, bundle size, batch id, coil number, bundle number
Surface condition
Brushed, when tube dimension is ≤ 100x100x6 mm
As welded (unpol), when tube dimension is > 100x100x6 mm
Duplex is optimal material used in side pillars, roof arcs, R66 structures and collision guard elements. It can be combined with other materials such as ferritic EN 1.4003.
Tolerances (according to EN 10219-2)
Characteristic Tolerance
Outside dimensions, B and H B,H < 100 mm: ± 1 %, min ± 0.5 mm B,H ≥ 100 mm: ± 0.8 %
Concavity / Convexity (X1/X2) Max. 0.8 % with minimum of 0.5 mm
Wall thickness, T ± 10 %
Squareness of side 90º ± 1º
External corner profile, C1, C2 or R
≤ 200 mm: 1.6T – 2.4T
> 200 mm and T ≤ 4 mm: 2.0T – 3.0T
> 200 mm and T > 4 mm: 1.6T – 2.4T
length 6 m, tolerance 0/+20 mm
Straightness 0.15 % of total length Twist 2 mm + 0.5 mm/m
1) Exception from standard
a This dimension is maximum when measuring B or H and minimum when measuring T
HIGH-STRENGTH STALA630D
STALA800
EN 1.4678
EN 1.4678 has exceptional combination of high strength and elongation. The material can absorb huge amount of energy in case of an accident which makes it ideal material for rollover structures and collision guards.
Delivery condition
Forming Cold formed (roll-formed)
Welding process Laser
Weld condition External weld bead removed
Bundle packing
Plastic bands
Tube marking
Ink-jet marking on tube
Stalatube Oy made in Finland, steel grade, dimensions, coil number, production week/year, welding operator
Bundle tag Dimensions, steel grade, surface condition, bundle size, batch id, coil number, bundle number
Surface condition
As welded (unpol)
Tolerances (according to EN 10219-2)
Characteristic
Concavity / Convexity (X1/X2) Max. 0.8 % with minimum of 0.5 mm
Wall thickness, T ± 10 %
Squareness of side 90º ±
1) Exception from standard
STALA800 is optimal combination of mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Coating is recommended.
Ferritic and duplex sheets
Tailor-made products | Versatile design possibilities | Stocking service
Short delivery time | High energy absorption properties
Special dimensions can be ordered by request
