Colour codes are supplier specific so unless you know who it came from …. Many companies using only a limited range of materials had their own system too.

No way of identifying steel types in the home shop beyond the spark test rough classification. Bigger scrap merchants probably have a device to read off composition but even thats no help when it comes to heat treatment or tensile range status.

Clive.

Alan, plus 1 for Clive's post but what I do is mark all my stock so I know what's what, I don't use any commercial sequence just one that's developed for several reasons, one being where I served my apprenticeship all gauge plate had a blue stripe painted on it so I continued this and although Stubbs SS was stamped I used the same paint on the bar ends. Then acquiring several car touch up paints — the ones with a small brush inside — I used whatever was available for common steels I use. You only need around six colours so maybe small Humbrol tins would do ?

I do have a small problem to address — I can never repaint the workshop door — this has all the colour charts make on it !!!!

Cheers John

What size do you need? Someone might have a bit kicking around. I'd be surprised if EN8 woudln't do, there's not that much difference

Most scrap yards use these now, especially on stainless steel and ali-bronze.

Thanx for that. Lost mine years ago.

Downloaded for future reference..

Reading this post is another reason for putting an approximate location on your profile. There may be a local member willing to let you have whatever it is you need. I keep a lot of material in stock, all marked up when it arrives either by stamping of with a steel marking paint pen.