Rolled Steel Stretcher Leveling

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Rolled Steel Stretcher Leveling Services

Obtain flat, stress-free material for your fabrication processes with stretcher leveling services from Alliance Steel.

What is Stretcher Leveling?

Stretcher leveling is a process that stretches material sufficiently to exceed the yield point in all its fibers, equalizing internal trapped stresses. This activity produces material that stays flat even after laser cutting, notching, punching, or subsequent shearing operations.

Eliminating post-cutting stress springback can make additional processes like welding and forming easier, unlike temper passing which is a process that applies a massive amount of pressure, compressing the steel. In temper passing, two rolling pins travel down the length of the plate/sheet and squeeze out the internal stress.

Stretcher leveling uses a series of E-Drive Levelers to flatten and reduce the crossbow (curvature) before it continues to the stretcher. At the stretcher, clamps grab 40 feet of material and apply 2 million pounds of force; uniformly stretching the material past its yield point. Stretcher leveling can remove all internal stress, eliminating the risk of post-cutting spring back, unlike temper passing.

At Alliance Steel, our equipment includes Red Bud .375" x 75" x 400" stretcher leveling lines, with an 80,000 max coil on the entry and a 10,000 max skid.

Benefits of Metal Stretcher Leveling Services

  • Laser-quality flatness
  • Improved performance in welding, bending, and forming
  • Minimized scrap and rework
  • Consistent results from one job to the next
  • Improved dimensional stability during cutting and machining

Applications of Rolled Steel Stretcher Leveling Services

Stretcher leveling is a specialized steel coil and sheet processing service that produces flat, stress-free material ideal for precision fabrication. Because it stretches the steel beyond its yield point to eliminate internal trapped stresses, stretcher leveled material stays flat even after subsequent cutting, welding, forming, and machining operations, something that traditional temper-passing cannot always achieve.

Common applications include:

  • Precision Fabrication & CNC Machining: Reliable flatness and stress relief reduce springback and distortion, improving part fit and finish when components are machined or laser cut.
  • Welding & Forming Operations: Stress-relieved steel bends and welds more consistently, minimizing warping during assembly and leading to higher structural integrity.
  • Automotive & Heavy Equipment Manufacturing: Used for flat panels, structural elements, and stamped parts where dimensional accuracy and flatness matter.
  • Construction & Architectural Metalwork: Flat, stress-free sheets are essential for roofing, siding, building facades, and structural assemblies that require consistent surface plane and installation precision.
  • Appliances, Electronics & Precision Components: In industries that demand tight tolerances and consistent material behavior, stretcher leveled steel enhances performance and reduces scrap rates.

Whether your project calls for laser-quality flatness or enhanced dimensional stability during downstream fabrication, stretcher leveling helps ensure material consistency and quality across a variety of manufacturing environments. 

Metal Stretcher Leveling Capabilities

We have the capability to perform stretcher leveling on hot rolled steel, hot rolled pickled and oiled steel, hot rolled pickled dry steel, cold rolled steel, and coated steel products like hot dipped galvanized, electrogalvanized, galvannealed and galvalume.

Alliance Steel Stretcher - Leveling Capabilities:
Material Thickness:  .040" - .375"
Max Coil:  80,000 lbs
ID:   23” - 27”
Entry Width: 72"
Length: 240"
Width/Length Tolerance:  +/-.010"
Max Skid:  10,000 lbs

 

Our equipment includes a Red Bud .375” x 75”x 400” Stretcher leveling line, with an 80,000 max coil on the entry and a 10,000 max skid; this impressive line can handle even your biggest jobs.

Depend on Alliance Steel for your metal and rolled steel stretcher leveling needs. We deliver products that meet customer expectations on time, every time.

We are excited to offer our customers the ability to achieve laser flat sheets with Alliance quality and service behind it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Temper mill processing improves surface finish and mechanical properties but is not designed to achieve maximum flatness. For laser cutting and other flatness-critical applications, stretcher leveling provides superior flatness control and consistency.
Stretcher-leveled material is ideal when laser cutting requires tight tolerances, clean edges, and consistent part quality, especially for high-precision or high-volume applications.
Stretcher leveling removes internal stresses and delivers consistent flatness, which helps maintain laser focus across the entire sheet, improve cut accuracy and part quality, reduce setup time and rework, and minimize scrap and material waste.
Poor flatness can result in jagged or inconsistent cut edges, parts that fall outside tolerance, higher scrap rates, and slower production with unplanned downtime.
No. Stretcher leveling does not change the thickness of the material. The process applies controlled tension to pull the steel past its yield point, relieving internal stresses without compressing the material.
Yes, stretcher leveled steel significantly improves welding and forming outcomes by eliminating internal stresses and ensuring superior, lasting flatness. This process reduces material warping during laser cutting, improves fit-up accuracy in weld fixtures, minimizes springback during bending, and enhances overall dimensional stability, leading to faster, more consistent production.
Yes. By eliminating internal stresses and delivering consistent flatness, stretcher leveling helps prevent warping, misalignment, and out-of-tolerance cuts. This leads to fewer rejected parts, less rework, and reduced material waste throughout downstream processing.
Yes. Stretcher leveling at Alliance Steel (ASL) is designed to work on thin gauge materials, with the process capable of leveling sheets down to 0.040 inches thick, making it well-suited for laser quality flatness on lighter materials as well as heavier gauges.
Alliance Steel's stretcher leveling capabilities cover a material thickness range of 0.040 inches to 0.375 inches, with a max coil weight of 80,000 lbs, entry width up to 75 inches, and max skid weight of 10,000 lbs.
This range covers most common thin-gauge applications while still supporting heavier gauges, giving you flat, stress-relieved material ideal for welding, forming, punching, and laser cutting.
No, it does not, unlike temper passing, which can harden the material.

Stretcher Leveling Capabilities

Alliance Steel offers stretcher leveling services for thicknesses ranging from 0.040" to 0.375". Contact us for current availability. Contact Alliance Steel for information on stretcher leveling and laser-quality flat steel.

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Steel Coil Production Line at Alliance Steel