Full-hard steel can also go through a process called “annealing,” in which coils are placed in a hydrogen atmosphere furnace for up to three days.
The coils are laid on their sides, stacked three to five high, and heated to approximately 1,300° Fahrenheit, which softens the steel, and greatly improves its formability.
After the steel is annealed tempering is necessary in order to meet the customer’s specifications.