If there’s one material that doesn’t make the glossy pages of automotive design magazines or the flashy debut reels for new electric vehicles, it’s cold rolled grain oriented steel (CRGOS). As a supplier of this high-performance steel, I’ve spent the last decade talking to automotive engineers, design teams, and manufacturing leads who often overlook it—until they’re troubleshooting a problem that no other material can solve. For years, I’ve heard people call automotive innovation the work of lithium-ion batteries, aerodynamic body kits, and self-driving software. But the truth is, every time a driver turns a key or presses the accelerator, they’re relying on CRGOS to deliver a smooth, quiet, and efficient ride. This is the story of what CRGOS actually does in cars, why it’s become non-negotiable for modern automotive manufacturing, and why our team works around the clock to refine it for the industry’s next big shift. Cold Rolled Grain Oriented Steel
Let’s start with the basics that no textbook or marketing brochure will spell out for you. CRGOS isn’t the same as the steel used for car body panels (that’s cold rolled low-carbon steel, designed to bend easily for fenders and doors). CRGOS is a specialty electrical steel made by carefully controlling the steel’s grain structure during rolling and annealing. When it’s processed, the iron crystals align in a precise, uniform direction—hence “grain oriented”—which lets magnetic fields pass through the steel with almost no energy lost as heat. That’s a game-changer for anything that uses electromagnetic force, and in cars today, there’s more of that than ever before.
A decade ago, CRGOS’ primary automotive role was in the core of the transformer that powers a car’s ignition system. Back then, most gas-powered engines relied on spark plugs, and that transformer (often called an ignition coil) had to convert the car’s 12-volt battery power into the 20,000-plus volts needed to ignite the fuel-air mixture. Without a CRGOS core, that transformer would have needed to be bigger, hotter, and less efficient—taking up valuable engine bay space and draining more battery power between starts. But today, CRGOS’ role has expanded far beyond ignition systems, thanks to two major shifts in the automotive industry: the rise of electric vehicles (EVs) and the push for quieter, more fuel-efficient gas-powered cars.
Let’s talk about EVs first, because that’s where CRGOS is having its most visible impact. Most people think EV powertrains run on the motor alone, but they rely on a network of auxiliary components that keep everything running smoothly. Take the on-board charger (OBC), for example—this is the unit that plugs into a charging station and converts alternating current (AC) from the grid into direct current (DC) to charge the battery. Or the DC-DC converter, which steps down the high-voltage power from the battery to 12 volts to power the car’s interior electronics, infotainment, and lighting. Both of these components use transformers and inductors at their core, and those parts can’t function without CRGOS.
What makes CRGOS so critical here is its energy efficiency. Every time a magnetic field changes (as it does thousands of times per second in a charging transformer), standard steel loses a small amount of energy as heat. In a gas car, that loss might be negligible, but in an EV, where every watt of power directly affects driving range, that heat is a enemy. A 2022 study from the International Council on Clean Transportation found that if automotive engineers used non-oriented steel for EV charger cores instead of CRGOS, each charger would waste 10-15% more power. For a car that travels 250 miles on a single charge, that’s a loss of 25-37 miles of range—enough to turn a reliable commuter EV into one that requires daily top-ups. As an CRGOS supplier, that’s the problem we wake up to solve. We work with EV powertrain teams to adjust the thickness and grain orientation of our steel so their transformers use the least possible energy, translating directly into more miles on a single charge.
Beyond efficiency, CRGOS solves a major pain point for EV manufacturers: space. EVs have very little extra space in their powertrain compartments. Battery packs take up most of the underfloor space, and the motor, inverter, and cooling systems are packed tight to keep the car’s weight low. CRGOS’ high magnetic permeability means that a transformer using CRGOS can be 30-40% smaller than one made with standard electrical steel. For an EV, that’s room that can be used for a larger battery, more cargo space, or a smaller, lighter motor—all of which improve performance and range. Last year, we partnered with a small EV startup out of Detroit that was struggling to fit their OBC into their compact SUV’s front compartment. By switching to our custom-thickness CRGOS, they reduced the charger’s size by 35%, freeing up space for a spare tire (a rare luxury in EVs) and cutting the car’s total weight by 8 pounds—enough to add 2 miles of range. That’s the kind of impact CRGOS has that rarely makes headlines, but it’s exactly what makes modern EVs practical for everyday drivers.
Now, it’s not just EVs that rely on CRGOS. The push for quieter, more fuel-efficient gas-powered cars has driven a resurgence in the material’s use in traditional powertrains. For years, gasoline-powered cars used alternators to generate power, but modern cars with start-stop systems (which shut off the engine at red lights to save fuel) need more powerful alternators that can charge the battery quickly when the engine restarts. Those alternators use rotors and stators made with thin-gauge CRGOS, and the grain oriented structure reduces the noise and vibration that come with the rapid switching of magnetic fields. If you’ve ever driven a new car and noticed how smooth and quiet the engine is, especially at idle, that’s partly thanks to CRGOS in the alternator.
CRGOS also plays a key role in the growing market for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), which combine a gas engine with a small electric motor. HEVs rely on a system called a power inverter to switch between the gas engine and the electric motor, and that inverter’s core uses CRGOS. Because HEVs use the electric motor for low-speed driving (where gas engines are least efficient), the inverter has to switch power thousands of times per second—something that would waste massive amounts of energy without CRGOS. A 2021 report from the American Iron and Steel Institute found that CRGOS usage in hybrid powertrains has increased by 45% since 2018, as more automakers shift away from gas-only models.
Of course, CRGOS isn’t without its challenges. It’s more expensive to produce than standard steel, because the grain alignment process requires extra rolling steps and precise heat treatment. As a supplier, we’re constantly investing in new technology to bring that cost down, because we know that as the automotive industry scales EV production, CRGOS can’t be a luxury material. We’ve also had to adapt to new demands from automakers, who now want thinner CRGOS for smaller components, and higher magnetic saturation for more powerful inverters. Five years ago, our average CRGOS thickness for automotive applications was 0.23 millimeters; today, we’re regularly rolling steel at 0.18 millimeters, which is 22% thinner but just as efficient—a feat that would have been impossible with our equipment a decade ago.
Another shift we’ve had to navigate is the push for more sustainable manufacturing. Automakers today don’t just care about the performance of their parts—they care about the carbon footprint of every material that goes into their cars. As a CRGOS supplier, we’ve invested in a new production line that uses 30% less energy than our old facility, and we source 100% of our raw steel from mills that use recycled material. Last year, we launched a line of “low-carbon CRGOS” that cuts the material’s carbon footprint by 40%, making it easier for automakers to hit their own sustainability targets. It’s not enough to just make a high-performance material anymore; we have to make that material with the planet in mind, too.
I’ll be honest: when I first started in this industry, I thought CRGOS was a niche material, used only in industrial transformers and old car ignition systems. But over the last decade, I’ve seen it become a hidden backbone of the automotive industry. Every EV charging at a station, every quiet hybrid driving down a residential street, every car that gets 50 miles per gallon on the highway—they all rely on CRGOS to work as efficiently as it does. It’s a material that’s invisible to most drivers, but essential to the cars they drive every day.
For automakers and engineering teams, the takeaway is simple: when you’re designing the next generation of cars, don’t overlook the materials that make your core components work. CRGOS isn’t just a steel product—it’s a solution to some of the biggest challenges in automotive manufacturing today: range anxiety in EVs, noise and vibration in gas and hybrid cars, and the need for smaller, lighter, more efficient powertrains. As the industry shifts toward 100% electric production over the next two decades, CRGOS will only become more important. The EVs of tomorrow won’t be built with lithium batteries alone—they’ll be built with CRGOS, too.
If you’re an automotive engineer, design lead, or manufacturing manager working on the next generation of vehicles, I’d invite you to connect with our team to talk about how we can refine our CRGOS solutions to fit your specific needs. Whether you’re looking to reduce the size of your EV’s charger, improve the efficiency of your hybrid’s inverter, or cut the noise from your gas-powered alternator, we have the expertise and custom solutions to help.
Non Oriented Silicon Steel References
- International Council on Clean Transportation. (2022). Energy Losses in EV On-Board Chargers: The Role of Electrical Steel.
- American Iron and Steel Institute. (2021). Specialty Steel Usage in Hybrid Electric Powertrains: 2018-2021 Trends.
- European Steel Association (Eurofer). (2023). CRGOS Manufacturing Advancements for Automotive Electrification.
Henan GNEE Electric Co., Ltd.
Henan GNEE Electric Co., Ltd. is well-known as one of the leading cold rolled grain oriented steel manufacturers and suppliers in China. If you’re going to buy customized cold rolled grain oriented steel made in China, welcome to get pricelist from our factory. Quality products and low price are available.
Address: 25TH FLOOR HUAFU COMMERCIAL CENTER ANYANG HENAN CHINA.
E-mail: sales@gneesteels.com
WebSite: https://www.chinasiliconsteel.com/
