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A heat number is an identification coupon number that is stamped on a material plate after it is removed from the ladle and rolled at a steel mill.
Industry quality standards require materials to be tested at the manufacturer and the results of these tests be submitted through a report, also called a Mill Sheet, Mill Certificate or Mill Test Certificate (MTC). The only way to trace a steel plate back to its Mill Sheet is the Heat Number. A heat number is similar to a lot number, which is used to identify production runs of any other product for quality control purposes.
Numerical significance
Usually, but not universally, the numbers indicate:
There are 10 coils in 1 heat lot
References
Heat number Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA