Quality - A term used to denote the degree of perfection of the steel sheet. Often, for sheet products, relative quality refers to the degree of perfection of the surface, i.e., the lack of scratches, absence of slivers, etc. Quality can also refer to other attributes such as internal soundness, dimensional control, etc.

Quenching - In the heat-treating of steel, the step of cooling metals rapidly in order to obtain martensite by immersing or quickly cooling the steel in a quenching medium. The quenching media may be water, brine, oil, special solutions, salts or metals; and the intensity of the quench is determined by the temperature, volume and velocity of the media. In the case of air hardening tool steels the quenching medium is air at room temperatures.