Abstract: A steel material which is suitable for hot press working or hot three-dimensional bending and direct quench and which can be used to manufacture a high-strength formed article with sufficient quench hardening even by short time heating at a low temperature has a chemical composition comprising, in mass percent, C: 0.05-0.35%, Si: at most 0.5%, Mn: 0.5-2.5%, P: at most 0.03%, S: at most 0.01%, sol. Al: at most 0.1%, N: at most 0.01%, and optionally at least one element selected from the group consisting of B: 0.0001-0.005%, Ti: 0.01-0.1%, Cr: 0.18-0.5%, Nb: 0.03-0.1%, Ni: 0.18-1.0%, and Mo: 0.03-0.5% and has a steel structure in which the spheroidization ratio of carbides is 0.60-0.90.

Abstract: A steel material which is suitable for hot press working or hot three-dimensional bending and direct quench and which can be used to manufacture a high-strength formed article with sufficient quench hardening even by short time heating at a low temperature has a chemical composition comprising, in mass percent, C: 0.05-0.35%, Si: at most 0.5%, Mn: 0.5-2.5%, P: at most 0.03%, S: at most 0.01%, sol. Al: at most 0.1%, N: at most 0.01%, and optionally at least one element selected from the group consisting of B: 0.0001-0.005%, Ti: 0.01-0.1%, Cr: 0.18-0.5%, Nb: 0.03-0.1%, Ni: 0.18-1.0%, and Mo: 0.03-0.5% and has a steel structure in which the spheroidization ratio of carbides is 0.60-0.90.