Question : How to differenciate finished products of Hot Rolled/ Hot Finished/ Cold Formed by visual inspection?
Proivde details of a Structural Hollow Section, about welded joint, colour, type of finish like rough, smooth, etc
structural inspection

Best answer:

Answer by BornAgain
Sorry, I am not sure this is possible by visual alone.

While it is true that cold finished materials normally have better surface finishes, that does mean that hot rolled could not have a decent finish sometimes too.

That is why materials are normally ordered to specific physical characteristics and require certs. To determine what the material was (HR or CR), you would need to tensile test a sample.