Method of manufacturing a steel sheet for a battery case

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a steel sheet for a battery case, which method comprises the steps of (a) providing a steel sheet suitable for use in a battery case, (b) pre-treating of the surface of the steel sheet, and (c) plating a metal layer comprising nickel onto at least one said surface of the steel sheet, and whereby during step (c) said metal layer comprising nickel is deposited by electroplating both nickel and bismuth using an aqueous plating bath comprising a nickel-ion concentration in a range of 10 to 100 g/l and a bismuth-ion concentration in the range of 0.01 to 10 g/l. The invention relates further to a battery case manufactured therefrom, and to an aqueous plating bath for use in the method of this invention.