How armor plate could be reused after a ship's disposal

How often could armor from an old warship be reused before service stress forced it to be scrapped?

It could be reused while metallurgically viable, sometimes after reheating, tempering, or reshaping rather than being installed unchanged.

Service history alone does not establish a fixed number of reuse cycles. Plate condition and the treatment available to restore or reshape it matter more. Reheated and reworked armor may remain useful even when it cannot be fitted directly in its original form.