Designation: A516/A516M −25 Used in USDOE-NE Standards
Standard Specification for
Pressure Vessel Plates, Carbon Steel, for Moderate- and
Lower-Temperature Service
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This standard is issued under the fixed designation A516/A516M; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year
of original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.
A superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense.
1. Scope*
1.1 This specification
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covers carbon steel plates intended
primarily for service in welded pressure vessels where im-
proved notch toughness is important.
1.2 Plates under this specification are available in four
grades having different strength levels as follows:
Grade U.S. [SI] Tensile Strength,
ksi [MPa]
55 [380] 55–75 [380–515]
60 [415] 60–80 [415–550]
65 [450] 65–85 [450–585]
70 [485] 70–90 [485–620]
1.3 The maximum thickness of plates is limited only by the
capacity of the composition to meet the specified mechanical
property requirements.
1.4 For plates produced from coil and furnished without
heat treatment or with stress relieving only, the additional
requirements, including additional testing requirements and the
reporting of additional test results of Specification A20/A20M
apply.
1.5 The values stated in either inch-pound units or SI units
are to be regarded separately as standard. Within the text, the
SI units are shown in brackets. The values stated in each
system are not exact equivalents; therefore, each system must
be used independently of the other. Combining values from the
two systems may result in nonconformance with the specifi-
cation.
1.6 This international standard was developed in accor-
dance with internationally recognized principles on standard-
ization established in the Decision on Principles for the
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recom-
mendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical
Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
2. Referenced Documents
2.1 ASTM Standards:
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A20/A20M Specification for General Requirements for Steel
Plates for Pressure Vessels
A435/A435M Specification for Straight-Beam Ultrasonic
Examination of Steel Plates
A577/A577M Specification for Ultrasonic Angle-Beam Ex-
amination of Steel Plates
A578/A578M Specification for Straight-Beam Ultrasonic
Examination of Rolled Steel Plates for Special Applica-
tions
3. General Requirements and Ordering Information
3.1 Material supplied to this product specification shall
conform to Specification A20/A20M, which outlines the test-
ing and retesting methods and procedures, permissible varia-
tions in dimensions and mass, quality and repair of defects,
marking, loading, and ordering information.
3.2 In addition to the basic requirements of this
specification, certain supplementary requirements are available
where additional control, testing, or examination is required to
meet end use requirements. The purchaser is referred to the
listed supplementary requirements in this specification and to
the detailed requirements in Specification A20/A20M.
3.3 If the requirements of this specification are in conflict
with the requirements of Specification A20/A20M, the require-
ments of this specification shall prevail.
3.4 Coils are excluded from qualification to this specifica-
tion until they are processed into finished plates. Plates
produced from coil means plates that have been cut to
individual lengths from coil. The processor directly controls, or
is responsible for, the operations involved in the processing of
coils into finished plates. Such operations include decoiling,
leveling, cutting to length, testing, inspection, conditioning,
heat treatment (if applicable), packaging, marking, loading for
shipment, and certification.
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This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee A01 on Steel,
Stainless Steel and Related Alloys and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee
A01.11 on Steel Plates for Boilers and Pressure Vessels.
Current edition approved March 1, 2025. Published March 2025. Originally
approved in 1964. Last previous edition approved in 2017 as A516/A516M – 17.
DOI: 10.1520/A0516_A0516M-25.
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For ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code applications, see related Specifi-
cation SA-516/SA-516M in Section II of that Code.
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For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
contact ASTM Customer Service at www.astm.org/contact. For Annual Book of
ASTM Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary
page on the ASTM website.
*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standard
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States
This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
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