Material number K02700: A516 Grade 70
K02700 is the Unified Numbering System designation for A516 Grade 70, carbon steel plate for pressure vessels, moderate and lower temperature specified in ASTM A516.
What K02700 means
UNS numbers (ASTM E527 / SAE J1086) use a letter for the alloy family and five digits: G = AISI/SAE carbon and alloy steels (G41400 = 4140), S = stainless and heat-resisting steels (S30400 = 304), K = miscellaneous steels (K02600 = A36), T = tool steels, N = nickel alloys. The UNS number identifies a composition, not a product form or property level, so K02700 appears in several ASTM specifications (plate, bar, pipe) with different mechanical requirements.
A516 Grade 70 at a glance
ASTM A516 Grade 70 (ASME SA-516-70) is the plate that most of the world's carbon-steel pressure vessels are made from: a killed, fine-grain carbon-manganese steel with 260 MPa (38 ksi) minimum yield and 485–620 MPa (70–90 ksi) tensile, UNS K02700. A516 covers Grades 55, 60, 65 and 70 (numbers = minimum tensile in ksi); Grade 70 is the default because its ASME allowable stress of 138 MPa (20 ksi) gives the thinnest wall for the money.
The title says 'moderate and lower temperature service': fine-grain aluminium-killed practice and normalizing (mandatory above 40 mm, optional but usual below) give the toughness that lets normalized Grade 70 certify Charpy values at −45 °C and below — hence its use in LPG bullets and spheres, air receivers, refinery drums, heat-exchanger shells and channels, storage vessels and cold-climate equipment. A515 is the coarse-grain sister for higher temperature; A537 the normalized upgrade for 345 MPa; A285 the low-pressure economy grade.
Sour and hydrogen service is handled by ordering HIC-resistant A516-70 (S ≤ 0.002 %, Ca-treated, NACE TM0284 tested) — a large share of refinery orders. European P295GH/P265GH, Chinese Q345R/Q245R and JIS SB450/SPV315 are the near matches; none is identical, so cross-supplied plate needs code appraisal.
Full data sheet for A516 Grade 70 → · Equivalent grades →