ASTM A36/A36M — Standard Specification for Carbon Structural Steel
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Scope
Carbon structural steel shapes, plate and bar for riveted, bolted or welded construction of bridges and buildings and for general structural purposes: one grade with 250 MPa (36 ksi) minimum yield and 400–550 MPa tensile (220 MPa yield above 200 mm plate). Chemistry varies by product and thickness; supplementary requirements S5 (Charpy), S91/S92 (CE and fine grain). Adopted by ASME as SA-36 and AASHTO as M270 Grade 36 via A709.
Grades covered by ASTM A36
| Grade | No. | Type | C % | Yield MPa | Tensile MPa | Nearest equivalents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A36 | K02600 | Carbon structural steel | ≤ 0.25 | 250 | 400–550 | S235JR, SS400, Q235B |
Revision history and superseded standards
| Year | Change |
|---|---|
| 1960 | A36 introduced to replace A7 (33 ksi) |
| 2000s | W-shapes migrate to A992; A36 remains for plate, bar, angle, channel |
| 2019 | A36/A36M-19 — current |
Supersedes: ASTM A7 (withdrawn 1967).
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The full text is copyrighted by ASTM International and is not reproduced here. Purchase the current edition from ASTM International or your national standards body. The values on this site are the normative limits as published; the standard's own tables, notes and test methods govern.
Related standards
One specification, many product forms
A36 is the American structural workhorse and it behaves unlike its European counterparts in one important way: a single specification covers plate, bar, shapes and sheet piling together. EN 10025-2 does the same, but A36 also lets the yield requirement vary by form — 250 MPa for most products, with plate over 200 mm dropping to 220 MPa.
The tensile requirement is a band, 400–550 MPa, not a floor. That upper limit exists because a structural steel that tests too strong is too hard to bend and weld predictably, and it is the detail most often lost when A36 is offered against a foreign requirement.
What A36 does not guarantee
There is no impact requirement for A36 plate. Charpy testing is a supplementary requirement that has to be ordered, and a certificate showing impact values on standard A36 is reporting a voluntary test rather than conformity.
There is also no carbon equivalent limit as such, though carbon and manganese are capped and vary with thickness and product form. For welded work in thick or restrained section the American answer is A572 Grade 50 or A709, not A36 with a hopeful welding procedure.