ASTM A516/A516M — Standard Specification for Pressure Vessel Plates, Carbon Steel, for Moderate- and Lower-Temperature Service
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Scope
Killed, fine-grain carbon-manganese-silicon plate for welded pressure vessels where improved notch toughness is important: Grades 55, 60, 65 and 70 (tensile 380–620 MPa). Normalizing mandatory above 40 mm; chemistry by thickness; general requirements per A20 (testing, UT, Charpy S5, HIC options by agreement). Adopted by ASME as SA-516 — the most-used ASME carbon-steel vessel plate.
Grades covered by ASTM A516
| Grade | No. | Type | C % | Yield MPa | Tensile MPa | Nearest equivalents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A516 Grade 70 | K02700 | Carbon steel plate for pressure vessels, moderate and lower temperature | ≤ 0.27 | 260 | 485–620 | P295GH, P265GH, P355GH / P355NH |
Revision history and superseded standards
| Year | Change |
|---|---|
| 1964 | A516 first issued as the lower-temperature companion to A515 |
| 2017 | A516/A516M-17 — current |
Where to buy the standard
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
Seventy means tensile, and that trips people up
A516 covers carbon steel plate for pressure vessels for moderate and lower temperature service, and its grade numbers count a different property from the one most structural specifications count. Here the number is tensile strength in ksi: Grade 55, 60, 65 and 70 mean 380, 415, 450 and 485 MPa of tensile. Grade 70, which carries most of the volume, guarantees 260 MPa yield against a 485–620 MPa tensile band.
On a drawing that also carries A572, the two conventions sit side by side and mean opposite things. A572 Grade 50 promises 50 ksi before the plate yields; A516 Grade 70 promises 70 ksi before it breaks, and its yield is nearer 38 ksi. Reading across from one to the other without noticing costs about a third of the assumed capacity.
Normalising, impact testing and A20
A516 plate is supplied as-rolled in thin sections and normalised above a thickness stated in the specification, or wherever impact testing is required. Normalising refines the grain and is what makes the lower-temperature service possible.
The general requirements come from ASTM A20, which governs tolerance, marking, test frequency and permitted repair for all pressure-vessel plate; A516 refers to it rather than repeating it. Impact testing is a supplementary requirement here too, and it is ordered with the plate — never afterwards.