Thickness-driven chemical and tensile requirements, test-result compliance check, and cross-standard comparison for ASTM A36, A283 and A516
◉ ASTM A36/A36M-05 · A283/A283M-13 · A516/A516M-04 · NOT A REGULATORY SUBMISSION TOOL
⚠ Indicative tool only — and these are older editions. Every figure below was read from the page images of the editions uploaded: A36/A36M-05, A283/A283M-13 and A516/A516M-04. Current editions of all three exist and may differ, so confirm against the edition your project specifies. Note that the 2013 edition of A283 covers only Grades C and D (Grades A and B were removed in 2012, and phosphorus/sulfur were tightened to 0.030%); older A283 copies list four grades with different values.
Includes the general-requirements standards these specifications defer to, from the copies supplied: A6/A6M-04a (product-analysis variations, Table A; thickness-based elongation adjustments, §11.6) and A20/A20M-97a (elongation adjustments, §11.6; limits on unspecified elements, Table 1). Two cautions: the A20 supplied is the 1997 edition, much older than the A516-04 that refers to it, so confirm the A516 adjustments and Table 1 limits against the A20 edition your project cites; and in A6-04a the product-analysis table is lettered Table A, whereas API 650 §4.2.7.4 cites it as “Table B” (earlier lettering).
Not included: material-selection limits from API 650 (see the API 650 Plate Material tool) or IS 2062, A6's dimensional tolerances, the shape-specific elongation rules (e.g. angles tested full-section, +6 points, A6 §11.6.2), and A20's other provisions. This is a check of the numeric requirements printed in these specifications, not a substitute for reviewing the mill test certificate or the governing code.
Identification
Research entries stay private to you for practice/testing. Switch to Official once this is a real design your company should see.
Material & Thickness
Limits change with thickness band (boundaries as printed in each standard, in mm). Product analysis applies the permitted variations of A6/A6M Table A to the A36 and A283 heat limits (A516 prints its own product limits; per A6 §7.2 a heat's determinations may not vary both above and below a specified range). Thickness-based elongation adjustments (A6 and A20 §11.6) are applied to plate automatically; the wide-plate and shape adjustments come from the checkboxes.
Requirements at This Thickness
Check Your Test Results Not evaluated
A516 elements not covered by its own Table 1 are limited by A20/A20M Table 1 (shown above); enter any you have.
Leave a field blank to skip that check. Manganese is checked with the carbon-reduction allowance printed in A36 and A516 (for each complete 0.01% below the carbon maximum, +0.06% Mn above the maximum, up to the cap) — counted in complete 0.01% steps, which is the conservative reading.
Property
Requirement
Measured
Result
Cross-Standard Comparison at This Thickness
A36 is shown as plate. Compares what each specification requires, not what a given plate has. A283 rows show thickness-dependent silicon; all rows follow the analysis basis chosen above (A36 and A283 use the A6 Table A variations for product analysis).
ASTM A516/A516M-04 — carbon steel plates for welded pressure vessels where improved notch toughness is important (§1.1). Steel shall be killed and meet the fine austenitic grain size requirement of A20/A20M (§4.1). Plates up to 40 mm are normally supplied as-rolled and may be ordered normalized or stress relieved or both (§5.1); plates over 40 mm shall be normalized (§5.2). Where notch-toughness tests are required on plates 40 mm and under, the plates shall be normalized unless the purchaser specifies otherwise (§5.3); with approval, cooling faster than air is permitted if the plates are then tempered at 595–705°C (§5.4). Current practice normally limits maximum thickness to 305 mm (Grade 55) and 205 mm (Grades 60, 65, 70) (§1.3). Supplementary (only if ordered): S1 vacuum treatment; S2 product analysis; S3 simulated post-weld heat treatment of test coupons; S4.1 additional tension test; S5 Charpy V-notch; S6 drop weight; S7 high-temperature tension test; S8/S11/S12 ultrasonic examination (A435/A577/A578); S9 magnetic particle; S17 vacuum carbon-deoxidized steel.
ASTM A283/A283M-13 — two grades (C and D) of carbon steel plates of structural quality for general application (§1.1). The steel shall be killed (§4.2, added in the 2012 revision). Supplementary (only if ordered): S2 product analysis; S3 simulated post-weld heat treatment of test coupons; S5 Charpy V-notch; S6 drop weight test (material 16 mm and over); S8 ultrasonic examination; S15 reduction of area. No impact requirement is imposed by the specification itself.
ASTM A36/A36M-05 — carbon steel shapes, plates and bars of structural quality for riveted, bolted or welded construction of bridges and buildings and for general structural purposes (§1.1). Steel for plates and bars over 12.5 mm and shapes with flange or leg thickness over 25 mm shall be semi-killed or killed (§6.1). Tension tests are not required for shapes under 645 mm² in cross-section or bars (other than flats) under 12.5 mm thickness or diameter, provided the chemistry is appropriate (§8.2). Plates over 40 mm used as bearing plates in structures other than bridges need no mechanical tests if carbon is 0.20–0.33% by heat analysis, phosphorus and sulfur meet Table 2, and sufficient discard secures sound plate (§5.2). Elongation need not be determined for floor plate. Supplementary (only if ordered): S5 Charpy V-notch; S30 Charpy V-notch for shapes, alternate core location; S32 single-heat bundles; S97 limitation on rimmed or capped steel.