Start an SA-515 enquiry with the governing acceptance basis
The useful starting point for an ASME material enquiry is not a chemistry row. It is the specification and edition against which the plate will be accepted. Name SA-515 or SA-515M, Grade 70, the governing Code year or Section II-A edition, and the actual unit system. Then identify size, required delivery condition, tests and certificate form. A quotation that leaves those points open is not a completed Code-material acceptance review.
An ASTM A515 Grade 70 certificate is not by itself SA-515 acceptance. Related designations do not create automatic dual certification or dual marking. If both are required, specify that requirement and verify the applicable editions, records and acceptance basis. The ASTM A515 Grade 70 supplier page explains the ASTM designation; this page addresses the ASME ordering and review task, not an interchangeable label.
| Review item | Define before commitment | Check against the proposed documents |
|---|---|---|
| Material identity | SA-515 or SA-515M and Grade 70 | Complete designation, grade and ordered specification basis |
| Governing edition | Code year or Section II-A edition required by the project | Do not infer the adopted ASTM revision from a familiar grade name |
| Units and sizes | Unit system, thickness, width, length and quantity | Consistent units and the plate schedule actually offered |
| Delivery condition | Applicable treatment and required tested condition | Report describes the condition representing the delivered material |
| Test and document set | Required analyses, tension tests, agreed additional examinations and certificate form | Results, identification and coverage match the agreed scope |
Do not infer a Code year from an old page or a catalogue entry
A historical official ASME Section II-A contents listing identifies SA-515/SA-515M as “Pressure Vessel Plates, Carbon Steel, for Intermediate- and Higher-Temperature Service.” That establishes the designation and title in that historical listing, not a current official table extract. The BPVC.II.A-2025 volume has not been read for this summary; no 2025 SA-515 table or adopted ASTM revision is asserted. The order must identify its own governing edition.
Keep material compliance separate from permission to use the plate in a particular construction. Code acceptance, design allowable stresses, service-temperature limits and any required toughness conditions need the applicable construction and material provisions. A room-temperature tensile range is not a design allowable stress or an operating-temperature rating. Do not reconstruct that design basis from an older specification suffix.
Use family chemistry only as a qualified review aid
The following is ASTM-family public reference, not an official SA-515 extract for a named Code year. Its sources are the A515 Grade 70 columns in ArcelorMittal Europe H62, MetalMate’s guide citing A515/A515M-17(2022), and Ferrobend’s compilation. H62, updated 3 February 2026, represents a mill range of 5–80 mm; the thicker carbon bands come from the compilations, not a claim about that mill’s capacity.
| Element / thickness band | Heat analysis reference | Product analysis reference |
|---|---|---|
| Carbon, 1 in. [25 mm] and under | 0.31 max | 0.31 max |
| Carbon, over 1 through 2 in. [over 25 through 50 mm] | 0.33 max | 0.33 max |
| Carbon, over 2 through 4 in. [over 50 through 100 mm] | 0.35 max | 0.35 max |
| Carbon, over 4 through 8 in. [over 100 through 200 mm] | 0.35 max | 0.35 max |
| Carbon, over 8 in. [over 200 mm] | 0.35 max | 0.35 max |
| Manganese | 1.20 max | 1.30 max |
| Silicon | 0.15–0.40 | 0.13–0.45 |
| Phosphorus | 0.025 max | 0.025 max |
| Sulfur | 0.025 max | 0.025 max |
Heat and product columns remain separate. Ferrobend’s compressed manganese/silicon entries are product-style values, not an alternative heat-analysis row. The public compilations also restate a carbon–manganese allowance: each 0.01 percentage-point reduction below the applicable carbon maximum permits 0.06 percentage point above the Mn maximum, up to 1.50% heat and 1.60% product. H62 does not print that footnote. It is a compilation restatement to verify, not a named-Code official clause.
The carbon bands continuing above 8 in. are not a declared specification cap or a production offer. Similarly, the older 300 mm rolling-practice statement is not an SA-515 maximum. Official ASTM-family Scope limits maximum thickness by composition’s capacity to meet mechanical requirements. Actual dimensions and the corresponding SA acceptance conditions still require review; neither a catalogue range nor a rolling habit establishes Code compliance.
Separate tensile references from delivery-condition acceptance
| Item | Reference value or condition | Evidence / limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Tensile strength | 70–90 ksi [485–620 MPa] | Official ASTM A515/A515M-17(2022) public Scope, used as family reference only |
| Yield strength, minimum | 38 ksi [260 MPa] | Public-reference companion values; not a Code allowable stress |
| Elongation, minimum | 17% in 8 in. [200 mm] | Family reference; specimen applicability and A20 adjustments |
| Elongation, minimum | 21% in 2 in. [50 mm] | Family reference; specimen applicability and A20 adjustments |
| Heat-treatment threshold | Compilation: above 50 mm [2 in.] normalized; at/below normally as-rolled unless otherwise ordered | Not verified official SA-515 wording; confirm named edition and units |
The family ASTM abstract describes killed carbon-silicon plate made to coarse austenitic grain-size practice, primarily for intermediate- and higher-temperature welded boilers and other pressure vessels. That is useful material background, not a substitute for reading the SA specification adopted for the order. The tensile range above appears in official ASTM public Scope; yield, elongation and chemistry are qualified public references, not official ASME-table extracts.
The 50 mm [2 in.] treatment statement is MetalMate’s ASTM-family restatement; H62 does not print it, and official ASTM public Scope is silent on that treatment threshold. It is not a verified paid SA-515 clause. The paired unit limits are not exact mathematical equivalents, so apply the ordered system independently. Do not apply another vessel specification’s threshold or invent a normalizing temperature. State the required condition unambiguously rather than describe one plate as both normalized and as-rolled.
Agree tests, traceability and document form before acceptance
Request the agreed material identification, heat/plate traceability, analysis basis, tensile specimen information and delivered condition for review. Any impact testing or ultrasonic examination must have its required scope and acceptance basis identified; neither is promised as a default here. EN 10204 3.1 or 3.2 is a certificate-form contract question, not an automatic service included with the grade. A document heading alone does not prove every ordered requirement.
ASTM-family Scope also identifies additional A20 testing/reporting for coil-derived plate furnished without heat treatment or with stress relieving only. For an SA order, confirm the applicable adopted provisions and product route rather than copy an ASTM-family checklist without edition review. A516 Grade 70 plate is a purpose contrast with a different service and grain-practice basis, not an automatic SA-515 replacement. A285 grades are not interchangeable either.
SA-515 Grade 70 acceptance questions
Does an A515 certificate automatically establish SA-515 compliance or dual certification?
No. An ASTM certificate alone does not establish acceptance for the SA order. Dual identification requires an agreed basis and supporting compliance review. Specify both requirements if needed and check the applicable editions and actual records.
What must be resolved on the purchase order?
The SA designation, Grade 70, governing Code year or Section II-A edition, units, plate sizes, condition, tests and certificate form. Do not assume that a public product listing proves the current SA text has been checked or identifies the governing Code year.
Are the chemistry and 38-ksi yield figures official ASME extracts here?
No. The table is qualified ASTM-family public reference. It keeps thickness-dependent carbon and heat/product differences separate; minimum yield is 38 ksi [260 MPa]. Confirm the named SA edition rather than treat the family summary as its acceptance table.
What does the 50-mm normalizing statement establish?
Only an identified ASTM-family compilation restatement: above 50 mm [2 in.] normalized, at or below normally as-rolled unless otherwise ordered. Official SA wording was not read. Confirm the ordered edition and independent unit limits; no temperature or default UT requirement follows.
Is 300 mm an official cap, or does another Grade 70 automatically qualify?
No on both points. A rolling-practice number is not a specification maximum, and shared Grade 70 wording does not establish equivalence. Review composition, mechanicals, condition, Code acceptance and the project’s approval process for any alternative.
Define the SA-515 acceptance package
Send Gangsteel the project requirement and the documents needed for review.
- SA designation, Grade 70, governing edition, units and dimensional schedule
- Required delivery condition and base/additional tests
- Certificate form, traceability expectations and any dual-designation requirement
Availability, document coverage and alternatives require specific agreement, not an assumption based on the grade name. Contact Gangsteel to discuss the specified plate requirement.