This guide specifies standard specification for nominal-wall-thickness welded tubes and heavily cold worked welded tubes made from the austenitic steels with various grades intended for such use as a boiler, superheater, heat exchanger, or condenser tubes. Heat and product analysis shall conform to the requirements as to chemical composition for carbon, manganese, phosphorous, sulfur, silicon, chromium, nickel, molybdenum, nitrogen, copper, and others. All materials shall be furnished in the heat-treated condition in accordance with the required solution temperature and quenching method. When the final heat treatment is in a continuous furnace, the number of tubes of the same size and from the same heat in a lot shall be determined from the prescribed size of the tubes. The material shall conform to the prescribed tensile and hardness properties such as tensile strength, yield strength, elongation, and Rockwell hardness number. The steel shall undergo mechanical tests such as tension test, flattening test, flange test, reverse-bend test, hardness test, and hydrostatic or nondestructive electric test. The grain size of different grades of steel shall be determined in accordance with the test methods.

1.1 This specification2 covers nominal-wall-thickness welded tubes and heavily cold worked welded tubes made from the austenitic steels listed in Table 1, with various grades intended for such use as boiler, superheater, heat exchanger, or condenser tubes.

1.2 Grades TP304H, TP309H, TP309HCb, TP310H, TP310HCb, TP316H, TP321H, TP347H, and TP348H are modifications of Grades TP304, TP309S, TP309Cb, TP310S, TP310Cb, TP316, TP321, TP347, and TP348, and are intended for high-temperature service such as for superheaters and reheaters.

1.3 The tubing sizes and thicknesses usually furnished to this specification are ¹/₈ in. [3.2 mm] in inside diameter to 12 in. [304.8 mm] in outside diameter and 0.015 to 0.320 in. [0.4 to 8.1 mm], inclusive, in wall thickness. Tubing having other dimensions may be furnished, provided such tubes comply with all other requirements of this specification.

1.4 Mechanical property requirements do not apply to tubing smaller than ¹/₈ in. [3.2 mm] in inside diameter or 0.015 in. [0.4 mm] in thickness.

1.5 Optional supplementary requirements are provided and, when one or more of these are desired, each shall be so stated in the order.

1.6 The values stated in either inch-pound units or SI units are to be regarded separately as standard. Within the text, the SI units are shown in brackets. The values stated in each system may not be exact equivalents; therefore, each system shall be used independently of the other. Combining values from the two systems may result in non-conformance with the standard. The inch-pound units shall apply unless the “M” designation of this specification is specified in the order.

1.7 The following safety hazards caveat pertains only to the test method described in the Supplementary Requirements of this specification. This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. A specific warning statement is given in Supplementary Requirement S7, Note S7.1.