This specification establishes quality assurance requirements for carbon and alloy steel wire, rods, and bars for mechanical fasteners. Manufacturing of materials shall conform to the melting, casting, deoxidation, grain size, hardenability, and thermal treatment practices of this specification. Chemical requirements shall conform to the specified limits of chemical composition for carbon steel. Requirements of metallurgical structure shall include course austenitic grain size, fine autenitic grain size, and speheroidized annealed material. The material shall be tested for decarburization, maximum tensile strength, reduction area, hardenability, grain size, calibration, dimensions, and tolerances. Surface condition, coating, workmanship, finish, appearance, and packaging shall also conform to the requirements of this specification.

1.1 This specification establishes quality assurance requirements for the physical, mechanical, and metallurgical requirements for carbon and alloy steel wire, rods, and bars in coils intended for the manufacture of mechanical fasteners which includes: bolts, nuts, rivets, screws, washers, and special parts manufactured cold.

Note 1—The Steel Industry uses the term “quality” to designate characteristics of a material which make it particularly well suited to a specific fabrication and/or application and does not imply “quality” in the usual sense.

1.2 Wire size range includes 0.062 to 1.375 in.

1.3 Rod size range usually includes ⁷/₃₂ in. (0.219) to ⁴⁷/₆₄ in. (0.734) and generally offered in ¹/₆₄ increments (0.0156).

1.4 Bar size range includes ³/₈ in. (0.375) to 1½ in. (1.500).

1.5 Sizes for wire, rod and bar outside the ranges of paragraphs 1.2-1.4 may be ordered by agreement between purchaser and supplier.

1.6 Material is furnished in many application variations. The purchaser should advise the supplier regarding the manufacturing process and finished product application as appropriate. Five application variations are:

1.6.1 Wire is furnished for all five application variations.

1.6.2 Rod and bar are furnished to the single application variation; Cold Heading.