ASTM A517 Grade E Steel Plate | A517 Gr.E QT High Strength Vessel Plate

ASTM A517 Grade E is the high-chromium thick grade in ASTM A517/A517M. Like Grade Q, it may be furnished up to 150 mm (6 in.). The difference is alloy: Grade E is a high-Cr-Mo plate without a specified nickel band. Grade Q is Ni-Cr-Mo-V. If the drawing says Grade E, nickel from a Grade Q heat does not make it Grade E. As a China mill Agent, SHH STEEL supplies this plate to the ASTM product specification.

The same plate is written A517 Gr.E, A517GRE, A517 GR E, A517 Grade E, ASME SA517 Grade E, SA517 Gr.E, SA517GRE and A/SA517 Grade E. They all mean Grade E. ASTM A517/A517M is the product specification. ASME SA-517/SA-517M is the Code companion used with Section VIII.

ASTM A517 lists eight grades—A, B, E, F, H, P, Q and S. They share one mechanical table where thickness overlaps. They do not share alloy content or maximum thickness. Grade E and Grade Q are the 150 mm pair. Grade P stops at 100 mm. Grade F stops at 65 mm. Grade H and Grade S stop at 50 mm. Grade A and Grade B stop at 32 mm.

The steel is killed and made to fine austenitic grain practice under ASTM A20 / ASME SA-20. Heat treatment is mandatory quench and temper: austenitize at not less than 900 °C, quench in water or oil, temper at not less than 620 °C. As-rolled plate is not A517GRE. Normalized-only plate is not A517 Grade E. SA387 / A387 normalizing-and-tempering practice is also not this grade, even though both families contain chromium and molybdenum.

Do not mix this page with ASTM A516 or ASME SA516. Those are carbon vessel plates. ASTM A517 Grade E is a QT alloy plate. It is also not structural A514. A514 is a structural specification. A517 is a pressure-vessel specification with A20 general requirements, Code marking and vessel testing.

For Code work the plate is dual-certified to ASME SA517 Grade E and used under ASME Section VIII. Certificates can be EN 10204 3.1 or EN 10204 3.2.

When a project is still choosing high-strength vessel plate, Direct Mill Supply by SHH STEEL puts A517GRE next to ASME SA537, ASTM A537, ASME SA387 and ASTM A285, so the buyer can see whether they actually need 690 MPa QT, a lower-strength carbon QT, or a conventional elevated-temperature Cr-Mo route.

This plate belongs to the Pressure Vessel Steel Plates family. It is not a structural HSLA Steel Plates substitute and not a Carbon Steel Plates grade.

Chemistry for ASTM A517 Grade E is reported as heat analysis and, when specified, product analysis under ASTM A517/A517M. Grade E is a high-chromium molybdenum alloy. Chromium heat analysis is 1.40–2.00%. Nickel is not specified. That chromium window is the first check on a ladle report when someone tries to pass a Grade Q or Grade F heat as Grade E.

Heat Analysis — ASTM A517 Grade E / A517GRE

Product Analysis — A517 Gr.E / SA517 Grade E

A Grade Q heat cannot be recertified as Grade E. Grade Q requires nickel and vanadium in different bands, and chromium is lower. A Grade F heat cannot be recertified as Grade E either. If the drawing says ASTM A517 Grade E, the ladle must sit in the Grade E table. As a China mill Distributor, SHH STEEL reports heat analysis on every certificate and adds product analysis when ASTM A20 or the vessel specification requires it.

Tighter phosphorus, sulfur or residuals are supplementary. Vacuum carbon deoxidation and other A20 chemistry items are available when written on the order. High chromium also raises carbon equivalent, so weld procedures should not be copied from Grade B simply because both sit in A517.

Grade E uses both lines of the A517 tensile table because it is allowed to 150 mm.

Tensile Requirements — ASTM A517 Grade E per ASTM A517/A517M

That second line is why Grade E exists alongside Grade Q. Both can carry heavy courses. Alloy selection is the designer’s choice, not a mill substitution. A 70 mm plate is ordered and tested to the lower yield line. Do not apply the 690 MPa line to 80 mm Grade E and call the heat compliant.

Density is 7.85 g/cm³. Hardness after QT is typically in a high-strength vessel range; a special HBW window is a supplementary requirement, not a default in ASTM A517.

ASTM A517 requires transverse Charpy V-notch testing with a minimum lateral expansion of 0.38 mm (0.015 in.) on each specimen. The test temperature is agreed between purchaser and manufacturer. Do not assume −20 °C, −40 °C or −50 °C. Offshore and heavy-wall jobs often write a colder temperature and an energy minimum on top of lateral expansion. Those extras belong on the mill instruction.

Specimens follow ASTM A20. If simulated PWHT is specified, coupons from the same A517 Gr.E heat follow the vessel cycle before tensile and impact testing. On QT 690 MPa plate that request is not optional if the shop will PWHT the vessel. A tempering temperature that looks fine at the mill can still leave no margin for a long shop cycle.

Order ASTM A517 Grade E when the drawing names Grade E or when thickness needs the 150 mm ceiling without the Grade Q nickel band. If the plate is 40 mm and the drawing allows Grade F, Grade F may be enough. SHH STEEL does not swap E for Q on a Code vessel without a written revision.

HSLA Steel Plates and S690QL structural plate are not ASTM A517. If the equipment is Section VIII, stay on A517 / SA517.

ASTM A517 Grade E exists because some thick vessels need 690 MPa class QT plate with high chromium rather than the Grade Q nickel-vanadium route. The 150 mm ceiling keeps the same specification on heavy courses.

When dual certified to ASME SA517 Grade E, allowable stress comes from ASME Section II Part D for SA-517 Grade E, not from a mill flyer. Impact temperature is an order number.

Typical use is thick high-pressure process vessels, heavy courses, and other fusion-welded parts specified to A517 Grade E. It is not a cryogenic 3.5Ni or 9Ni grade. It is also not a substitute for A387 / SA387 when the drawing is written for elevated-temperature Cr-Mo allowable stresses and a normalize-and-temper route.

A517GRE is a high-strength QT alloy with high chromium. Welding is not the same job as welding A516 Gr.70, and it is not automatically the same WPS as Grade Q.

Procedures for Code work are qualified to ASME Section IX. Consumables should match the required joint strength, toughness and alloy. Hydrogen control, preheat and interpass are mandatory. High-Cr QT plate has enough hardenability that a cold, restrained start will crack.

Preheat depends on thickness, restraint, hydrogen and the qualified WPS. After welding, many shops want to PWHT. On QT plate that decision has to be engineered. A shop cycle that is too hot or too long can drop yield below the A517 table. Simulated PWHT of mill coupons should be on the purchase order whenever the vessel specification includes PWHT.

Do not copy an A516, A387 or Grade Q procedure onto ASTM A517 Grade E without review. Procedure review can go through steel welding services. The fabricator owns the qualified WPS.

Heat treatment of ASTM A517 Grade E follows ASTM A517/A517M:

• Heat to not less than 900 °C (1650 °F)
• Quench in water or oil
• Temper at not less than 620 °C (1150 °F)

That sequence is the product. As-rolled plate is not A517 Grade E. Normalized-only plate is not A517 Grade E. A387 normalizing-and-tempering practice is also not this grade.

Holding time follows mill practice and ASTM A20 thickness rules. Thick Grade E plate needs enough soak at both austenitizing and tempering temperatures to finish the core. If the purchaser fixes a tempering band or a maximum tempering temperature because later PWHT is planned, those limits go on the mill instruction and onto the certificate.

SHH STEEL reports the actual heat-treatment condition on the MTC for every A517 Gr.E plate, including quench medium when the mill records it.

Delivery condition for this grade is quenched and tempered. That is the only standard condition.

The certificate lists ASTM A517 Grade E and, when dual certified, ASME SA517 Grade E; heat number; heat analysis; product analysis when ordered; tensile results by thickness line; reduction of area; Charpy lateral expansion and test temperature; heat-treatment temperatures; and supplementary tests.

Surface is vessel-plate quality. Shot blasting and shop primer are available. Decorative 2B or BA finishes are not used on QT vessel plate.

Certificates may be EN 10204 3.1 or EN 10204 3.2. BV, LR, DNV, TUV, SGS or the buyer’s agency can witness quench, temper, mechanical tests and documents when the order says so.

Usual supply range from SHH STEEL for A517 Gr.E QT high strength vessel plate:

• Thickness: 8 mm – 150 mm (Grade E maximum in ASTM A517 is 150 mm)
• Width: up to about 4000 mm
• Length: up to about 12000 mm

State the ordered thickness clearly. At 65 mm the tensile table changes. A 70 mm plate is ordered and tested to the lower yield line. Cut-to-length shells and nest sizes are available.

Dimensional limits follow ASTM A20 / ASME SA-20. Thickness, width, length, flatness and camber are vessel-plate tolerances. QT plate can move during quench; extra-flatness is a negotiated item, not a free default.

Ultrasonic testing to A435 or A578 is commonly added on Grade E because thickness and restraint are high. Finished sizes go through steel cutting services. Thermal cutting of 690 MPa QT plate needs preheat and edge control; that belongs in the cutting instruction, not as an afterthought.

Almost every ASTM A517 Grade E order adds tests beyond the base tensile table. High chromium, heavy thickness and later shop PWHT are the usual reasons. SHH STEEL does not assume these extras. They run only when they are written on the purchase order.

Simulated PWHT. Same-heat coupons follow the vessel cycle: heating rate, soak temperature, hold time and cooling path as stated by the fabricator. Tensile and Charpy are then run on those coupons, not only on the as-QT plate. On 690 MPa QT plate this is the test that prevents a shop surprise. If the vessel specification includes PWHT and simulated PWHT is omitted from the mill order, the plate can still meet ASTM A517 as delivered and miss the after-PWHT numbers the shop needs.

Charpy details. The base specification requires transverse Charpy V-notch lateral expansion of 0.38 mm (0.015 in.) on each specimen. The test temperature is agreed. Purchasers commonly add an energy minimum in joules, a colder temperature than the mill default, specimen location (surface, quarter-thickness or mid-thickness on heavy plate), and a retest rule. Write those items on the RFQ. Do not assume −40 °C.

NDE. Ultrasonic testing to ASTM A435, A577 or A578 with purchaser acceptance levels. Edge magnetic-particle or liquid-penetrant examination after cutting is added when nozzles or strained joints are cut from the plate. Straight-beam UT on 80–150 mm Grade E is a normal request, not an unusual one.

Hardness survey. Surface or through-thickness HBW or HV after QT, and again after simulated PWHT when that cycle is specified. A hardness window is not a default in ASTM A517. It is a supplementary limit used to control weldability and to confirm the temper.

Restricted chemistry. Tighter phosphorus and sulfur, residual limits, or vacuum carbon deoxidation per ASTM A20 supplementary requirements. High-Cr Grade E already sits at a higher carbon equivalent than Grade B. Restricted P and S help toughness and hydrogen-related performance when the datasheet asks for them.

HIC / NACE. Hydrogen-induced cracking tests to NACE TM0284, or sour-service chemistry to NACE MR0175 / ISO 15156, only when the datasheet cites those documents. Grade E is not automatically sour-service plate. Do not print “NACE” on a certificate unless the tests and chemistry were actually ordered.

Z-direction. ASTM A770 or quality classes Z15 / Z25 / Z35 for thick nozzles, pad plates and joints with through-thickness strain. On 80–150 mm Grade E this is a frequent extra, not a rare one.

Third-party witnessing. Quench, temper, mechanical tests, UT and document review can be witnessed by BV, LR, DNV, TUV, SGS or the buyer’s appointed agency. Output can be EN 10204 3.2. EN 10204 3.1 remains the standard mill certificate when no witness is named.

These tests run through steel testing service. If an item is not on the purchase order, it is not assumed, not tested and not printed as if it were.

These names are used for project comparison. They are not automatic substitutes. Chemistry, thickness limit, heat treatment, impact rule and Code marking still have to match the drawing.

For stamping a Section VIII vessel, write dual A517 / SA517 Grade E. Do not stamp EN P690QL, JIS SHY685 or SA387 Grade 22 unless that specification is actually ordered and tested. Nearby vessel pages: ASTM A537, ASME SA537, ASTM A516, ASME SA516.

ASTM A517 Grade E / A517 Gr.E is selected when a Section VIII or equivalent vessel needs high-Cr QT alloy strength and thickness up to 150 mm.

Related pages: petrochemical industry, energy industry, steel cutting services, steel welding services, steel testing service, worldwide shipping service.

SHH STEEL works as a China Mill Direct Exporter for plates to ASTM A517/A517M. On ASTM A517 Grade E that is not a slogan. It is the supply route: the plate is rolled and quench-tempered at a producing mill, marked to the ordered specification, and exported with the tests the vessel shop wrote on the purchase order.

For this grade that means mill pricing instead of mixed-yard stock of unknown heats. Dual A517 / SA517 Grade E marking is available when the vessel must be stamped to ASME Section VIII. Heat analysis is reported on every certificate. Product analysis is added when ASTM A20 or the buyer asks for it. The 1.40–2.00% chromium band is checked against Grade E, not against a nearby A517 grade.

Heat treatment is recorded. Austenitizing temperature, quench medium when the mill records it, and tempering temperature go on the MTC. Charpy lateral expansion is run at the temperature agreed on the order. If the RFQ adds energy minima or a through-thickness location, those extras are scheduled with the mill, not promised after the plate has already been cut.

EN 10204 3.1 is standard. EN 10204 3.2 is arranged when a third party is named. Simulated PWHT, UT, hardness, Z-direction and restricted chemistry are treated as order items, not as brochure defaults. That is the difference between selling “A517 Grade E” as a name and supplying A517GRE as a Code plate.

We also keep the order on the right grade. Grade E is not Grade Q. Grade E is not A387. Grade E is not A514. Grade E is not EN 10028-6 P690QL unless that specification is actually ordered. If the drawing names Q, we will not ship E. If the thickness is inside Grade F and the drawing names F, we will not upsell E only because both are A517.

Cutting, welding procedure review and testing can be coordinated through the service pages already linked above. Export packing and documents go through worldwide shipping service. Company scope: China steel Mill Agent-SHH STEEL.

ASTM A517 Grade E Steel Plate is the high-Cr-Mo, quenched-and-tempered high-strength vessel grade in ASTM A517/A517M, allowed to 150 mm. Whether the inquiry says A517 Gr.E, A517GRE, A517 Grade E or ASME SA517 Grade E, SHH STEEL supplies plate with heat and product analysis, recorded QT, thickness-correct tensile lines, agreed Charpy testing, optional simulated PWHT, and EN 10204 3.1 or 3.2 certification.

As a China mill Distributor, SHH STEEL provides ASTM A517 Grade E / A517 Gr.E QT High Strength Vessel Plate for boiler and ASME Section VIII work.

Contact SHH STEEL for mill rolling, QT, dual A517/SA517 marking, 3.2 inspection or a quotation.

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