ASTM A210 Seamless Boiler Tube

ASTMA210/ASME SA210 seamless steel pipe for boiler and superheater is a form of seamless medium-carbon steel pipe with minimum wall wider.

It can be used as seamless boiler tube, boiler flue pipe (including safe end, vault and support tube) and superheater water pipe. This carbon steel seamless pipe is extensively employed boiler, chemical engineering, electric power some other industries. It may be used ultimately manufacturing of boiler water wall, economizer, reheater and steam pipes. ASME SA210 and ASTM A210 are fully equivalent; the difference lies in that they are issued by different organizations.

Scope

1. This specification covers minimum-wall-thickness, seamless medium-carbon steel, boiler tubes and boiler flues, including safe ends, arch and stay tubes, and superheater tubes. This type is not suitable for safe ending by forge welding.

2. The tubing sizes and thicknesses usually furnished to this specification are 1/2 in. to 5 in. [12.7 to 127 mm] in outside diameter and 0.035 to 0.500 in. [0.9 to 12.7 mm], inclusive, in minimum wall thickness. Tubing having other with all other requirements of this specification.

3. 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.

4. When these products are to be used in applications conforming to ISO Recommendations for Boiler Construction, the requirements of Specification A 520 , shall supplement and supersede the requirements of this specification.

5. 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 are not exact equivalents; therefore, each system must be used independently of the other. Combining value from the two systems may result in nonconformance with the specification. The inch-pound units shall apply unless the “m” designation of this specification is specified in the order.

ASTM A210 Seamless Boiler Tube Grades

ASTM A210 has two grades:
ASTM A210 Grade A-1: Medium and low pressure boilers, heat exchangers.
ASTM A210 Grade C: Boilers and superheaters with higher strength requirements.

ASTM A210 Chemical Composition

Element, %	Grade A-1	Grade C
Carbon, max a	0.27	0.35
Manganese	0.93 max	0.29 – 1.06
Phosphorus, max	0.035	0.035
Sulfur, max	0.035	0.035
Silicon, min	0.10	0.10

a For each reduction of 0.01 % below the specified carbon maximum, an increase of 0.06 % of manganese above the specified maximum will be permitted up to a maximum of 1.35 %.

ASTM A210 Mechanical Property

1. ASTM A210 Grade A-1

Tensile strength	60 ksi [415 MPa] min
Yield strength	37 ksi [255 MPa] min
Elongation in 2 in. [50 mm]	30 % min

2. ASTM A210 Grade C

Tensile strength	60 ksi [415 MPa] min
Yield strength	37 ksi [255 MPa] min
Elongation in 2 in. [50 mm]	30 % min
Hardness	Not exceed 89 HRBW or 179 HBW

ASTM A210 Hardness Requirement

Grade	Grade A-1	Grade C
Hardness	Not exceed 79 HRBW or 143 HBW	Not exceed 89 HRBW or 179 HBW

Hardness testing is commonly used for cold-worked or disputed pipe re-inspection and is a high-frequency indicator in export inspection.

Manufacturing Process of ASTM A210 Seamless Boiler Tube

1. ASTM A210 A-1 grade seamless boiler tubes shall be manufactured from killed steel using a seamless process, with hot rolling or cold rolling processes optional.

2. ASTM A210 C grade seamless boiler tubes shall be manufactured using a hot rolling or cold rolling seamless process optional, and the process used shall be indicated in the pipe markings.

Hot-rolled tubes do not require heat treatment. Cold-rolled tubes shall undergo subcritical annealing, full annealing, or normalizing heat treatment after the final cold rolling process.

A210 Grade A-1 vs Grade C

Comparison	Grade A-1	Grade C
Carbon Content	Lower	Higher
Strengthening Method	Low Carbon + Stabilizing Plasticity	Medium Carbon + Manganese Strengthening
Strength Potential	Medium	Higher
High Temperature Load Capacity	Average	Better
Cost	Lower	Slightly Higher
Common Applications	Medium and Low Pressure Boilers	High Load Boilers, Superheaters

ASTM A210 Equivalent Material

ASME	ASTM	JIS	GB
ASME SA210	ASTM A192	JIS G 3461	GB/T 5310

Hot-rolled tubes do not require heat treatment. Cold-rolled tubes, after the final cold rolling process, should undergo subcritical annealing, full annealing, or normalizing heat treatment.

Applications of ASTM A210 Seamless Boiler Tube

Thermal power plant boiler systems;

Industrial boilers and heat exchange equipment;

Superheaters and flues in petrochemical plants;

Auxiliary piping for pressure vessels.

How to Choose ASTM A210 Seamless Boiler Tube

1. Choose ASTM A210 Grade A-1:

If you are concerned with:

Cost control;

Welding and bending;

Medium-to-low pressure, non-extreme temperature conditions.

2. Choose ASTM A210 Grade C:

If you are concerned with:

High temperature, high load;

Long-term operational safety;

Superheaters or critical boiler components.

FAQ

1. What is the difference between ASTM A210 and ASTM A192 boiler tube?

A210 is a medium carbon steel boiler tube with higher strength; A192 is lower carbon and suitable for low-pressure boilers.

2. Must ASTM A210 be seamless?

Yes, ASTM A210 is only applicable to seamless boiler tubes.

3. Can ASME SA210 replace ASTM A210?

Yes, they can be used interchangeably provided the technical requirements are completely identical.

Read more: ASTM A106 vs. ASTM A192: Which Is Better for Boiler Tubes?