ASTM A213

ASTM A213 Boiler Tube

A213 is a seamless ferritic and austenitic alloy steel tube specification for boiler, superheater and heat-exchanger service. It covers a wide grade range — the grade designation, the heat-treatment condition and the test requirements are separate fields that must each be stated.

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The family

A wide grade range, not two grade names

T11 and T22 are frequently quoted as though they were the alloy boiler-tube family. They are two grades within a much larger scope, and neither is a default.

ASTM A213 grade groups: what each group covers and what to confirm before enquiring
Grade group	What it covers	Before you enquire
Carbon and carbon-molybdenum grades	Lower-alloy compositions for moderate elevated-temperature service.	Confirm the approved grade against the design code and the operating temperature.
Low-chromium alloy grades	The common boiler and heat-exchanger alloy group. T11 and T22 are members of this group, not the whole family.	State the exact grade designation; do not generalise to “alloy tube”.
Higher-chromium and austenitic grades	Grades for more demanding temperature and corrosion duties.	The grade, condition and inspection plan come from the code-approved schedule.
The designation prefix matters	The same number appears with different prefixes for tube, pipe and plate. The prefix identifies the product form and the governing standard.	Copy the designation exactly as the equipment specification writes it.

Scope note. No grade, chemical limit, temperature limit or test requirement is published on this page. Those values come from the specification edition the contract invokes and the design code the equipment is built to.

ASTM A213 T11 Tube

Circuit qualification, wall convention, inspection and replacement controls for the T11 grade.

ASTM A213 T22 Tube

The sibling grade, and why a higher alloy designation is a substitution rather than an upgrade.

Order fields

Six fields that make an A213 order complete

An enquiry that names a grade alone leaves the edition, condition and test basis unresolved.

Standard and edition

The ASTM A213/A213M edition the contract invokes, together with the code the equipment is designed to.

Grade designation

The exact grade as written in the equipment specification. Grade family generalisations are not orderable.

Heat-treatment condition

The required condition at delivery. A grade name without a condition leaves the acceptance basis open.

Dimensions and tolerances

OD, wall and length with the controlling dimension named and the applicable tolerance basis.

Test requirements

Which tests the specification and the design code require, and at which stage they are performed.

Documentation

The certificate and record set the project requires, referenced to the equipment tag or line number.

Limits

Where a boiler-tube description stops being sufficient

These limits account for most of the disputes on an elevated-temperature tube order.

Boiler-tube order limits: the control, what it means and the action it becomes
Control	What it means	Action
Grade without condition	A grade designation does not state the heat-treated condition at delivery.	State the required condition and any later processing.
Standard without edition	Editions differ. The invoked edition governs the order.	Copy the edition from the equipment specification.
Grade family generalisation	“Low-chromium alloy” is not an orderable designation and cannot be substituted for one.	Use the exact grade the specification writes.
Thermal service is a code decision	Suitability for an elevated-temperature duty follows from the design code, not from the tube description.	Obtain the code-approved schedule and the approval owner.

Continue from the standard to the specification

The standard and grade are two fields. The duty, the treatment and the dimensional basis follow them.