ASME standard carbon steel pipes are core products for industrial piping systems formulated by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Their strict regulations ensure the safety and reliability of the pipes under various working conditions. According to the ASME B36.10M/B36.19M standard, carbon steel pipes are classified into two types based on the manufacturing process: Seamless and Welded. They are also divided into multiple grades such as Sch 10 to Sch 160 according to the wall thickness Schedule to adapt to different pressure and temperature environments.
Material properties and classificationASME carbon steel pipes are mainly made of carbon steel and are classified according to their chemical composition and properties as follows:
A106 Grade B: Seamless medium and
High-Temperature Pipes with a relatively high manganese content (0.29%-0.86%), suitable for the transportation of steam, oil and natural gas below 538℃.
A53 Grade B: Welded or seamless general-purpose pipe, carbon content ≤0.30%, with both good weldability and mechanical strength, and widely used in low-pressure fluids such as water, air, and gas.
A333 Grade 6: Seamless steel pipes for low-temperature use, with nickel added (≤0.30%), can withstand a low-temperature environment of -46 ℃, and are often used in liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipelines.
Manufacturing process and quality controlThe manufacturing process strictly follows the ASME code:
Seamless pipe production: Solid steel billets are made into hollow pipe billets through a piercing machine, and then formed by hot rolling or cold drawing to ensure the uniformity and high strength of the pipe wall.
Welded pipe production: Resistance welding (ERW) or submerged arc welding (SAW) processes are adopted. After welding, heat treatment is required to relieve stress, and the weld seam must undergo 100% non-destructive testing (NDT).
Quality inspection: including chemical composition analysis, tensile test, flattening test, hydrostatic test and ultrasonic/radiographic inspection, to ensure that each pipeline complies with application standards such as ASME B31.1 (power pipeline) or B31.3 (process pipeline).
Application fieldASME carbon steel pipes are widely used in:
Power industry: Main steam pipeline of power station boiler (A106 Gr.B), condensate water system.
Construction engineering: Water supply and drainage, fire sprinkler systems for high-rise buildings.
Cryogenic engineering: LNG receiving terminal, liquid nitrogen storage facilities (A333 Gr.6).
Standard advantages and international recognition
The ASME standard is renowned for its rigor and innovation. In collaboration with standards such as ASTM (Materials) and API (Petroleum), it forms a complete industrial pipeline system. Its
Carbon Steel Pipe products have passed the ASME BPVC certification and are mandatory or recommended for adoption in more than 100 countries around the world, becoming an important technical basis in international engineering bidding and tendering.
Development trendWith the green energy transition, ASME carbon steel pipes are developing towards high toughness (such as A671 nickel-based alloy pipes), corrosion resistance (inner coating technology), and intelligence (Internet of Things monitoring) to meet the demands of emerging fields such as supercritical power generation and hydrogen energy transmission.
