Metal Classification - Deciphering the Codes

Introduction
For the many different metals and alloys sold today, nearly as many classification
systems exist to keep all the standards straight within the industry. Students and
apprentices should become familar with at least a couple of them early on in their
training. Generally, welders refer to three key bodies when it comes to the
numbers - the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), which classifies steels; the
Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE), which classifies all metals used on motor
vehicles; and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), which
oversees codes that pertain to pressure vessels, fittings and pipe.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) maintains some 500 standards of its own.
These cover the oil and gas industry. Meanwhile, the American Society for
Testing and Materials (ASTM) has compiled some 12,000-plus codes for various
metal products. On aluminum stock, you may see labeling from the Aluminum
Association (AA). Finally, the U.S. Military (MIL) and some federal government
agencies have their own codes. For an example of how different classifications
line up against each other, here's a crossreferenee chart.
Naturally, there's a body set up to oversee all these "standards developing
organizations". It's known as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
On the global front, there's the International Organization for Standardization
(ISO), which attempts to consolidate various national stock codes worldwide. In
the 1970's, a "Unified Numbering System for Metals and Alloys" (UNS) was jointly
put into play by ASTM and SAE.
Long story short - Be prepared to see this alphabet soup on the labels of any new
metal stock you weld on, both in the shop and out in the field. (The American
Welding Society, incidentally, classifies filler rods and stick electrodes used by
welders, but not the base metals themselves. See Consumeables for info.)

Carbon and Alloyed Steels

Most ironworkers are aquainted with carbon steel, since tons of this material go
into building bridges, high-rises and pipelines each year. This steel begins as iron

oxide in rocks like hematite and magnetite, and during its processing carbon gets
added to create the material we know as steel. In particular, "cold-rolled" steel
labeled A36 comes in all shapes and sizes of girders, so you're likely to come
across it on any largescale project. (Cold-rolled means that the stock is shaped at
room temperature.) Once installed on a construction site, (and often even before
that), this framing usually has to be welded together. In manufacturing, both coldrolled and hot-rolled steel are used in a variety of alloys. An alloy is defined as a
separate element or compound added to the base metal, like nickel or chromium.

Steel framing classifications mostly come from ASTM. The code starts with the
letter A, followed by a number ranging anywhere from 1 to 1000. There's a
complete listing of the various specifications at the ASTM website, but here's a
sampling for common stock used in construction.
A36/A36M-08

Carbon Structural Steel

A53/A53M-10

Pipe, Steel, Black and Hot-Dipped, Zinc-Coated Welded/ Seamless

A242/A242M-04(R2009)

High-Strength Low-Alloy Structural Steel

A283/A283M-03(R2007) Low/Intermediate Tensile Strength Carbon Steel Plates

A307-10 Carbon Steel Bolts and Studs, 60,000 psi Tensile Strength
A500/A500M-10 Cold Formed Welded and Seamless Carbon Steel Structural
Tubing in Rounds and Shapes
A501-07

Hot-Formed Welded and Seamless Carbon Steel Structural Tubing

A992/A992M-06

Structural Steel Shapes

Another well-used classfication system you'll come across is the SAE-AISI code
for steel. The xx in the table below represents the carbon content of the metal in
hundredths of a percent. The first digit in the number represents the other alloy (if
any) added to the steel. The second digit indicates either the percentage of that
alloy, or more alloy additives.

You can read a layman's description of the different alloying elements (nickel,
phosphorus, manganese, etc.) on the website of Metallurgical Consultants.

Stainless Steels

The roster of stainless steel classifications is vast. Fortunately, this metal is

easily distinguished from the others, because three-digit numbers are used
instead of four. Most fall in the 200, 300, 400, 500 and 600 series.
As discussed in Visually Identifying Common Metals. stainless steel is
manufactured in different ways to achieve specific properties. The main
categories are Austenitic, Martensitic, Ferritic, Precipitation Hardening and
Duplex.
Stainless steels may also be idenfitied by their chromium/nickel percentages. You
see designations like 18-8, 15-5, 17-7, etc. The first number indicates the
percentage of chromium added to the steel, the second number the percent
nickel.
For welders, the most common stainless steel filler rod you'll see is 304L, used on
austenitic grades. The L stands for low carbon, which provides greater corrosion
resistance. For more on stainless steel filler rods, see TIG Welding Rods.

Resources/Docs
Metal Classification Guide
OnlineMetals.com
Understanding Carbon Content and Alloys in Steel
TheFabricator.com
Common Carbon Steels, Their Uses and Classification Numbers Coburn Myers
Five Categories of Stainless Steels Industrial Heating Magazine
Welding Stainless Steel (PDF)
Stainless Steel Info Center
Commonly Used Stainless Steels and Their Classfication Numbers
National Supply Source
Most Popular Stainless Steel Classifications
Stainless Steel Info Center
SAE Steel and Stainless Steel Classifications Wikipedia
Unified Numbering System for Metals and Alloys Matweb.com

Steelmaking Process
U.S. Steel
Sheet Metal Glossary
U.S. Steel
Metalworking Terms
Engineers Edge
Geometry Calculations
Engineers Edge
2010 Specification for Structural Steel Buildings (ANSI/AISI 360-10) AISI
Stock List (PDF)
Alaskan Copper & Brass
Steel Products Catalog (PDF)
Steel & Tube
Metal Products - General Descriptions, Uses and Number Classifications SpeedyMetals.com
Common Aluminum Grades
Universal Stainless
Aluminum Number Classification System
American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI)
Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE)
Aluminum Association (AA)
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

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Aluminum
Aluminum stock is classified with four-digit numbers, just like steel. The different
series (e.g. 1000, 2000, etc.) are divided according to each alloy added to the
aluminum. Like carbon steel, the 1000 series are the unalloyed form of the metal.
However, you'll notice that the numbering protocol for aluminum then assigns
one series per alloy. (In steel, multiple alloys may show up in one series.)
In the 1000 series of aluminum, the last 2 digits provide the minimum aluminum
percentage above 99%. For example the classification 1325 translates 99.50%
minimum aluminum. In all other cases, the three digits after the first number may
signify either different properties or other additives to the metal. (This will make
more sense as you peruse the designations below.) For a good discussion of the
different alloys and their use, plus more coding specifications, see the tutorial at
Alcotec.com.

Here's the general rundown:

1xxx Aluminum (99% pure aluminum)
Ductile, corrosion resistant, weldable but non-heat treatable. These alloys are
selected primarily for their superior corrosion resistance such as in specialized
chemical tanks and piping, or for their excellent electrical conductivity as in bus
bar applications. However, they have poor mechanical properties and would
seldom be considered for general structural applications. These base alloys are
often welded with matching filler material or with 4xxx filler alloys.
2xxx Aluminum - Copper alloys
This is the most common heat treatable alloy. Aluminum-copper alloys respond to
solution heat treatment. Subsequent aging will increase strength and hardness
while decreasing elongation. These metals are often welded with high strength
2xxx series filler alloys, but can sometimes be welded with the 4xxx series fillers
containing silicon or silicon and copper, dependent on the application and
service requirements.
3xxx Aluminum - Manganese alloys

Manganese increases strength either in solid solution or as a finely precipitated

inter-metallic phase. It has no adverse effect on corrosion resistance.
4xxx Aluminum - Silicon alloys
Predominantly used as filler material. While silicon is non-heat treatable, a
number of these alloys have been designed to have additions of magnesium or
copper, which provides them with the ability to respond favorably to solution heat
treatment. Typically, these heat treatable filler alloys are used when a welded
component is to be subjected to post weld thermal treatments.
5xxx Aluminum - Magnesium alloys
Aluminum-magnesium alloys are not heat-treatable, and may be strengthened by
cold work (strain hardening). Effectiveness of cold work hardening increases
when magnesium content is increased. The magnesium base alloys are often
welded with filler alloys, which are selected after consideration of the magnesium
content of the base material, and the application and service conditions of the
welded component. Base alloys with less than approximately 2.5% magnesium
are often welded successfully with the 5xxx or 4xxx series filler alloys.
6xxx Aluminum - Magnesium and Silicon alloys
Found widely throughout the welding fabrication industry, and incorporated in
many structural components. These alloys are naturally solidification crack
sensitive, and should not be arc welded autogenously (without filler material). The
addition of adequate amounts of filler material during the arc welding process is
essential in order to provide dilution of the base material, thereby preventing the
hot cracking problem. The 4xxx and 5xxx filler materials are most often used.
7xxx Aluminum - Zinc alloys
hese alloys are often used in high performance applications such as aircraft,
aerospace, and competitive sporting equipment. Like the 2xxx series of alloys,
this series incorporates alloys which are considered unsuitable candidates for
arc welding, and others, which are often arc welded successfully. The commonly
welded alloys in this series, such as 7005, are predominantly welded with the
5xxx series filler alloys.

8xxx Aluminum - Other Aluminum alloys

Aluminum-lithium alloys were developed for reducing weight in aircraft and
aerospace structures. They are heat-treatable.

Unified Numbering System

As mentioned above, the"Unified Numbering System for Metals and Alloys"(UNS)
was developed by ASTM and SAE in an effort to clear up the alphabet soup
problem. To date, it hasn't exactly caught on like wildfire in industry, but over time
you may see more of it. These codes begin with "UNS", followed by a letter and 5digit number. A UNS number can't totally replace other codes, however, since it
doesn't provide complete information about the metal's properties.
Here are the codes for some of the more common metals:
UNS Series:
A00001 to A99999 Aluminum and aluminum alloys
C00001 to C99999 Copper and copper alloys
D00001 to D99999 Specified mechanical property steels
E00001 to E99999 Rare earth and rare earthlike metals and alloys
F00001 to F99999 Cast irons
G00001 to G99999 AISI and SAE carbon and alloy steels (except tool steels)
H00001 to H99999 AISI and SAE H-steels