ASTM A480/A480M-20 – Standard Specification for General Requirements for Flat-Rolled Stainless and Heat-Resisting Steel Plate, Sheet, and Strip
Heat analysis. Methods and practices relating to chemical analysis shall be in accordance with Test Methods, Practices, and Terminology A751.
A heat analysis for each heat shall be performed by the steel manufacturer to determine the percentage of elements specified in the applicable material specification. This analysis shall be conducted on a sample taken during the pouring of the melt or on an intermediate product at a later stage of the manufacturing process.
The heat analysis shall conform to the chemical requirements for each of the specified elements for the ordered grade, as set forth in the applicable product specification.
All commercial metals contain small amounts of elements other than those specified. It is neither practical nor necessary to establish limits for unspecified elements that may be present. The manufacturer is permitted to perform analyses for unspecified elements and to provide the results of such analyses. The presence of an unspecified element and the provision of analysis results for that element shall not constitute grounds for rejection, unless the presence of such an element results in the loss of a property normally expected for the metal in question, given its ordered type and grade.
The purchaser has the right to specify, in the purchase order, a maximum limit for an individual element not otherwise listed in the product specification. Once such a requirement for an element not included in the product specification is confirmed upon acceptance of the order, it shall be treated as a specified element, requiring chemical analysis and the reporting of the results of that analysis.
