ASTM A572 Grade 60

High-strength low-alloy (HSLA) structural steel · ASTM A572/A572M-25 — High-Strength Low-Alloy Columbium-Vanadium Structural Steel · ASTM A6/A6M-26a — General requirements for rolled structural steel bars, plates, shapes, and sheet piling

ASTM A572 Grade 60 is a microalloyed HSLA structural steel specified by a minimum yield point of 60 ksi [415 MPa] and minimum tensile strength of 75 ksi [520 MPa]. It covers several rolled product forms, but dimensional limits, elongation rules, toughness requirements, availability, and bridge-use restrictions must be checked for the actual product. It is not a weathering grade, does not include a general Charpy toughness guarantee, and should not be treated as interchangeable with A992, A588, A709, or other nominally similar steels without a specification-level review.

60 ksi [415 MPa]Minimum yield point · Grade-defining minimum tensile-test requirement.
75 ksi [520 MPa]Minimum tensile strength · ASTM A572 specifies a minimum, not a general maximum tensile strength.
Plate/bar thickness and shape flange or leg thickness: 2.5 in. [64 mm] maximumCurrent dimensional limit · For Grade 60 under ASTM A572/A572M-25; sheet piling, zees, and rolled tees are not restricted by the Grade 60 table entry.
Killed, microalloyed HSLA steelMetallurgical basis · The producer selects a permitted niobium, vanadium, niobium-vanadium, or titanium-nitrogen-vanadium alloy system unless the purchase order invokes additional5.7
Not included as a universal base requirementImpact toughness · CVN energy, test temperature, orientation, location, and frequency must be specified when toughness matters.
Grade 60 is intended for riveted or bolted bridge constructionBridge limitation · ASTM A572 permits welded construction for other applications; welded bridge work requires careful alignment with the governing bridge material and welding5.7

Overview

Designation system: ASTM grade designation based on minimum yield point: 60 ksi [415 MPa]
Product forms: Structural plates, Structural bars, Hot-rolled structural shapes, Sheet piling, Zees, Rolled tees
Condition: Killed steel, Hot-rolled structural product as furnished under ASTM A572/A572M and ASTM A6/A6M, Finished structural products processed from coil, subject to the additional ASTM A6/A6M requirements
Density: 7850 kg/m³ (Representative engineering value for carbon and low-alloy structural steel; density is not a grade-defining ASTM A572 requirement.)

What the designation controls

The designation combines a product specification and a strength grade. ASTM A572/A572M defines the steel chemistry, mandatory microalloy system, tensile requirements, permitted product forms, and maximum dimensions. ASTM A6/A6M supplies the general rules for ordering, dimensions and tolerances, testing, inspection, repair, marking, certification, and products processed from coil. Grade 60 means a minimum yield point of 60 ksi in the inch-pound system or 415 MPa in the SI system; ASTM requires each unit system to be used independently rather than mixing converted values.

Grade 60 product coverage under ASTM A572/A572M-25

Product form	Maximum applicable dimension	Practical interpretation
Plates and bars	2.5 in. [64 mm] thickness or applicable section dimension	Round bars may be furnished through 3.5 in. [90 mm] diameter under the table exception.
Structural shapes	2.5 in. [64 mm] flange or leg thickness	The 2025 revision increased the former 2 in. [50 mm] Grade 60 shape limit.
Sheet piling	All sizes covered by the product specification	Commercial availability still requires confirmation.
Zees and rolled tees	All sizes covered by the product specification	The absence of a grade-table limit does not establish that every section is routinely produced.

These are specification limits, not a statement of mill or service-center availability.

Coils themselves are not qualified to ASTM A572. Qualification applies after a processor converts a coil into finished structural products and performs the testing, inspection, marking, and certification required by ASTM A6/A6M.

Mechanical requirements and their applicability

Mandatory room-temperature tensile requirements

Property	ASTM requirement	Important qualification
Yield point	60 ksi [415 MPa] minimum	Reported from the applicable ASTM A6/A6M tension-test specimen and orientation.
Tensile strength	75 ksi [520 MPa] minimum	No general maximum tensile strength or maximum yield-to-tensile ratio is specified by ASTM A572 Grade 60.
Elongation in 8 in. [200 mm]	16% minimum	For plates wider than 24 in. [600 mm], reduce the Grade 60 requirement by three percentage points.
Elongation in 2 in. [50 mm]	18% minimum	For plates wider than 24 in. [600 mm], reduce the requirement by three percentage points. Wide-flange shapes over 426 lb/ft [634 kg/m] instead have a 19% minimum in 2 in. [50 mm].
Floor plate elongation	Not required to be determined	Other applicable tensile requirements still depend on how the floor plate is ordered.

The standard gives specification minima, not typical design curves or guaranteed values at elevated or subzero temperatures.

The grade does not establish elastic modulus, Poisson’s ratio, thermal expansion, fatigue resistance, through-thickness ductility, fracture toughness, elevated-temperature strength, or fire-design properties. Values used for those purposes normally come from the governing design code, project testing, or product-specific qualification—not from the Grade 60 designation itself. Actual mill yield strength can exceed 60 ksi, and this should not be interpreted as qualification to another grade unless the material is certified to that specification.

Chemistry and strengthening mechanism

Grade 60 heat-analysis limits

Element	Requirement	Qualification
Carbon	0.26% maximum	A relatively broad grade limit; the actual heat chemistry is important when developing welding procedures.
Manganese	1.35% maximum	For each 0.01 percentage point reduction below the carbon maximum, manganese may increase by 0.06 percentage point, to 1.60% maximum.
Manganese minimum	0.80% for plate over 3/8 in. [10 mm]; 0.50% for thinner plate and other products	Heat-analysis values; corresponding product-analysis minima are 0.75% and 0.45%. Mn:C must be at least 2:1.
Phosphorus	0.030% maximum	Up to 0.040% is permitted for structural shapes, sheet piling, bars, and plates no more than 15 in. [380 mm] wide.
Sulfur	0.030% maximum	Up to 0.050% is permitted for structural shapes, sheet piling, bars, and plates no more than 15 in. [380 mm] wide.
Silicon	0.40% maximum for plate through 1.5 in. [40 mm] and the other listed Grade 60 products; 0.15–0.40% for thicker plate	The thicker-plate range applies where the Grade 60 plate dimensional limit permits it.
Copper when specified	0.20% minimum by heat analysis	0.18% minimum by product analysis; specifying copper does not turn A572 into a weathering-steel specification.

These values describe heat-analysis requirements. Product analysis is governed by the applicable ASTM tolerances.

Permitted microalloy systems

ASTM type	Required alloy system	Heat-analysis limits
Type 1	Niobium (columbium)	0.005–0.050% Nb
Type 2	Vanadium	0.01–0.15% V
Type 3	Niobium plus vanadium	Nb 0.005–0.050%; V 0.01–0.15%; Nb + V 0.02–0.15%
Type 5	Titanium, nitrogen, and vanadium	Ti 0.006–0.040%; N 0.003–0.015%; V 0.06% maximum

The producer normally selects the permitted type. The applicable alloying elements must be reported on the test report; a purchaser needing a particular alloy route must state that requirement using the relevant supplementary provision.

Grade 60 strength is developed through controlled composition, grain refinement, precipitation strengthening, and rolling practice rather than through the quench-and-temper route associated with ASTM A514. The specification permits different microalloy strategies, so two compliant heats can have different detailed chemistries, carbon equivalents, weldability behavior, and forming response while meeting the same Grade 60 tensile requirements.

Toughness and bridge use require explicit attention

ASTM A572 Grade 60 does not carry a universal Charpy V-notch requirement. If brittle-fracture resistance matters because of low service temperature, dynamic loading, thick sections, stress concentration, restraint, critical tensile details, or fracture-critical service, the purchase documents must define the required impact energy, test temperature, specimen orientation, test location, frequency, and applicable supplementary requirement. A generic request for “impact tested” steel is not technically complete.

Application distinction

Application	ASTM A572 Grade 60 position	Engineering consequence
Buildings and other non-bridge structures	Permitted for riveted, bolted, or welded construction	Welding must follow a procedure suitable for the grade, product, thickness, and service.
Bridge construction—riveted or bolted	Within the stated Grade 60 scope	The project may nevertheless require a bridge-specific material specification and toughness controls.
Bridge construction—welded	Not included in ASTM A572’s stated Grade 60 bridge intent	Use the material and welding specifications required by the bridge owner and governing design code; ASTM A709/A709M or AASHTO M 270 and the bridge welding code commonly control U.S. bridge work.

A572 certification alone should not be assumed to satisfy bridge-zone, fracture-critical, CVN, or welding-code requirements.

Fabrication implications

A572 Grade 60 is weldable when an appropriate procedure is used, but the designation does not provide a maximum carbon equivalent. Welding procedure selection should therefore use the actual mill test report chemistry together with thickness, joint restraint, hydrogen level, heat input, service temperature, applicable AWS code, and any toughness requirement. Preheat and interpass temperature should not be copied from Grade 50 practice without checking the governing code and the actual material.

The higher strength relative to A36 or A572 Grade 50 can increase forming loads and springback and may reduce forming margins. ASTM A572 does not create a universal minimum bend radius for every product, thickness, rolling direction, edge condition, and forming process. Severe cold forming, tight-radius bending, flame straightening, hot forming, or postweld heat treatment should be qualified for the actual product and application, particularly where toughness or strength retention is critical.

Do not infer atmospheric-corrosion resistance from the HSLA classification. Uncoated A572 Grade 60 generally requires the corrosion-protection system appropriate to the environment unless a separate corrosion-resistant material requirement is established.

Specifying and receiving the material

Purchase-order and document checks

Item to define or verify	Why it matters
ASTM A572/A572M edition and Grade 60	Product limits can change between editions; the 2025 edition expanded the Grade 60 shape thickness limit.
Unit system	ASTM treats inch-pound and SI requirements as separate systems.
Product form, dimensions, quantity, and finished-coil status	Requirements and testing depend on whether the item is plate, bar, shape, piling, tee, zee, or a finished product processed from coil.
Required ASTM A6/A6M edition and supplementary requirements	Controls general delivery, tolerances, testing, certification, marking, and optional requirements.
CVN or other toughness criteria	Toughness is not automatically included in the base Grade 60 requirements.
Welding and service requirements	These may drive chemistry reporting, carbon-equivalent evaluation, preheat, filler-metal selection, and testing.
Copper requirement, if any	Copper is only subject to a minimum when specifically ordered; it does not establish A588-type weathering performance.
Microalloy type, only if technically necessary	The producer otherwise chooses among the permitted alloy systems.
Material test report	Verify heat identity, grade, product, dimensions, heat and product analyses where applicable, microalloy content, tensile results, and ordered supplementary tests.
Availability before final specification	Grade 60 is less routinely stocked than common Grade 50 plate and A992 wide-flange shapes in many U.S. supply channels.

Positive identification should follow the markings, tags, heat numbers, and certificates required by ASTM A6/A6M. A higher-than-expected tensile result, an informal color code, or a supplier’s verbal statement is not a substitute for traceable certification. Multi-certified material is acceptable only when the certificate demonstrates compliance with every specification and grade claimed and those specifications satisfy the project requirements.

Substitution boundaries

Substitution requires more than matching or exceeding 60 ksi yield strength. Review product-form coverage, dimensional limits, strength range, yield-to-tensile behavior, chemistry and carbon equivalent, microalloy route, toughness, manufacturing process, tolerances, weldability, certification, and the governing design and fabrication codes. There is no universal EN or other cross-standard grade that is automatically interchangeable with ASTM A572 Grade 60.

Sources

ASTM A572/A572M-25 — Standard Specification for High-Strength Low-Alloy Columbium-Vanadium Structural SteelASTM International
ASTM A6/A6M-26a — Standard Specification for General Requirements for Rolled Structural Steel Bars, Plates, Shapes, and Sheet PilingASTM International
ASTM WK94811 — Revision of A572/A572M for Grade 60 and Grade 65 structural-shape thicknessASTM International
ANSI/AISC 360-22 — Specification for Structural Steel BuildingsAmerican Institute of Steel Construction
AISC Engineering FAQs — Mill Production and TolerancesAmerican Institute of Steel Construction
Bridge Welding Reference Manual, FHWA-HIF-19-088Federal Highway Administration
Are You Properly Specifying Materials?American Institute of Steel Construction

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ASTM A572 Grade 50	Lower-strength grade in the same specification	Minimum yield point is 50 ksi [345 MPa] and minimum tensile strength is 65 ksi [450 MPa]. It is not Grade 60 merely because actual test results happen to exceed 60 ksi.
ASTM A992/A992M	Common specification for hot-rolled structural shapes, especially W-shapes	A992 is nominally a 50 ksi grade and adds controls such as a maximum yield strength, yield-to-tensile ratio, and carbon equivalent. It is not an equivalent to A572 Grade 60.
ASTM A709/A709M and AASHTO M 270	Bridge-specific structural-steel specifications	These incorporate bridge-oriented grade, toughness, zone, and application provisions. A572 Grade 60 certification should not be substituted without engineering and owner approval.
ASTM A588/A588M	HSLA structural steel with atmospheric-corrosion resistance	A588 must not be substituted for A572 without purchaser-supplier agreement; its chemistry, strength grades, and intended corrosion behavior differ.
ASTM A913 Grade 60	Related 60 ksi structural-shape grade	A913 uses a different specification and production route and includes different chemical, mechanical, toughness, and product-form provisions. Matching nominal yield strength does not establish interchangeability.
ASTM A514 Grade 60	Distinct quenched-and-tempered plate grade with a similar grade number	The shared number does not indicate the same material. A514 Grade 60 is governed by a different plate specification, metallurgy, dimensional coverage, and fabrication controls.