EN 10160 ultrasonic testing of steel plate

EN 10160 is the European reference commonly encountered when an order requires ultrasonic testing of steel flat products for internal discontinuities.

A notation such as:

EN 10160 S0/E1

contains two different quality-class requirements:

• S-class — acceptance class for the body of the plate;
• E-class — acceptance class for the edges.

That distinction is essential. S0/E1 is not one single combined “UT grade”; it is a body class plus an edge class.

Scope of the current standard

As of September 2026, EN 10160:1999 remains the published current edition listed by NEN. Its stated scope covers ultrasonic testing by the reflection method for uncoated flat steel products with nominal thickness from 6 mm to 200 mm, principally non-alloyed and alloyed steels.

The standard defines:

• body classes S0, S1, S2 and S3;
• edge classes E0, E1, E2, E3 and E4.

A replacement draft, EN 10160:2026, is under development. The draft changes some scope details, including a proposed lower thickness limit of 5 mm and an additional body class SA. A draft should not be treated as the contractual requirement unless the order explicitly adopts it.

What does S0/E1 mean?

At a practical purchasing level:

The standard then defines the applicable examination and acceptance criteria for those classes.

The exact discontinuity size, indication, scanning and acceptance limits should be checked against the licensed edition of EN 10160 used by the purchase order. They should not be reconstructed from memory or from another product-form standard.

Body quality and edge quality are deliberately separate

This matters because the edge region can be especially important where the plate will be:

• welded through or near the edge;
• cut into narrow strips;
• heavily machined;
• used in highly restrained welded details;
• subject to project-specific lamination-control requirements.

A purchaser can therefore specify a body class and a different edge class.

EN 10160 is not a general UT standard for every steel product

A common procurement mistake is to apply a familiar plate class such as S0/E1 to beams, bars or pipes.

The UT standard should follow the product form.

EN 10160 is for flat product. Rolled sections, bars and tubular products use different standards or product-standard NDT requirements. A class from one standard should not be translated into a supposedly “equivalent” class in another standard without an explicit technical comparison.

EN 10160 is not the same as Z-quality

Another common confusion is between:

• UT soundness under EN 10160; and
• through-thickness ductility such as Z25 or Z35 under EN 10164.

They address different properties. A plate can be ordered with both requirements, but one does not replace the other.

Likewise, UT does not replace Charpy impact testing. UT looks for internal discontinuities; Charpy testing measures impact toughness.

What should an RFQ or PO say?

Avoid writing only:

UT required.

A better requirement identifies:

• applicable standard and edition;
• body class;
• edge class;
• extent of testing if the project specification adds requirements;
• whether purchaser/TPI witnessing is required;
• required reporting and certificate reference.

For example, a project may call for:

UT to EN 10160, class S0/E1

with further project-specific instructions where necessary.

What should you look for in the documentation?

Depending on the order, verify that the inspection documentation identifies:

• EN 10160;
• the specified S and E classes;
• plate/heat traceability;
• result or compliance statement;
• inspector/manufacturer information required by the purchase specification.

The material certificate type itself is a separate subject. See EN 10204 3.1 vs 3.2.

MetalMate takeaway

In EN 10160, S refers to the plate body and E refers to the edges. Treat S0/E1 as two coordinated acceptance classes, not as a universal UT level that can be copied onto beams, bars or pipes.

Related Knowledge

• Impact testing of structural plate
• EN 10204 3.1 vs 3.2

References

• NEN, EN 10160:1999 — Ultrasonic testing of steel flat product of thickness equal or greater than 6 mm: https://www.nen.nl/en/nen-en-10160-1999-en-45027
• NEN, EN 10160:2026 draft — proposed replacement: https://www.nen.nl/en/nen-en-10160-2026-ontw-en-347688