What Is ASTM A36?

ASTM History

• American Standards for Testing Materials is an international organization that creates and publishes a consensus of technical standards for a wide range of materials. ASTM was founded in 1898 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and issued its first standard rating for steel rails in 1901. In 1981, ASTM opened a European standards distribution center to establish itself as an international standards organization.

A36 Element Composition

• A36 component elements consists of 98 percent iron, 1.03 percent manganese, 0.25 to 0.29 percent carbon, 0.28 percent silicon, 0.20 percent copper and less than 0.10 percent phosphorous and sulfur.

A36 Mechanical Properties

• A36 has an ultimate tensile strength range of 58,000 to 79,800 psi and a yield tensile strength of 36,300 psi. At 200m A36 has a elongation at break of 20 percent and at 50mm of 23 percent. The modulus of elasticity is at 29,000 ksi and a bulk modulus at 20,300 ksi. The Poisson's ratio is 0.260 and has a shear modulus of 11,500 ksi.