ASTM A213 / A213M (ASME SA-213): Seamless Ferritic & Austenitic Alloy-Steel Tube Specification

ASTM A213 / A213M is the standard specification covering seamless ferritic and austenitic alloy-steel boiler, superheater, and heat-exchanger tubes. ASTM International's Committee A01 on Steel publishes it, and it spells out the grades, chemical composition, mechanical properties, dimensions, heat treatment, and testing a seamless high-temperature tube has to meet. It's identical to ASME SA-213 in the Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code, Section II, Part A.

ASTM A213 covers seamless tube for boiler, superheater, and heat-exchanger service. It isn't a pipe specification; that role belongs to ASTM A312. Nor is it the general-service instrument-tube standard, which is ASTM A269. Crestflo supplies A213-conformant tube in the austenitic (TP) grades. The standard's low-alloy ferritic chrome-moly T-grades sit outside our US instrumentation-alloy scope.

Reviewed by the Crestflo Engineering Team

Also Known As: ASTM A213/A213M, ASME SA-213, SA213 & A213-22

Specifiers and mills refer to this standard under several names. It shows up as ASTM A213/A213M (the imperial and metric versions bundled together), often shortened to A213 or A213M. Under ASME code work, the same document appears as ASME SA-213, SA-213, SA213, or SA 213, that's simply the Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code's adoption of it. The edition currently in print carries the designation A213/A213M-22. Grade call-outs like A213 TP316L, SA213 TP316L, A213 TP304, A213 TP321, and A213 T22 each point to a distinct grade set out within this single specification.

Scope, Designation & Current Revision

ASTM A213 governs seamless tubes built for elevated-temperature and high-pressure service: boilers, superheaters, heat exchangers, and condensers. It's a dual-unit standard. A213 carries inch-pound values, A213M carries SI (metric) values, and the two stand as separate but parallel documents. The current published edition is A213/A213M-22. ASTM sells the licensed PDF of the standard itself; this page lays out the grade, chemistry, and test data in HTML instead, so it can be read and cited directly. The values below come from ASTM A213/A213M and can be adjusted to the requirement at hand.

Manufacturing: Seamless, Hot- or Cold-Finished, Heat-Treated

A213 tube comes out of a seamless process, so there's no weld seam to speak of. Manufacturers can hot-finish or cold-finish it, and once the forming is done, a separate heat-treatment step follows, matched to the grade in question. The welded austenitic counterpart to A213 is ASTM A249. Where a weld seam is acceptable, that standard applies instead of A213.

ASTM A213 Grade Families: T (Ferritic) vs TP (Austenitic) & the "H" Suffix

A213 splits its grades into two families based on microstructure, and the prefix tells you which one you're dealing with.

An "H" suffix, TP304H, TP321H, or T91 for example, marks a grade with controlled carbon content and grain size, giving it higher creep and rupture strength at elevated temperature. Values follow the applicable standard and can be customized to requirement.

Austenitic (TP) Grades: Crestflo Scope, UNS & Material Pages

Crestflo supplies the austenitic TP-grades to A213, and these are the corrosion-resistant stainless family. Each one maps to a UNS number, and where a grade-education page exists, that's noted too.

Ferritic (T) Chrome-Moly Grades: Scope Note

The T-grades (T5, T9, T11, T12, T22, T23, T91, T92) are low-alloy ferritic chrome-molybdenum steels, used mainly for creep resistance in boiler and superheater tubing. A213 defines them, but they sit outside Crestflo's US instrumentation-alloy scope, which covers stainless steel plus high-nickel and corrosion-resistant alloys. For those chrome-moly grades, go to a boiler-tube mill instead.

ASTM A213 Chemical Composition & Mechanical Properties

ASTM A213/A213M lays out representative composition and mechanical minimums for the core austenitic grades in Table 1 and Table 2.

TP321 gets stabilized with titanium and TP347 with niobium, both to resist sensitization. Values follow the applicable standard, though they can be adjusted to requirement.

Dimensions, Wall Thickness & Tolerances

A213 covers tube up to and including 5 in. [127 mm] outside diameter, ordered to either minimum wall or average wall. The specification sets tolerances on OD, wall thickness, length, and straightness in its dimensional tables. Because A213 and A213M are separate unit systems, an order specifies whichever governs, inch-pound values under A213, SI values under A213M. Standard tube OD and wall tables apply; see the tubing size chart for reference dimensions.

Required Tests & Heat Treatment

A213 defines a test regime that a conforming heat must pass:

Heat treatment is grade-dependent: austenitic grades are solution-annealed; ferritic grades are annealed or normalized-and-tempered per grade. Crestflo furnishes tube with a material test certificate to EN 10204 3.1 (3.2 on request) and a heat/lot number marked on the product, with PMI and in-house NDT, see heat-number traceability & MTC and testing & inspection.

Pressure Rating & Allowable Stress: The Honest Answer

ASTM A213 does not assign a pressure rating. It sets material, chemistry, dimensions, and tests only. Allowable stress values come from ASME BPVC Section II, Part D, and design pressure is determined by the applicable piping or vessel design code, for process piping, ASME B31.3. A213 gives you a qualified tube; the design code tells you the pressure it may carry in service.

ASTM A213 vs A269

The most common comparison is A213 against ASTM A269, the general-service instrument-tube standard. Tube is frequently dual-certified A213/A269 where both requirements apply:

ASTM A213 vs A312 (Tube vs Pipe) and A249 (Welded)

"A213 seamless pipe" is a misnomer, A213 is a tube specification, not a pipe specification. Seamless and welded austenitic pipe is covered by ASTM A312. The welded austenitic tube counterpart to A213 is ASTM A249. For seamless duplex tube, the applicable standard is ASTM A789.

Is SA-213 the Same as A213?

ASME SA-213 is ASME's adoption of ASTM A213 into the Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code, Section II, Part A. The two are technically identical. The SA-213 designation gets used when the tube is headed for ASME code construction.

Applications

A213 tube shows up in boilers, superheaters, heat exchangers, and condensers across power generation, refining, and process plants, wherever high temperature and pressure demand a seamless tube with a documented, traceable pedigree. Instrument systems call for A213-grade austenitic tube too, particularly on sample or process lines that run hot and need that same boiler/heat-exchanger pedigree.

A213 Tube from Crestflo: Products & Request

Crestflo supplies austenitic-grade seamless tube conforming to ASTM A213, seamless tubing, instrumentation tubing, and high-nickel & CRA alloy tubing, with dual A213/A269 certification on request. Ready stock for standard items, made-to-order for specials, 6–8 week delivery. Origin is Indian; US / European melt is available on request with full material traceability.

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Why Crestflo for A213-Conformant Tube

Crestflo is the instrumentation division of a four-decade-old, Government-of-India-recognized export house with a Middle-East delivery track record, and it's ISO 9001 / 14001 / 45001 & PED certified. Every tube carries a heat/lot number and ships with an EN 10204 3.1 material test certificate (3.2 on request). Certifications are stated, not published by number, on content pages; the underlying certificates live in the quality area. We manufacture to the applicable standard and customize to your requirement. Small MOQ and private label are available. We Engineer Confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Standards & Pages

• ASTM A269, general-service instrument tube
• ASTM A312, austenitic stainless pipe
• ASTM A789, seamless duplex tube
• ASME B31.3, process-piping design pressure
• EN 10204, 3.1 / 3.2 material test certificates
• All instrumentation tube & fitting standards
• 316 / 316L tube grade, TP316 / TP316L
• 304 / 304L tube grade, TP304 / TP304L