What is SA 516 GR.60 NACE + HIC Steel Plate?

2026-10-16 | More News

The base grade — A516 Gr.60 — has been the workhorse of welded pressure vessels for decades. The NACE + HIC suffix does not change its strength. It changes one thing that decides whether the vessel survives: whether the steel can tolerate wet hydrogen sulphide without cracking from the inside out.

That distinction is where most sourcing problems start. This page sets out what the designation actually means, which numbers must appear on the documents you receive, and how to write a purchase order that cannot be met with ordinary A516.

SA 516 GR.60 NACE + HIC plate

Already have a datasheet and a required CLR/CTR/CSR limit?

Send the thickness, quantity, delivery port and your HIC acceptance limits. You receive a firm price, the mill’s HIC capability data and a sample HIC test report — within 24 hours.

Request a Quote & HIC Report Sample

What “NACE + HIC” Actually Means — Three Standards, Three Different Jobs

Buyers routinely write “NACE + HIC” as one requirement. It is three separate requirements, and a supplier who only satisfies one of them will still send you plate that cracks in service.

Requirement	Standard	What it controls	What you receive as proof
Sour service qualification	NACE MR0175 / ISO 15156-2 (oil and gas production)	Maximum hardness 22 HRC (≈ 250 HV10, 237 HBW) for carbon and low-alloy steel, plus chemistry and heat treatment limits	Hardness results on the MTC, with test locations
Refinery sour qualification	NACE MR0103 / ISO 17945 (petroleum refining)	The refinery-side equivalent, applied to hydroprocessing and amine units	Compliance statement plus hardness data
HIC resistance	NACE TM0284	A physical 96-hour test in H₂S-saturated solution, reported as CLR / CTR / CSR	A separate HIC test report with numeric ratios
SSC resistance (optional)	NACE TM0177	Loaded specimen in sour solution — 720 h at 80 % AYS, Methods A/B/C/D	SSC test report, when specified

The mechanism behind the test is worth 30 seconds, because it explains every chemistry requirement on this page. In wet H₂S, corrosion generates atomic hydrogen on the steel surface. That hydrogen diffuses into the plate and collects at non-metallic inclusions — above all at elongated manganese sulphide (MnS) stringers. It recombines into molecular H₂, pressure builds, and stepwise cracks open parallel to the plate surface. Those cracks link up through the wall.

Three consequences follow directly:

Sulphur is the driver, not strength. Fewer MnS inclusions means fewer crack initiation sites. A516 allows S up to 0.025 %; a HIC-resistant plate is ordered at ≤ 0.002 % — an order of magnitude tighter.
Low sulphur alone is not enough. Sulphur must be shape-controlled: calcium treatment converts elongated MnS into discrete globular CaS inclusions with lower stress concentration at the tips. Industry practice targets Ca/S ≈ 1.5–2.5. Low sulphur with no calcium treatment can still fail.
HIC is not SSC. HIC occurs with no external stress and needs no hardness limit to trigger it; SSC requires tensile stress acting on a hard microstructure. A plate can pass one and fail the other, which is why sour-service specifications usually call for both.

SA 516 GR.60 NACE + HIC Plate — Full Specification

Item	Supply range
Base standard	ASTM A516/A516M-17 and ASME SA-516/SA-516M (dual certified), governed by ASTM A20/A20M
Grade	Grade 60 — metric designation Grade 415 · UNS K02100
Sour service standards	NACE MR0175 / ISO 15156-2 (production) · NACE MR0103 / ISO 17945 (refining)
Product form	HIC-resistant pressure vessel plate / boiler quality (BQ) plate
Thickness	6 – 200 mm (¼″ – 8″); 12 – 150 mm is the normal working band
Width	1,500 – 4,000 mm
Length	3,000 – 18,000 mm, cut-to-length on request
Delivery condition	Normalised (N) as standard; normalised + stress relieved; as-rolled only for ≤ 40 mm where agreed and no toughness test is required
Simulated PWHT	Per ASTM A20 Supplementary Requirement S3, on request — recommended for vessel work
HIC test	NACE TM0284 (2016 edition or latest), Solution A, 96 h, unstressed, 3 specimens per heat and thickness range
HIC acceptance	CLR ≤ 15 % · CTR ≤ 5 % · CSR ≤ 2 % (section average); tighter Class I / Class II limits on request
Hardness	≤ 22 HRC · ≈ 250 HV10 · 237 HBW max, base metal, weld and HAZ
SSC test (optional)	NACE TM0177 Method A (80 % AYS, 720 h), Methods B, C or D
Impact test	Charpy V-notch to ASTM A20 S5, down to −52 °C (−62 °F); typically ≥ 27 J average
Ultrasonic testing	ASTM A578 Level B or C (A20 S8); ASTM A435 available
Through-thickness	ASTM A770 or EN 10164 Z15 / Z25 / Z35 for heavy wall and restrained joints
Certification	EN 10204 3.1 or 3.2 MTC · separate HIC test report · third-party inspection (SGS, BV, DNV, ABS, Lloyd’s Register, TÜV) accepted
Edge and surface	Mill edge or sheared edge; shot blasted, primed or pickled
Processing	Plasma / waterjet / laser cutting, beveling, drilling, machining, profile cutting to drawing

Chemical Composition — Specification Limits vs HIC Service Targets

Read this table with care. The left column is what A516 permits. The right column is what HIC resistance actually requires. They are not the same, and the gap between them is the reason a “certified A516 Gr.60 HIC tested” plate can still carry unacceptably high sulphur.

Element	ASTM A516/A516M-17 Grade 60 (heat analysis, max/range)	Typical HIC service target
C	0.21 (t ≤ 12.5 mm) · 0.23 (> 12.5–50) · 0.25 (> 50–100) · 0.27 (> 100 mm)	≤ 0.18 – 0.20
Mn	0.60 – 0.90 (t ≤ 12.5 mm) · 0.85 – 1.20 (> 12.5 mm)	0.90 – 1.20
Si	0.15 – 0.40	0.20 – 0.35
P	0.025 max	≤ 0.010
S	0.025 max	≤ 0.002
Al	Fine grain practice (per A20)	0.020 – 0.050 total
Ca	Not specified	Treated, Ca/S ≈ 1.5 – 2.5
Cr + Cu + Ni	Residual limits per ASTM A20	Cr ≤ 0.30 · Cu ≤ 0.20 · Ni ≤ 0.30
Nb + V + Ti	Per ASTM A20 Table (micro-alloy)	Nb ≤ 0.02 · V ≤ 0.02 · Ti ≤ 0.03
CEV (IIW)	Not specified by A516	≤ 0.41 – 0.43
H (hydrogen)	Not specified by A516	≤ 2 ppm via vacuum degassing

Mechanical Properties

Property	Requirement
Tensile strength	415 – 550 MPa (60 – 80 ksi)
Yield strength, min	220 MPa (32 ksi)
Elongation, min — 8 in. (200 mm) gauge	21 %
Elongation, min — 2 in. (50 mm) gauge	25 %
Charpy V-notch	When specified: typically ≥ 27 J average at −46 °C or −52 °C
Hardness	≤ 22 HRC (≈ 250 HV10 / 237 HBW)
Bend test	180° without cracking, per A20 S14, when specified
Simulated PWHT	Per A20 S3, when specified

Equivalent Grades — Approximate Only

Standard	Designation
ASTM / ASME	A516 / SA-516 Grade 60 (Grade 415, UNS K02100)
EN 10028-2	P265GH (1.0425)
EN 10028-2	P295GH (1.0481)
DIN 17155	HII
BS 1501	1501-161-430A
JIS G3118	SGV410
JIS G3115	SPV235
GB/T 713	Q245R
IS 2002	Grade 2

Types, Forms and Delivery Conditions

Hot rolled (as-rolled, AR) — ≤ 40 mm only, where the project permits and no toughness test is called up
Normalised (N) — the default for sour service and mandatory above 40 mm
Normalised + stress relieved (N + SR) — where the fabricator’s PWHT cycle must be anticipated
Quenched and tempered (Q&T) — where higher strength is required with retained toughness
Boiler quality (BQ) plate — dimensional and surface discipline for boiler work
Dual certified A516 Gr.60 / Gr.70 — one heat satisfying both grades, common in EPC tenders
Cut-to-size and profile-cut plate — plasma, waterjet, laser; bevelled edges to drawing
Shot blasted, primed or pickled — for offshore packages with a preservation requirement

Packaging, Marking and Shipping

Marking: heat number, grade, size and plate number stencilled on each plate; heat numbers traceable to the MTC line by line
Protection: plates separated and strapped, edge-protected, on wooden pallets or in cradles; breakbulk or container depending on size and weight
Preservation: shot blasting and primer for offshore packages; VCI wrapping on request
Documentation set: packing list cross-referenced to heat numbers, MTC and HIC report, and issued as a dossier for the fabricator’s ITP
Verification on receipt: compare stencilled heat numbers against the MTC and spot-check chemistry by PMI — this is the step that catches a genuine certificate attached to the wrong plate

Applications

Gas sweetening and amine units — absorbers, regenerators, reboilers
Sour water strippers and sour condensate tanks
Hydrotreater, hydrocracker and hydrodesulphurisation reactors, and their separators
Wet H₂S separators, knockout drums, scrubbers and coalescers
LPG, propane and butane storage spheres and bullets
Refinery process vessels, columns and heat exchangers
Offshore topsides, FPSO process modules and produced-water packages
LNG pre-treatment and acid gas removal trains
Coal chemical and syngas plants handling H₂S and CO₂ (methanol, ammonia)
Geothermal power — separators and steam-side equipment where H₂S is present in the steam

Matching plate to a vessel package, not just to a grade?

Send the equipment list — service description, H₂S partial pressure, design pressure/temperature, thickness, and the acceptance class. We will return a grade and delivery-condition recommendation with the documentation scope for each line item.

Send Equipment List for Review

15. Price of SA 516 GR.60 NACE + HIC Plate

Indicative market levels for HIC-tested A516 Gr.60 plate sit in a wide band, because “HIC-tested plate” is not one product:

Reference basis	Indicative level	Comment
Indian domestic market	≈ ₹75 – 125 per kg	Reflects normalised plate with HIC and NACE documentation; varies with thickness and mill
Broad international stockist band	≈ USD 0.80 – 3.20 per kg	The spread reflects thickness, class and order size, not market variation alone
Normalised Gr.60 / Gr.70 dual-grade plates	≈ USD 1.05 – 1.58 per kg	Plates, sheets and coils, indicative
HIC + NACE premium over plain as-rolled A516 Gr.60	typically +15 % to +35 %	Driven by ultra-low sulphur, calcium treatment, vacuum degassing, normalising, HIC testing and third-party witness

*The figures above are indicative third-party market references, not a quotation. Steel plate prices track hot-rolled coil and plate indices and move month to month.*

FAQ

Is SA 516 Gr.60 automatically NACE compliant? No. ASTM A516 permits sulphur up to 0.025 % — more than ten times the level needed for HIC resistance — and specifies no hardness limit, no calcium treatment and no HIC test. NACE compliance is a separate purchase requirement added on top of the base grade.

What is the minimum yield strength of SA 516 Gr.60? 220 MPa (32 ksi). Tensile strength is 415–550 MPa (60–80 ksi). Figures of 250 MPa and ranges such as 415–585 MPa that appear on some supplier pages are not the A516 Grade 60 requirement.

What is the equivalent of SA 516 Gr.60 in other standards? Common cross-references are EN 10028-2 P265GH, JIS G3118 SGV410, GB/T 713 Q245R and IS 2002 Grade 2. DIN 17155 HII and BS 1501-161-430A are withdrawn standards that still appear on older drawings. All of these are approximate — substitution changes the allowable design stress, toughness requirements and carbon equivalent, so re-qualification is required.

Should I specify Grade 60 or Grade 70 for sour service? Grade 60 in most cases. Its lower carbon and manganese make the 22 HRC hardness limit easier to hold in the weld HAZ, which reduces preheat, PWHT and repair costs. Grade 70 only when the design pressure genuinely requires the higher strength.

Ready to specify SA 516 GR.60 NACE + HIC plate?

Send us six things — thickness range, quantity, delivery condition, HIC class (CLR/CTR/CSR limits), certificate type, and destination port. You receive a firm price, the mill’s HIC capability data and a sample heat-specific HIC test report within 24 hours.

Request a Quote Now

Products Categories

WhatsApp: +86 15824687445

E-mail: [email protected]