The Forms We Supply
Four routes cover most of what we quote. Each is a different mill or process route, so the size
window and the lead time differ even where the grade looks similar.
A516 plate
The workhorse vessel plate in four grades, normalized where the design temperature requires impact toughness.
Shells, heads, heat exchangers
A285 plate
Low-strength plate for large tanks and low-pressure vessels where weldability matters more than yield.
Storage tanks, boilers, baffles
A537 plate
Heat-treated plate in Class 1 and Class 2 for higher strength and toughness at low temperature.
Low-temperature vessels, spheres
Ship and offshore plate
AH32 and AH36 plate to classification society rules, supplied with the impact testing the class requires.
Hulls, offshore structures, decks
Size Range and Standard
Plate is quoted by grade, thickness and heat treatment. Where a vessel is designed to a code, the code decides all three, and the quote has to match it.
Swipe the table sideways for the notes →
| Parameter | Range | What decides it |
|---|
| Grades | A516 Gr 55/60/65/70, A285 A/B/C, A537 Cl 1/2, AH32/AH36 | The grade follows the design pressure and the service temperature. |
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| Thickness | From 5 mm to 200 mm depending on grade | Impact requirements tighten as the plate gets thicker. |
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| Condition | As-rolled, normalized, quenched and tempered | A537 Class 2 is quenched and tempered; the condition is part of the grade. |
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| Width and length | Cut to the shell development | Nesting the plate to the shell reduces weld seams and scrap. |
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| Testing | Tensile, impact, ultrasonic on request | Impact testing at the design temperature is what the code asks to see. |
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| Documentation | Mill certificate with heat number, EN 10204 3.1 | Traceability is the deliverable as much as the plate. |
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Products' Properties and Advantages
Four properties decide the grade, and the third is the one that catches projects out.
Strength at the design temperature
Yield and tensile fall as temperature rises, so the allowable stress is read at the operating condition, not at room temperature.
Toughness, especially at low temperature
Impact energy at the design minimum temperature decides whether a standard grade is acceptable or a low-temperature grade is needed.
Weldability and heat treatment
Thick plate needs preheat and post-weld heat treatment; the grade and the condition decide the procedure.
Through-thickness and lamellar tearing
Heavy welded joints pull in the through-thickness direction, which is why ultrasonic testing and cleanliness requirements appear on thick plate.
How We Help Customers
Vessel plate is ordered against a design code. These are the four items we confirm before quoting so the plate matches the calculation.
01
Give the grade and the design code
A516, A285 or A537 as called up by the code the vessel is designed to.
02
State the thickness and the condition
Normalized and quenched-and-tempered plate are different products at the same thickness.
03
Confirm the impact requirement
Test temperature and absorbed energy are quoted with the plate, not added after the order.
04
Agree the nesting and the documents
Cut to the shell development to reduce seams, with the certificate traceable to the heat.
Real Applications
Pressure vessel plate becomes tanks, columns, exchangers and boilers, where the plate is the pressure boundary.
Storage tanks and spheres
Shell and head plate for liquid and gas storage, where the grade is set by the design pressure and the design temperature.
Distillation columns and reactors
Heavy-wall plate for columns and reactors, where thickness and toughness both matter.
Heat exchangers and boilers
Tube sheets, shells and headers where the plate sees pressure and temperature together.
Ship and offshore structures
AH32 and AH36 plate for hull and structural work, where classification society rules set the grade.
