This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles

for the
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

Designation: A416/A416M − 17a

Standard Specification for

Low-Relaxation, Seven-Wire Steel Strand for Prestressed
Concrete1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation A416/A416M; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year
of original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.
A superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense.

1. Scope* 2. Referenced Documents

1.1 This specification covers two grades of low-relaxation, 2.1 ASTM Standards:2
seven-wire steel strand for use in prestressed concrete con- A981/A981M Test Method for Evaluating Bond Strength for
struction. Grade 250 [1725] and Grade 270 [1860] have 0.600-in. [15.24-mm] Diameter Steel Prestressing Strand,
minimum tensile strengths of 250 ksi [1725 MPa] and 270 ksi Grade 270 [1860], Uncoated, Used in Prestressed Ground
[1860 MPa], respectively, based on the nominal area of the Anchors
strand. A1061/A1061M Test Methods for Testing Multi-Wire Steel
Prestressing Strand
1.2 A supplementary requirement (S1) is provided for use 2.2 U.S. Military Standard:3
where bond strength testing of 0.600-in. [15.24-mm] diameter MIL-STD-129 Marking for Shipment and Storage
Grade 270 [1860] strand for applications in prestressed ground 2.3 U.S. Federal Standard:3
anchors is required by the purchaser. The supplementary Fed. Std. No. 123 Marking for Shipments (Civil Agencies)
requirement applies only when specified in the purchase order.
1.3 The text of this specification contains notes or footnotes, 3. Terminology
or both, that provide explanatory material. Such notes and 3.1 Definition of Term Specific to This Specification:
footnotes do not contain any mandatory information. 3.1.1 strand, n—a group of wires having a center wire
enclosed tightly by six helically placed outer wires with
1.4 This specification is applicable for orders in either uniform pitch of not less than 12 and not more than 16 times
inch-pound units (as Specification A416) or in SI units (as the nominal diameter of the strand.
Specification A416M). 3.1.1.1 Discussion—The direction of lay is either right-
1.5 The values stated in either inch-pound units or SI units handed or left-handed.
are to be regarded separately as standard. Within the text, the
SI units are shown in brackets. The values stated in each 4. Ordering Information
system may not be exact equivalents; therefore, each system 4.1 Orders for low-relaxation seven-wire steel strand under
shall be used independently of the other. Combining values this specification shall contain the following information:
from the two systems may result in non-conformance with the 4.1.1 Quantity (feet [metres]),
specification. 4.1.2 Nominal diameter of strand (inches [millimetres]),
4.1.3 Grade of strand, and
1.6 This international standard was developed in accor-
4.1.4 ASTM designation A416 [A416M] and year of issue.
dance with internationally recognized principles on standard-
ization established in the Decision on Principles for the 4.2 The purchaser shall have the option to specify additional
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recom- requirements, including but not limited to, the following:
mendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical 4.2.1 Relaxation evidence for similarly dimensioned strand
Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee. of the same grade (6.5.1),
4.2.2 Specially dimensioned strand (7.4),

1 2
This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee A01 on Steel, For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
Stainless Steel and Related Alloys and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee contact ASTM Customer Service at [email protected]. For Annual Book of ASTM
A01.05 on Steel Reinforcement. Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on
Current edition approved Dec. 1, 2017. Published December 2017. Originally the ASTM website.
3
approved in 1957. Last previous edition approved in 2017 as A416/A416M – 17. Available from DLA Document Services, Building 4/D, 700 Robbins Ave.,
DOI: 10.1520/A0416_A0416M-17A. Philadelphia, PA 19111-5094, http://quicksearch.dla.mil.

*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standard

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 A416/A416M − 17a
TABLE 1 Breaking Strength Requirements 5. Materials and Manufacture
Minimum Breaking Weight [Mass] of
Nominal Diameter
Strength of
Steel Area of
Strand lb/1000 ft
5.1 Base Metal—The base metal shall be carbon steel of
of Strand, in. [mm] Strand, in.2 [mm2] such quality that when drawn to wire, fabricated into strand,
Strand, lbf [kN] [kg/1000 m]
Grade 250 [1725] and then thermally treated, shall have the properties and
0.250 [6.4] 9 000 [40.0] 0.036 [23] 122 [182] characteristics prescribed in this specification.
0.313 [7.9] 14 500 [64.5] 0.058 [37] 197 [294]
0.375 [9.5] 20 000 [89.0] 0.080 [52] 272 [405] 5.2 Wire—The wire from which the strand is to be fabricated
0.438 [11.1] 27 000 [120] 0.108 [69.7] 367 [548] shall be round and have a dry-drawn finish.
0.500 [12.7] 36 000 [160] 0.144 [92.9] 490 [730]
0.600 [15.2] 54 000 [240] 0.216 [139] 737 [1090] NOTE 1—This product is a composite of seven wires and is produced
Grade 270 [1860] only to meet the prescribed mechanical properties. The chemical compo-
0.375 [9.53] 23 000 [102] 0.085 [55] 290 [430]
sition of all wires or any individual wire is not pertinent to this application,
0.438 [11.1] 31 000 [138] 0.115 [74.2] 390 [580]
0.500 [12.7] 41 300 [184] 0.153 [98.7] 520 [780]
and heat identity is not necessarily maintained. It is possible that wire
0.520 [13.2] 45 000 [200] 0.167 [108] 570 [840] from more than one heat may be used in the manufacture of a reel or
0.563 [14.3] 51 700 [230] 0.192 [124] 650 [970] reelless pack. Traceability is based on identity of reels or reelless packs as
0.600 [15.2] 58 600 [261] 0.217 [140] 740 [1100] maintained and reported by the manufacturer.
0.620 [15.7] 62 800 [279] 0.231 [150] 780 [1200]
0.700 [17.8] 79 400 [353] 0.294 [190] 1000 [1500]
5.3 Treatment—After stranding, strand shall be subjected to
a continuous thermal-mechanical treatment to produce the
prescribed mechanical properties. Temper colors which result
TABLE 2 Yield Strength Requirements from the thermal-mechanical treatment are considered normal
Nominal Diameter of Minimum Load at 1.0 % for the finished appearance of this strand.
Initial Load, lbf [kN]
Strand in. [mm] Extension, lbf [kN]
Grade 250 [1725] 6. Mechanical Property Requirements
0.250 [6.4] 900 [4.0] 8 100 [36.0]
0.313 [7.9] 1 450 [6.5] 13 050 [58.1] 6.1 Tests for mechanical properties shall be conducted in
0.375 [9.5] 2 000 [8.9] 18 000 [80.1] accordance with Test Methods A1061/A1061M.
0.438 [11.1] 2 700 [12.0] 24 300 [108.1]
0.500 [12.7] 3 600 [16.0] 32 400 [144.1] 6.2 Breaking Strength—The breaking strength of the fin-
0.600 [15.2] 5 400 [24.0] 48 600 [216.2] ished strand shall conform to the requirements prescribed in
Grade 270 [1860]
0.375 [9.53] 2 300 [10.2] 20 700 [92.1] Table 1.
0.438 [11.1] 3 100 [13.8] 27 900 [124.1]
0.500 [12.7] 4 130 [18.4] 37 170 [165.3]
6.3 Yield Strength—Yield strength in pounds [kN] shall be
0.520 [13.2] 4 500 [20.0] 40 500 [180.1] measured at 1.0 % extension under load. The minimum yield
0.563 [14.3] 5 170 [23.0] 46 530 [207.0] strength shall be 90 % of the breaking strength listed in Table
0.600 [15.2] 5 860 [26.1] 52 740 [234.6]
0.620 [15.7] 6 280 [27.9] 56 520 [251.4]
1. Initial loads for the test and minimum yield strengths are
0.700 [17.8] 7 940 [35.3] 71 500 [318.0] listed in Table 2.
6.3.1 The extension under load shall be measured by an
extensometer calibrated with the smallest division not larger
TABLE 3 Diameter Relation Between Center and Outer Wires than 0.0001 in./in. [0.0001 mm/mm] of gage length.
Minimum Difference Between Center
Nominal Diameter of Strand, in.
Wire Diameter and Diameter of Any
6.4 Elongation—The total elongation under load shall not
[mm] be less than 3.5 % using a gage length of not less than 24 in.
Outer Wire, in. [mm]
Grade 250 [1725] [600 mm]. It shall be permissible to determine the total
0.250 [6.4] 0.001 [0.025] elongation value by adding, to the 1.0 % yield extension, the
0.313 [7.9] 0.0015 [0.038]
0.375 [9.5] 0.002 [0.051]
percent extension or movement between the jaws gripping the
0.438 [11.1] 0.0025 [0.064] strand after yield determination. The percent is calculated on
0.500 [12.7] 0.003 [0.076] the new base length of jaw-to-jaw distance.
0.600 [15.2] 0.004 [0.102]
Grade 270 [1860] 6.5 Relaxation Properties—Strand shall have relaxation
0.375 [9.53] 0.002 [0.051] losses of not more than 2.5 % when initially loaded to 70 % of
0.438 [11.1] 0.0025 [0.064]
0.500 [12.7] 0.003 [0.076] specified minimum breaking strength or not more than 3.5 %
0.520 [13.2] 0.003 [0.076] when loaded to 80 % of specified minimum breaking strength
0.563 [14.3] 0.0035 [0.089] of the strand after 1000 hours of testing.
0.600 [15.2] 0.004 [0.102]
0.620 [15.7] 0.004 [0.102] 6.5.1 If required, relaxation evidence shall be provided from
0.700 [17.8] 0.0045 [0.114] the manufacturer’s records of tests on similarly dimensioned
strand of the same grade.

7. Dimensions and Permissible Variations

4.2.3 Weldless strand (8.1),
4.2.4 Requirements for outside inspection (11.1), 7.1 The size of the finished strand shall be expressed as the
4.2.5 Load-elongation curve (13.2), nominal diameter of the strand in inches [millimetres].
4.2.6 Packaging and package marking (Section 14), 7.2 The diameter of the center wire of any strand shall be
4.2.7 Supplementary Requirement S1, and larger than the diameter of any outer wire in accordance with
4.2.8 Other special requirements, if any. Table 3.

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 A416/A416M − 17a
7.3 Permissible Variations in Diameter: 10. Number of Tests
7.3.1 All Grade 250 [1725] strand shall conform to a size 10.1 One test specimen shall be taken from each 30-ton
tolerance of 60.016 in. [60.40 mm] from the nominal diam- [27-tonne] production lot of finished strand and tested for
eter measured across the crowns of the wires. breaking strength, yield strength, and elongation.
7.3.2 All Grade 270 [1860] strand shall conform to a size
tolerance of +0.026, −0.006 in. [+0.65, − 0.15 mm] from the 11. Inspection
nominal diameter measured across the crowns of the wires.
11.1 Inspection of the low-relaxation, seven-wire steel
7.3.3 Variation in cross-sectional area and in unit stress
strand shall be agreed upon between the purchaser and the
resulting therefrom shall not be cause for rejection provided
manufacturer as part of the purchase order or contract.
that the diameter differences of the individual wires and the
diameters of the strand are within the tolerances specified. 12. Rejection
7.4 It shall be permitted to furnish specially dimensioned 12.1 Failure of any test specimen to comply with the
strands with nominal diameters up to 0.750 in. [19 mm]. The requirements of the specification shall constitute grounds for
breaking strength shall be defined, and the yield strength, as rejection of the production lot represented by the specimen.
defined in 6.3, shall not be less than 90 % of the specified
minimum breaking strength. All other requirements shall apply. 12.2 The production lot shall be resubmitted for inspection
by testing a specimen from each reel or reelless pack and
8. Workmanship, Finish, and Appearance sorting out non-conforming material.
8.1 Joints: 12.3 If there is a reasonable doubt in the initial testing as to
8.1.1 There shall be no strand joints or strand splices in any the ability of the strand to meet any requirement of this
length of the finished strand unless specifically permitted by specification, two additional tests shall be made on specimens
the purchaser. of strand from the same reel or reelless pack, and if failure
8.1.2 During the process of manufacture of individual wires occurs in either of these tests, the strand shall be rejected.
for stranding, welding shall be permitted only prior to or at the
size of the last thermal treatment, for example, patenting or 13. Certification
controlled cooling. There shall be no welds in the wire after it 13.1 At the time of shipment, the purchaser shall be
has been drawn through the first die in the wire drawing except furnished with a written certification that specimens represent-
as provided in 8.1.3. ing each lot of strand have been either tested or inspected as
8.1.3 During fabrication of the strand, butt-welded joints are required in this specification and the requirements have been
permitted in the individual wires, provided there shall not be satisfied. The certification shall include ASTM designation
more than one such joint in any 150-ft [45-m] section of the A416[A416M], year of issue, and revision letter, if any.
finished strand. 13.2 When requested in the purchase order or contract, the
8.1.4 When specifically ordered as “Weldless,” a product manufacturer shall furnish a representative load-elongation
free of welds shall be furnished. When “Weldless” is specified, curve for each size and grade of strand shipped.
the strand is produced as one continuous length with no welds
as allowed by 8.1.3. 13.3 When the modulus of elasticity of a seven-wire strand
is provided, the cross-sectional area used to calculate that
8.2 The finished strand shall be uniform in diameter and modulus also shall be provided. The area provided in the
shall be free of imperfections. certification shall be the area used to calculate the modulus of
8.3 When the strand is cut without seizings, the wire shall elasticity.
not fly out of position. If any wire flies out of position and can 13.4 A material test report, certificate of inspection, or
be replaced by hand, the strand shall be considered satisfactory. similar document printed from or used in electronic form from
8.4 The strand shall not be oiled or greased. Slight rusting, an electronic data interchange (EDI) transmission shall be
provided it is not sufficient to cause pits visible to a person with regarded as having the same validity as a counterpart printed in
normal or corrected vision, shall not be cause for rejection. the certifier’s facility. The content of the EDI transmitted
document shall meet the requirements of the invoked ASTM
NOTE 2—Guidance for evaluating the degree of rusting on prestressed
concrete strand is presented in Sason.4 standard(s) and conform to any existing EDI agreement be-
tween the purchaser and the manufacturer. Notwithstanding the
9. Sampling absence of a signature, the organization submitting the EDI
transmission is responsible for the content of the report.
9.1 Test specimens cut from either end of the reel or reelless
pack are permitted. Any specimen found to contain a wire joint NOTE 3—The industry definition as invoked here is: EDI is the
shall be discarded and a new specimen obtained. computer-to-computer exchange of business information in a standard
format such as ANSI ASC X12.

14. Packaging and Package Marking

4
Sason, A.S., “Evaluation of Degree of Rusting on Prestressed Concrete Strand,”
14.1 The strand shall be furnished on reels or in reelless
PCI Journal, Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, Vol 37, No. 3, May–June 1992,
pp. 25–30. Reprints of this paper are available from the Precast/Prestressed Concrete packs having a minimum core diameter of 24 in. [610 mm],
Institute, 200 West Adams St., Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60606. unless otherwise specified by the purchaser. The length of

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 A416/A416M − 17a
strand on reels or in reelless packs shall be as agreed upon at 14.2 When specified in the purchase order or contract, and
the time of purchase. The strand shall be well protected against for direct procurement by or direct shipment to the U.S.
mechanical injury in shipping as agreed upon at the time of Government, marking for shipment, in addition to require-
purchase. Each reel or reelless pack shall have two durable tags ments specified in the purchase order or contract, shall be in
securely fastened to it showing the length, size, grade, ASTM accordance with Fed. Std. No. 123 for civil agencies and MIL-
designation A416 [A416M], and the name of the manufacturer. STD-129 for military agencies.
One tag shall be positioned where it will not be inadvertently
lost during transit, such as inside the core of a reelless pack. 15. Keywords
The other tag shall be placed on the outside of a reelless pack 15.1 prestressed concrete; seven-wire strand (tendon); steel
for easy identification. wire

SUPPLEMENTARY REQUIREMENTS

The following supplementary requirement shall apply only when specified in the purchase order or
contract.

S1. BOND STRENGTH OF 0.600-IN. [15.24-MM], GRADE 270 [1860] STRAND

USED IN PRESTRESSED GROUND ANCHORS

S1.1 Bond Strength minimum test value not less than 6800 lbf [30.2 kN]. For any
S1.1.1 These requirements are not applicable to strand used future retests, without changes in the manufacturing method
in prestressed concrete applications. and materials used, three tests shall be considered as adequate.
S1.1.2 The results of bond-strength tests performed in S1.1.4 Retests —If the test specimens fail to satisfy S1.1.3,
accordance with Test Method A981/A981M shall be submitted six additional tests shall be performed, and the results shall
to the purchaser. The strand specimens, on which tests were satisfy the acceptance criteria. Strand that fails the retests shall
performed, shall be from different lots and shall be represen- not be considered acceptable for use in prestressed ground
tative for the strand ordered. anchors.
S1.1.3 The average pull force from six pull tests, performed S1.1.5 Annual Tests—The pull tests shall be performed
in accordance with Test Method A981/A981M, required to annually as a minimum or repeated when, in the opinion of the
reach the 0.01-in. [0.25-mm] displacement described therein manufacturer, a process change is made which is believed
shall be at least 8000 lbf [35.6 kN], with the individual could decrease the bond strength of the strand.

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

Committee A01 has identified the location of selected changes to this standard since the last issue
(A416/A416M – 17) that may impact the use of this standard. (Approved December 1, 2017.)

(1) Revised Section 4, 11.1, and 13.1.

Committee A01 has identified the location of selected changes to this standard since the last issue
(A416/A416M – 16) that may impact the use of this standard. (Approved May 1, 2017.)

(1) Revised 3.1.1.1.

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 A416/A416M − 17a
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