By Authority Of

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Legally Binding Document

By the Authority Vested By Part 5 of the United States Code 552(a) and
Part 1 of the Code of Regulations 51 the attached document has been duly
INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE and shall be considered legally
binding upon all citizens and residents of the United States of America.
HEED THIS NOTICE: Criminal penalties may apply for noncompliance.

e
Document Name: ASTM A416: Uncoated Seven-Wire Stress-Relieved
Strand for Prestressed Concrete

CFR Section(s):
Standards Body:

24 CFR 200, Subpart S

American Society for Testing and Materials

Official Incorporator:
THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL REGISTER

WASHINGTON, D.C.

AMERICAN NATIONAL ANSI/ASTM A 416 - 74

STANDARD

American Association State

Highway and Transportation Officials Standard
AASHTO No.: M 203

Standard Specification for

UNCOATED SEVEN-WIRE STRESS-RELIEVED

STRAND FOR PRESTRESSED CONCRETE 1
This Standard is issued under the fixed designation A 416; the number immediately rollowing the designation indicates the year
or original adoption or, in the case or revision, the year or last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year or last
reapproval.
This specification has been approved for use by agencies of the Department of Defense for listing in the DoD Index of
Specifications and Standards.

1. Scope
1.1 Th is specification covers two grades of
seven-wire, uncoated, stress-relieved steel
strand for use in pretensioned and post-tensioned prestressed concrete construction.
Grade 250 and Grade 270 have minimum
ultimate strengths of strengths of 250 000 psi
(1725 MPa) and 270 000 psi (1860 MPa), respectively, based on the nominal area of the
strand.
1.2 Supplement I describes low-relaxation
strand and relaxation testing for that product.
Low relaxation strand shall not be furnished
unless ordered, or by arrangement between
purchaser and supplier.
NOTE I-The values stated in inch-pound units
are to be regarded as the standard.

2. Applicable Documents

2.1 ASTM Standards:

A 370, Methods and Definitions for Mechanical Testing of Steel Products 2
E 380, Metric Practice 3
3. Description of Terms

3.1 Strand-All strand shall be of the sevenwire type having a center wire enclosed tightly
by six helically placed outer wires with a
uniform pitch of not less than 12 and not more
than 16 times the nominal diameter of the
strand.

4. Ordering Information
4.1 Orders for seven-wire stress relieved
strand under this specification shall include the
following information:
381

4.1.1
4.1.2
4.1.3
4.1.4
4.1.5
and
4.1.6

Quantity (feet),
Diameter of strand,
Grade of strand,
Packaging,
ASTM designation and date of issue,
Special requirements, if any.

2-A typical ordering description is as

follows: 84 000 ft, V2 in., Grade 270 strand, in
12 000 ft spool-less packs to ASTM A 416
dated--.
NOTE

5. Materials and Manufacture

5.1 Base Metal-The base metal shall be

carbon steel of such quality that when drawn to
suitable round wire sizes and fabricated into
strand sizes, and stress relieved after stranding,
it shall have the properties and characteristics
prescribed in this specification.
5.2 Wire-The wire from which the strand is
to be fabricated shall have a common drydrawn finish.
5.3 Stress Relieving-After stranding, all
strand shall be subjected to a stress-relieving
continuous heat treatment to produce the prescribed mechanical properties. Temper colors
which may result from the stress-relieving operation are considered normal for the finished
appearance of this strand.
I This specification is under the jurisdiction or ASTM
Committee A-Ion Steel, Stainless Steel and Related Alloys,
and is the direct responsibility or Subcommittee AOl.05 on
Steel Reinrorcement.
Current edition approved Sept. 27, 1974. Published
November 1974. Originally published as A 416 - 57 T.
Last previous edition A 416 - 68.
2 Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Parts I, 2, 3, 4, 5,
and ID.
a Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Part 41.

A416

,6.' Phy~ical Requirements

6.1 Breaking
Strength-The
breaking
strength of the finished strand shall conform to
the requirements prescribed in Table I, and
shall be determined as prescribed in Supplement VII of Methods and Definitions A 370.
6.2 Yield Strength-The minimum yield
strength, as"pres~ribed in Table 2, as measured
by the I % extension under load method, shall
not be less than 85 % ,of the specified minimum
breaking strength.
6.2.1 The extension under-load shall be measured by an extensbmeter' calibrated with the
smallest division not larger than 0.000 I in./in.
of gage length,
".
6.2.2 The initial load indicated in Table 2
shall be applied to the specimen", at .which time
the extensometer is attached 'ahd adjusted to a
reading of 0.00 I iri.)ii1.of gage length'. The load
shall then be increased uht}1 the extynsometer
indicates an extension of I %. The load for this
e~tension shaH he 'redord~d and'shall ~eet the
requirements prescribed in Table 2.
6.3 Elongation.>
,',
",
6.3.1 the total elo'ngation, uhder Iqad, Mthe
strarid~hall, be ~ot I<;:s~ than}.S % and ~l:Jal(be
measured in a gage length of not less than.24 in.
ot 610 mm. The elongation shall be determined
by an extenso meier which is p1a:i::ed dii the test
.speeirnen:after an initial load has, been applied.
, The; .initial .load .is cequivalent to l.0Wo. of the
required .minimum breaking strength as pre,s,cribed in'Tab1'e 2, Eollowingan extension 0f
1.0 %;' the. exH:nsometermay .,beFemoved and
loading continued to ultimate failure. The elon'gation value is 'then determined by the movementbetween the jaw:s grippiilg the material on
the new base length of jaw-lo-jaw distanee,to
which wiUbe added the' VaHHi"of LO % determitiedby theextens6iriet~t.
, '6.3.2Specitnens that break outside of'the
eXfensbnieter or in the j'awsaii'd yenneet the
ininimum specified Values, ate ,cbrtsidered as
'meeting the', elorigation requirements', of, this
',.1'; .'
specification.
6:3.3 If the minimum elongation requirement is met ptibrlo initial tl}pture, it is not
necessary to dete,rrriiil(:, the' finalelongat,ion
value. "
6.4' If M~y, sampie :breaking ~ithin the grips
or the jaws of the testing machine results in
vahies belbW"thespecified limits fdr 'breaking

strength, yield ~irength, or elongati~n, the

results shall be considered invalid and retesting
shall be required.
7. Dimensions and Permissible Variations
7.1 The size of the finished strand shall be
expressed as the nbmi~al dia~eter of the strand
in fractions or decimal. fractions of an inch.
7.2 Th~ dia~eter of the cent~r wire of any
strand must be larger than the diameter of any
outer wire in accordance with Table 3.
7.3 Permissible Variations in Diameter:
7.3.1 All Grade 250 strand shall cohform to
a si~!! tolerance of O.O,!6in. (OAI mm) from
the nominal diameter measured acro.ss the
crowns of the wires.
7.3.2 All Grade 270 strand shall conform to
a size tolerance of +0.026 in. -0.006 in;. (+0.66
-0.15 inm) frbm the n'omiiull diameter measured acrosS t~e crowns of tile wire. ",
" 7.3.3 Variation in doss-sectional itrea alldin
unit streSS resuitingtherefrdm shall nof be
'cauie'fot rejection provided the diameter differetic~s of the individU~iwires arid the diameters
o'f the str~ndaie with'in the toletances specified.
. '7.4 SpeciaJly dimensibned stress-reH~v~CI
strand with nominal diameters up to 0.75'0'ln.
:(19.05 mm) may be employed, prov'iding that
the breaking strength
defined; and the yield
strength, as:deffned in 6.2; is not less than 8'5%
Of; tlie' 'spedfiedtriiriimlim breaking" stre,liMh'.
All other requirements shall'apply."

is

it. .

8. Workmanship ;,} .d,,, .. '

8.1 Joints:
""";'"
,"
8.1.1 There shall be, no, strand joints or
stX!lnq splices in any,iength of the com p!eted
strand unless specifically permitted by the pur'
chaser.
. 'i .' '
8.1.2 During the process of manufacture of
the individual wires for, stranding, welding is
pe~rnitted !Jnly p'ri~rtq ora~}he size ,qf the last
heat treatrnt:nt (patenting), "
:, :."
8:,\.3 D)Jrjng fabri~ation, of,the wan9,.bl\~t
.,w<;:~deO,j9ints,'may be madejl1 ,theinqividJJal
wires, prRviq~d ,ther,e i~ npt mp\e than one, S~9h
joint in any 150-ft (45-m) section of the ~~rn
pleted strand.
NotE 3-When specifid~lly";6'rdered a'S":"Welo.
'1~~.s~9rade"" a, P.ro~u9t fr~.e oC.'f:!tI~s .$hall. be;fur'I'Hshed, When thIs 'grade IS speclfl,ed, no w~lds or
jointS'ate;perniittedexcept air detailed in 8:1.2.'

"II;'

382

A416
8.2 The finished strand shall be uniform in chase. Each reel, coil, or reelless pack shalll
diameter and shall be free of imperfections not have a strong tag securely fastened to it showconsistent with good commercial stranding ing the length, size, grade, ASTM Designation
practice.
. A 416, and the name or mark of the manufac8.3 When the strand is cut without seizings, turer.
the wire shall not fly out of position. If a wire,
11.2 Low-relaxation strand produced meetor wires, flies out of position and can be ing the requirements of Supplement I must be
specially identified.
replaced by hand, the strand will be considered speciaHy
satisfactory.
8.4 The strand shall not be oiled or greased. 12. Inspection
shall state at the time of
Slight rusting, provided it is not sufficient to
12.1 The purchaser shaH
cause pits visible to the naked eye, shaH not be order whether inspection by the purchaser at
cause for rejection.
the plant is required or waived. If purchaser
inspection is required, the manufacturer shall
afford the inspector representing the purchaser
9. Sampling
9.1 One specimen for test shaH be taken all reasonable facilities to satisfy him that the
from each 20-ton (18-Mg) production lot of material is being furnished in accordance with
finished strand. Test specimens shall be cut this speci fication. All tests and inspections shall
from the outside end of reels or 'either end of be made at the place of manufacture prior to
cqilsor reelless packs. Any specimen found to shipment, unless otherwise agreed upon at the
shall be so conducted as
contain a wire joint should be discarded and a time of purchase, and shaH
not
to
interfere
unnecessarily
with the operation
new specimen obtained.
of the works.

10. Test Methods

13. Certification

10.1 The test specimens as selected in 9.1

shall be tested by the method prescribed in
Su pplement V II of Methods and Definitions
A 370.

13.1 If outside inspection -is waived, a manufacturer's certification that the material has
been tested in accordance with, and meets the
requirements of, this specification, shaH
shall be the
basis of acceptance of the material.

11. Packaging and Marking

shaH be furnished on r~els or
11.1 The stran'd shall
in compact coils having a minimum core diameter of 24 in. (610 mm), unless otherwise
specified by the purchaser. Lengths on reels, in
coils, or in reelless packs shall be as agreed
upon at the time of purchase. The strand shall
be weH protected against mechanical injury in
shipping as agreed upon at the time of pur:

14: Rejection
14.1 In case there is a reasonable doubt in
the first trial as to the ability of the strand to
meet any requirement of this specification, t\\'o
additional tests shall be made on samples of
strand from the same coil or reel, and if failure
occurs in either of these tests, the strand shall
be rejected.

SUPPLEMENT
I. LOW-RELAXATION STRAND

S2. Applicable Documents

S1. Scope
S 1.1 This supplement delineates only those
details that are peculiar to low-relaxation
strand, and to the methods of relaxation
testing related to seven-wire strand having
properties generally as described in Specification A 416.
383

S2.1 ASTM Standard:

E 328, Recommended Practice for StressRelaxation Tests for Materials and
Structures
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Parts 10 and 41.

A416

S3. Test Method

tests on similariy dimensioned strand of the

'
.
same grade.
s6.2 The tempetature of the test piece shall
be maintained at 68 3.soF (20 2C). .
S4. Relaxation Properties
'S6.3 the test piece shall not be subjected to
pri'or to the relaxation test.
Idading
S4.1 Low-relaxation strand shall meet .the
S6.4 The initial load shall be applied un'i'physical requirements of thi$ sp~cificationl with
the added requirement that the relaxation loss fdrm1y over a period of not less than 3 min and
after 1000 h under the conditions ofSS,shall be not more than S min, and the gage length shan
not more than 2.S % .when initially loaded to 70 be m~intairi.ed constant; load relaxation read% of specifIed mipiml.!m breaki~g strengtq, or ings sh~il commence I min afterapplicatio'riof
the total load. . ,
not JUore than 3.~ % whe\'110ag~d to 80.:%pf
S6.S Over-stressing of the test sample during
specified'. l11illimum. breakilfg strength: ,oUhe
..
strand. .
.'
.
the loading operation shall not be permitted. ;
),) '.
,"
't .
S6.6 The duration of the test shall
1000
S5. ;Yleld Strength
h or a shorter computed period extrapolated to
$'S~ i .Yield strength: oflow-tdaxati'on strand, '1000 h which can. be shown by records' to
described'in' 6.2, shaH neit be less th~lD'9b % provide 'similar 'relaxation values;
of tnespeEifie'd' ni.lnimum breakirtg strength of
S6.7 .Th~ test gage length shall be at least 60
,"
the strand.'
times the. nominal diameter. If this gage lertgth
exceeds the capaCity, of' theextensometet or
S6. Conditions' of Relaxation:'Test
testing machine, then a minimum gage length
S6.1 If required, relaxation evidence shall be of 40 times the nominal diameter may be
provided from the manufacturer's records of substituted.
S3.1 Low-relax'ation strand shall be testeqas
prescribed in Re(!:o~mended Practice E 328.

be

as

TABLE 1 Breaking Strength Requirements

. '

Nominal Diameter
of Strand

in.

Br';~ldng Strength
,of Strand, Ibf(kN)

mm

Nominal Steel
Area of Strand, in. 2
(mm')
1':,;

Nominal Weighi
of Strands,
, Ibl IQOO ft, (kg/lOOO 1Jl)

Grade 250 '

,)" (0.250),
l'I, (0.313)
'Is (0.375)::
Jti,(0.438). ;,
y, ,(0.50,9) ,
(0.6QO)

6.35
6.35
7.94
9.53

Jl.11
12.70
15.24

9 000 (40.0)
14 500 (64.5)
20'000 (89.0)
27 000(120.1)
36 OOq,(160;1)
54 000 (240.2)
','

.'

;!') A~

0.03(\ (23.22)
0.036
0.058 (37.4i)
0.080.(51.61j!'"
0.lD8 (69.,68) .
O.IM (92.90)
0.216 (139,~5)

122 (182)
197 (294)
272(405) .
, ,367-(548)
; 490.(730)
737 (W94\.
(1094\ .

,. Giade 270

(0.375)
Jti6 (0.438)
y, (0.500.)
(0.60.0.)

9.53
lUI
12.70
15,24

23 000 (102.3)
3100.0.(137.9)
41 jOO 083.7)
58 600 (260.7)

384

0.085 (54.84)
0.115 (74.19)
0,153 (98.71)
0..217 (140.0.0.)

290 (432)
390. (582)
520 (775)
740(1102)

~~r~

A 416

TABLE 2 Yield Strength Requirements

Nominal Diameter of Strand

Minimum Load at I % Extension,

Ibf(kN)

Initial Load, Ibf(kN)

mm

in.

Grade 250
Y-I.'tO.250)

900 (4.0)
I 450 (6.5)
2000 (8.9)
2700 (12.0)
3 600 (16.0)
5400 (24.0)

6.35
7.94
9.53

Ytl, (0.313)
(0.375)

}-II, (0.438)
V, (0.500)

Il.ll
12.70
15.24

(0.600)

7 650 (34.0)
12300(54.7)
17 000 (75.6)
23 000 (102.3)
30 600 (136.2)
45 900 (204.2)

Grade 270

(0.375)

9.53

}-II, (0.438)
V, (0.500)

Il.ll

2300 (10.2)
3100(13.8)
4130(18.4)
5860 (26.1)

12.70
15.24

(0.600)

19 550 (87.0)
26.350 (117.2)
35 100(156.1)
49 800 (221.5)

TABLE 3 Diameter Relation Between Center and Outer Wires

Minimum Difference Between Center Wire Diameter
and Diameter of any Outer Wire

Nominal Diameter of Strands

in.

mm

in.

mm

0.001
0.0015
0.002
0.0025
0.003
0.004

0.0254
0.0431
0.0508
0.0685
0.0762
0.1016

0.002
0.0025
0.003
0.004

0.0508
0.0685
0.0762
0.1016

Grade 250
Y.I (O.25Q)
0/1(1 (0.313)
(0.375)
V!6 (0.438)
V, (0.500)
(0.600)

6.35
7.94
9.53
11.11
12.70
15.24

Grade 270
(0.375)
))1, (0.438)
Y, (0.500)
'(0.600)

9.53
11.11
12.70
15.24

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385