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A320 L7 vs A320 L43

QWhat is the difference between ASTM A320 L7 and ASTM A320 L43?
AAs far as the mechanical and chemical makeup of both A320 Grades L7 and L43, there isn’t much of a difference at all. The
main difference is that the raw material used to make A320 L7 fasteners is typically 4140, whereas the raw material used to
make A320 L43 is 4340. Below is information found in the ASTM A320 specification showing the mechanical and chemical
differences between the two grades. As you can see the two grades are very similar in all aspects, including the
recommended nuts and washers.

A320 Grades
L7 Alloy steel AISI 4140/4142 Quenched and tempered
L43 Alloy steel AISI 4340 Quenched and tempered

A320 Mechanical Properties

Grade Size Tensile, ksi, min Yield, ksi, min Charpy Impact 20-ft-lbf @ temp Elong, %, min RA, %, min
L7 Up to 21⁄2 125 105 -150° F 16 50
L43 Up to 4 125 105 -150° F 16 50

A320 Chemical Properties

Element L7 (AISI 4140) L43 (AISI 4340)
Carbon 0.37 – 0.49% 0.38 – 0.43%
Manganese 0.65 – 1.10% 0.75 – 1.00%
Phosphorus, max 0.035% 0.035%
Sulfur, max 0.040% 0.040%
Silicon 0.15 – 0.35% 0.15 – 0.35%
Chromium 0.75 – 1.20% 0.70 – 0.90%
Nickel 1.65 – 2.00%
Molybdenum 0.15 – 0.25% 0.20 – 0.30%

A320 Recommended Hardware

Grade Nuts Washers
L7 A194 Grade 4 or 7 F436
L43 A194 Grade 4 or 7 F436
Strain hardened nuts available as a supplementary requirement

So why would engineers recommend or specify one grade over the other? A320 L7 fasteners are common or can be
manufactured in diameters 2-1/2” and below with relative ease. However, once you get into diameters above 2-1/2”, you will
often times see A320 L43 specified. The reason for this is mainly due to material availability, but it is also due to the raw
material 4340 being more successful in the heat treating process. It is important to note that even though A320 L7 is not
limited to 2-1/2” diameter and below, the raw material will likely need to be rolled and will result in extended lead times and
higher costs. Also, the A320 L7 and L43 specifications requires a Charpy Impact test, which becomes more difficult to pass
for A320 L7, but is not as difficult with A320 L43 material. This is another reason why engineers will often times specify
A320 L43 over A320 L7.

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Written July 17, 2015
Anthony Porreco
Phone: 800.599.6926
Email: anthony@portlandbolt.com

10 comments

Mehdi Shariatzade
February 4, 2019 at 2:41 am
Hello Anthony
i got a question , shall we use steel No.:1.6582 ( German standard) instead of astm a 320 l 43 ?
if yes do you recommend any special heat treatment ?
thank you for your kindness.
Regards
Mehdi

Dane McKinnon
February 7, 2019 at 8:17 am
@Mehdi- We are sorry, but we do not have any familiarity with that German standard, so we can’t make any
recommendations one way or the other. Apologies.

Aydin Huseynov
November 12, 2018 at 5:01 am
Colleagues,

We have one joint 36inch #900 Class SPW gasket, on isometric drawing pointed that A320 L7 installed , but
actually must be A320 L43, Can we do tensioning of these bolts

Dane McKinnon
November 14, 2018 at 7:52 am
@Aydin- A320 L7 and L43 only differ in chemistry, so they can both be tensioned to the same levels.

Mohammed Amin
November 8, 2017 at 3:24 am
Can L43 be used for sizes 1/2 “half” Inch and all the way to 4″??

Dane McKinnon
November 8, 2017 at 12:07 pm
@Mohammed – Yes, A320L43 is theoretically available in all diameters from 1/2″ to 4″. However, what we’ve found
in reality is that L43 is limited to only larger sizes, i.e. 1-1/2″ and larger, and even then it is hit and miss. A320 L7 is
many times more available, even up to 2-2-1/2″ diameters.

Prasad
February 20, 2017 at 10:38 pm
Can ASTM A 320 L43 bolt Can be used for temperature range between 0 to 50 Deg C.

Dane McKinnon
February 21, 2017 at 11:30 am
@Prasad- A320 L43 bolts are charpy tested to -150F/-100C, so they should be suitable for any temperature above
that.

Govind Upadhyay
June 23, 2016 at 9:14 am
Can L43 be hot dipped galvanized like L7and yet not affecting the mechanical properties of the bolt for cold
temperature condition?

Dane McKinnon
June 24, 2016 at 7:31 am
@Govind- Yes, in our experience the mechanicals and charpy results are not adversely effected by the low
temperature hot dip galvanizing process. There is a high temperature process that takes place at about 950F, I am
uncertain if that will effect the bolts differently.