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A193 Grade B7 Anchor Bolts

While there is certainly nothing to preclude ASTM A193 B7 from being specified for anchor bolts – and Portland Bolt manufactures them quite often – the specification is not intended for anchor bolt use. ASTM F1554 Grade 105 is a specification specifically developed for anchor bolts and possesses virtually identical chemical and physical properties.

ASTM A193 is a specification that “covers alloy and stainless steel bolting material for pressure vessels, valves, flanges, and fittings for high temperature or high pressure service, or other special purpose applications.” A193 B7 is widely available and mass-produced in both heavy hex bolt and all-thread rod form, so it is a very familiar specification to engineers, contractors, fastener distributors, and bolt manufacturers. This may be one of the reasons it is so often called out for anchor bolt applications.

Another key reasons that A193 B7 is not the most suitable specification for anchor bolts is the requirement, per the A193 compliance with ASTM A962, that A193 fasteners 1″ diameter and larger shall be 8 thread pitch series (8 threads per inch), unless otherwise specified. While the “otherwise specified” language means that A193 anchor bolts can still be made with national coarse threads, the 8 TPI requirement could result in higher manufacturing costs and limited availability and higher costs on larger diameter nuts, particularly galvanized nuts. In fact, there is no standard, published oversizing allowance for 8 TPI galvanized nuts above 1-1/2″ diameter.

ASTM F1554 Grade 105 would be a more appropriate specification than A193 B7 if the application is anchor bolts. As mentioned above, F1554 is an anchor bolt specification. The chemical and mechanical properties are nearly identical. For diameters up to 2-1/2″, the minimum yield (105 ksi) and tensile (125 ksi) are exactly the same (although F1554 Grade 105 does have a maximum of 150 ksi tensile, while A193 has no maximum). Additionally, with F1554, there are no special thread pitch requirements.

24 thoughts on “A193 Grade B7 Anchor Bolts”

  1. I have some 1.5″ dia A193 B7 fully threaded rods I need to pretension. Do they make jacks that will give an accurate reading of bolt tension or do you have to rely on the less accurate bolt torque charts. I want to pretension these to 60%-70% of ultimate. Note that the rod free length would be up to about 75″ as I’m wanting to bolt a wide flange beam to a concrete column.

    1. @Alan- You might look at DTI washers as a cost effective method of measuring tension. Other than that, we do believe you can get special equipment, but we are not familiar with what the options are.

  2. Mahmood Ahmed Siddiqui

    Dear Sir
    We have 32mm B 7 anchors, coupled with Grade 75 coupler. I need to teSt it for B 7. Is it right way?

    1. @Mahmood- The B7 anchor will exceed the strength of the gr.75 coupler, so if the anchor is fully tensioned, the coupler will not likely hold. You’ll need to consult with an engineer to see if that combination will be acceptable for your specific application.

    1. @Trish- Many times bolts made per ASTM A193 B7 will meet all the F1554g105 requirements and can therefore be recertified without any issues. However, there are some subtle differences between the two specifications, so the company making the substitution needs to use caution to assure that all the requirements are met.

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