Specification and ordering guide
Writing a complete A500 order
A complete order removes producer interpretation. This guide walks each line item an A500 purchase order should state, in the order a supplier will look for them.
On this page
The short answer
State the specification and edition, the unit system, the grade, the shape and dimensions, length and quantity, and the certification you need — then add any supplementary or negotiated requirements. A500/A500M treats inch-pound and SI units as separate standards, and the inch-pound units apply unless the “M” designation is specified, so the units line is not a formality.
Line by line
The following checklist mirrors the ordering-information structure of the specification without reproducing its text. Reconcile the final order against the purchased standard before release.
- Specification and edition: e.g. ASTM A500/A500M-23 — carrying an old edition forward silently is a real source of disputes
- Units: inch-pound or M (SI) — never mix values from the two systems
- Grade: A, B, C, or D — and whether dual-certified product is acceptable
- Shape: round, square, rectangular, or special
- Dimensions: outside dimensions and nominal wall thickness
- Length: mill lengths or exact cut lengths, with end condition if it matters
- Quantity: pieces or total footage/mass — state which governs
- Certification: mill test report requirements and traceability expectations
- Supplementary requirements and negotiated items: anything tighter than the standard's defaults
Resolve conflicts before release
When the drawing, the project specification, and the purchase order disagree — a Grade B callout on a drawing feeding a Grade C order, or an HSS designation that does not match the stated wall — resolve the conflict in writing before the order is released. The producer will build to the purchase order; the erector will build to the drawing; the gap between them becomes your problem at the site.
Questions a good supplier will ask
Expect questions about end use (welded construction versus galvanized architectural work changes surface expectations), about whether calculated weights or actual weights govern the commercial quantity, and about tolerance-sensitive downstream operations. Answering these on the order the first time is faster than answering them by phone later.
Sources and limitations
- ASTM A500/A500M-23 — Standard Specification for Cold-Formed Welded and Seamless Carbon Steel Structural Tubing in Rounds and Shapes — ASTM International. Controlling specification for grades, shapes, tolerances, testing, and ordering requirements. Purchase the current edition for all normative values.
These sources informed this page but do not substitute for the purchased standard. Numeric requirements — strengths, chemistry, and tolerance tables — are controlled ASTM content and are deliberately not reproduced on this site. The current official edition, your drawing, and your purchase order govern acceptance.