Material is a fundamental link in the chain of ASME Code construction, and great care is taken to assure its quality. The ASME accomplishes this by adopting material specifications that have been developed and adopted first by the American Society for Testing and Materials, the ASTM. The ASME material specifications are thus usually identical to those of the ASTM. ASTM issues specifications designated by letter and number, for example, A-106, Seamless Carbon Steel Pipe for High Temperature Service. When the ASME adopts ASTM specifications, it adds the letter S. The equivalent ASME pipe specification is thus SA-106.

In keeping with...