An aerospace forging is ordered against a drawing and a material specification
On aerospace work the grade alone does not define the order. The drawing fixes the shape and the machining allowance, and a material specification fixes what the metal has to satisfy. An enquiry carrying only a grade name cannot be priced without going back for both. The same gap sits behind the phrase aerospace grade titanium, which names a combination of alloy, specification and acceptance conditions rather than a grade.
| What the order has to carry |
|---|
| The drawing, which governs the shape |
| The governing product standard |
| Any material specification named on the drawing |
| The examination scope and its acceptance basis |
The grades normally specified, and how they are written
ASTM B381 uses its own designations for forgings, so the same alloy appears differently depending on the standard the line runs under. Take the UNS from the specification named on the order rather than from a general grade table.
| Commercial name | Under ASTM B381 | UNS |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 Ti-6Al-4V | Grade F-5 | R56400 |
| Grade 23 Ti-6Al-4V ELI | Grade F-23 | R56407 under ASTM B381 |
| Grade 2 unalloyed titanium | Grade F-2 | R50400 |
ASTM B381 states the Grade F-5 composition as a titanium alloy with 6 percent aluminium and 4 percent vanadium.
When the drawing names AMS as well as ASTM
Aerospace drawings often carry an AMS specification while the purchase order carries an ASTM standard. They are separate documents. The order has to say which governs, or that both are required, because that decides what is tested and what the certificate names.
| Ordered as | What the mill works to |
|---|---|
| One specification named | That specification, and the certificate names it |
| Both named, one stated as governing | The governing specification, the other recorded as reference |
| Both named, both required | Both, with testing and reporting scope agreed before production |
| Both named, neither identified | The mill has to ask before it can quote, or it guesses |
The shapes and sizes Beiyu reviews against
| Shape | Range |
|---|---|
| Forged round bar | 50 mm to 500 mm diameter, length to 3000 mm |
| Ring | Outside diameter 50 mm to 2000 mm, inside diameter 10 mm to 900 mm, height 20 mm to 400 mm |
| Disc | Outside diameter 50 mm to 2000 mm, thickness 20 mm to 500 mm |
| Block | 50 mm to 600 mm, governing dimension from the drawing |
The envelope is a production capability, not a stock statement, and the ordered combination is confirmed at quotation.
Examinations are ordered, not assumed
ASTM B381 does not automatically include ultrasonic examination. Where a forging needs it, the requirement is written onto the order with the method, the coverage and the acceptance basis.
| Field | Why it is on the order |
|---|---|
| Examination method | Decides which discontinuities the scan can reach |
| Coverage | A forged section can carry a discontinuity no surface method reaches |
| Acceptance standard and class | Makes pass or fail objective at receiving inspection |
| Stage | Decides whether examination happens before or after machining |
| Grain direction | Stated where the drawing requires one |
What to state on the purchase order
Drawing: ______ (attach it; the drawing governs the shape) Shape family: ______ (forged round bar, ring, disc or block) Governing standard: ______ (ASTM B381) Material specification named on the drawing: ______ (state it and say which governs) Grade: ______ (state the commercial name and the B381 designation) UNS: ______ Finished dimensions and machining allowance: ______ Grain direction: ______ (state if the drawing requires one) Condition: ______ (R / M, stated on the order) Examination scope: ______ (method, coverage, acceptance standard, class and stage) Certificate: EN 10204 3.1 mill test certificate with heat number traceability, reporting scope by order
Send the drawing with the specification chain named. Beiyu reviews the shape, size and grade combination against ASTM B381 before quoting, and products are made to ISO 9001 requirements with EN 10204 3.1 certification and heat number traceability.
Specification detail with sources
The grade designations used above come from the product specification, not from a general grade table. ASTM B381 lists Grade F-5 as a titanium alloy with 6 percent aluminium and 4 percent vanadium under UNS R56400, and Grade F-23 as the same alloy with extra low interstitials, ELI, under UNS R56407 (ASTM B381, scope). That is why an order naming only the commercial grade leaves the mill to map it: the mapping is defined inside the standard the line runs under.
| Grade under ASTM B381 | UNS | Composition as stated in the standard |
|---|---|---|
| Grade F-5 | R56400 | Titanium alloy, 6 percent aluminium and 4 percent vanadium |
| Grade F-23 | R56407 | Titanium alloy, 6 percent aluminium and 4 percent vanadium, extra low interstitials |
| Grade F-2 | R50400 | Unalloyed titanium |
The order fields the standard itself expects are also listed. ASTM B381 states that orders for forgings shall include the grade number, tensile properties, dimensions and tolerances, sampling and mechanical properties, methods for chemical analysis, marking, packaging, certification and the disposition of rejected material (ASTM B381, ordering information). For the analysis methods it references ASTM E8 for tension testing, ASTM E1409 for oxygen and nitrogen, ASTM E1447 for hydrogen and ASTM E1941 for carbon (ASTM B381, referenced documents). Naming a method fixes how a result is produced; it does not set the acceptance value, and it does not replace the sampling clause. In Beiyu’s supply practice the shape, size and grade combination is confirmed against the drawing and the ordered standard before pricing.
Send a technical RFQ
For aerospace titanium forging RFQs, include the drawing, the shape family, the governing standard, any material specification named on the drawing and which one governs, grade and UNS, finished dimensions and machining allowance, grain direction where required, condition, examination scope with its acceptance basis, and the required mill test certificate.