Cold-formed welded carbon steel structural tubing — Grade B and Grade C — in round, square, and rectangular shapes. Manufactured to ASTM A500/A500M-23 for bridges, buildings, and general structural use.
A500 is the standard for hollow structural sections (HSS) used in welded, riveted, or bolted construction — bridges, building frames, columns, beams, equipment supports, and any general structural purpose where minimum tensile and yield strengths must be guaranteed. If your engineer's drawings reference HSS dimensions or call out a specific yield strength of 46 or 50 KSI, you're spec'ing A500.
| Grade / Shape | Tensile, min (PSI) | Yield, min (PSI) | Elongation in 2″, min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade B — Shapes | 58,000 | 46,000 | 23% |
| Grade B — Rounds | 58,000 | 42,000 | 23% |
| Grade C — Shapes | 62,000 | 50,000 | 21% |
| Grade C — Rounds | 62,000 | 46,000 | 21% |
Per ASTM A500/A500M-23 Table 2.
| Element | Grade B (max) | Grade C (max) |
|---|---|---|
| Carbon | 0.26 | 0.23 |
| Manganese | 1.35 | 1.35 |
| Phosphorus | 0.035 | 0.035 |
| Sulfur | 0.035 | 0.035 |
| Copper, min* | 0.20 | 0.20 |
Per ASTM A500/A500M-23 Table 1. * If copper-bearing steel is specified in the purchase order. C/Mn balance per Section 6 footnote A.
Numbers pulled directly from ASTM A500/A500M-23.
| OD Range | Outside Diameter Tolerance |
|---|---|
| 1.900″ and smaller | ±0.5% of specified OD |
| 2.000″ and larger | ±0.75% of specified OD |
Per ASTM A500/A500M-23 Section 11.1.1. Rounded to nearest 0.005″. Measured at least 2″ from the cut end.
| Large Flat Dimension | Tolerance ± | Wall Thickness |
|---|---|---|
| 2½″ and under | 0.020″ | −10% / +10% |
| Over 2½″ to 3½″, incl. | 0.025″ | −10% / +10% |
| Over 3½″ to 5½″, incl. | 0.030″ | −10% / +10% |
| Over 5½″ | 0.01 × large flat dim. | −10% / +10% |
Per ASTM A500/A500M-23 Table 3 and Sections 11.1.2, 11.2. Includes allowance for convexity and concavity.
| Large Flat Dimension | Max Twist per 3 ft |
|---|---|
| 1½″ and under | 0.050″ |
| Over 1½″ to 2½″, incl. | 0.062″ |
| Over 2½″ to 4″, incl. | 0.075″ |
| Over 4″ to 6″, incl. | 0.087″ |
Per ASTM A500/A500M-23 Table 5.
Mechanical tubing — Type 1 hot-rolled and Type 2 cold-rolled. Grades 1008–1020.
Galvanized mechanical tubing. Plus galvannealed, aluminized, and 55% Al-Zn options.
Cold-formed structural tubing from precoated sheet. Galvanized inside and out.
ASTM A500 is the standard specification for cold-formed welded carbon steel structural tubing — the hollow structural sections (HSS) used in bridges, building frames, columns, and equipment supports. Major Metals manufactures A500 Grade B and Grade C in round, square, and rectangular shapes to ASTM A500/A500M-23. Comparing against mechanical tubing? Read the full A500 vs A513 comparison.
Minimum strength. Grade B shapes: 46,000 PSI yield / 58,000 PSI tensile. Grade C shapes: 50,000 PSI yield / 62,000 PSI tensile. For rounds, minimum yield is 42,000 PSI (Grade B) and 46,000 PSI (Grade C). If the drawing calls out Fy = 50 KSI, specify Grade C.
Square tubing ½″–5″, rectangular to 4″×6″, and round 1″–3½″ OD, in wall thicknesses 0.035″–0.250″, on five ERW tube mills in Mansfield, Ohio.
Round OD: ±0.5% of specified OD at 1.900″ and smaller, ±0.75% at 2.000″ and larger. Square and rectangular: ±0.020″ at 2½″ and under, up to ±0.030″ over 3½″ to 5½″. Wall thickness: ±10% of nominal, per ASTM A500/A500M-23.
For structural tubing with corrosion protection already in place, specify ASTM A1076 — cold-formed structural tubing produced from precoated (galvanized) sheet, with dimensional tolerances that follow A500.
A truckload — roughly 45,000 lb. Send your spec and quantity with your RFQ and we'll confirm.
Lead times depend on the current production schedule, so we confirm them at quote time. Send your spec and quantity and we'll come back with pricing and a real lead time.
Send your grade, shape, size, and length — we'll get a quote back fast.
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