Quality, Testing & Standards — 100% Ultrasonic Tested Clad Steel

The principle

Test the whole surface,
not a sample of it.

Conventional inspection works by sampling — you test a plate from the batch and assume the rest is the same. That logic does not hold for a bonded interface. An unbonded area can be anywhere, on any plate, and it will not show up on the surface.

So every square metre of clad surface goes through ultrasonic inspection, and the scan map travels with the material certificate. You can see exactly where the inspection was done and what it found.

ISO 9001 : 2008 ISO 14001 : 2004 PED 97/23/EC TS Pressure Piping EN 10204 3.1 / 3.2

Acceptance criteria we hold to

Ultrasonic coverage100% of clad area

Bonding rate≥99.5% per plate

Single unbonded areanot permitted

Bond shear strength≥210 MPa

Side bend180°, no separation

Delamination at bendnone permitted

Thickness toleranceto order standard

Surface defect levelto order standard

Criteria follow the standard the order is placed against — GB/T 8165, ASTM A263 / A264 / A265, JIS G3601, EN or API 5LD. Where our internal limit is tighter than the standard, the tighter limit applies.

Process control

Seven gates between order and shipment

GATE 01

Incoming material

Base plate and cladding plate verified against the mill certificate: grade, heat number, dimensions and surface condition.

GATE 02

Surface preparation

Both mating surfaces ground clean and flat. Any contamination here becomes an unbonded area later.

GATE 03

Bonding

Explosion or hot-roll bonding to a qualified, recorded procedure with the charge and stand-off parameters logged.

GATE 04

Heat treatment

Normalising or annealing as required by the base steel and the applicable standard, with chart record.

GATE 05

100% ultrasonic test

Full-area scan for unbonded areas, with a map retained against the plate or pipe number.

GATE 06

Destructive tests

Shear, tensile, side bend, impact and metallography on samples taken from the same production lot.

GATE 07

Final & documentation

Dimensional check, marking, surface protection, and issue of the material test certificate.

See how it is packed and shipped

Test methods

What we test, how, and why

Test	Method / standard	Acceptance	Why it matters
Ultrasonic bond test	GB/T 7734 · ASTM A578 · API 5LD Annex	100% coverage; no unbonded area	The only way to find a bond that looks fine but is not bonded.
Shear strength	GB/T 6396 · ASTM A264	≥210 MPa typical	Quantifies the interface strength that keeps the cladding in place under load.
Side bend	GB/T 6396 · ASTM A263 / A264	180° with no separation	Proves the bond survives the forming operations your shop will perform.
Tensile test	ASTM E8 / E8M	to the base steel grade	Confirms the composite wall has the strength the design assumed.
Impact test	ASTM E23, Charpy V-notch	to project requirement	Specified for low-temperature and offshore service where toughness is critical.
Hardness	ASTM E10 / E18 · NACE MR0175	to sour service limit	Hardness limits control susceptibility to sulphide stress cracking.
Metallography	Microscopic examination of the bond line	continuous, wave-form interface	Shows the bond is metallurgical and free of inclusions or oxide films.
PMI	XRF or OES positive material identification	matches the certificate	Confirms the alloy actually delivered is the alloy ordered.
Chemical analysis	Spectrometric analysis of the heat	within grade range	The basis of the material test certificate.
Radiography / UT of welds	ASTM E94 / E164 / E213	to the applicable weld standard	For welded pipe seams, prefabricated spools and fabricated vessels.
Eddy current	ASTM E426	no relevant indication	Standard for heat exchanger and instrumentation tube.
Hydrostatic test	to the applicable pipe or vessel standard	held without leak or deformation	Confirms the finished component holds pressure before it ships.

Independent verification

Your inspector is welcome

We would rather you verified the material yourself than took our word for it. Third-party inspection is routine, not exceptional.

Nominated inspection bodies

SGS, Bureau Veritas, TÜV, Intertek, Cotecna and most major inspection agencies can attend at the production stage you nominate — pre-bonding, post-bonding, post-UT or pre-shipment. Costs are passed through at cost.

Witnessed testing

Your representative or your agency's surveyor can witness the shear, bend and ultrasonic tests in person. Test samples are reserved for the purpose and identified before the run.

EN 10204 3.2 certificates

Where the project requires an independent signature on the material certificate, we can issue 3.2 instead of 3.1, with the inspection body countersigning the results against the heat number.

Documentation

What travels with the goods

A shipment with incomplete paperwork sits in a customs yard. Everything below is prepared as standard, not on request.

DOC

Material test certificate — EN 10204 3.1

Chemical composition, mechanical properties, heat number and, for clad products, the bond shear and ultrasonic results. Signed by the mill's authorised inspector.

DOC

Inspection reports

Ultrasonic scan report, dimensional record, hardness and PMI results, radiographic films or digital records for welds, and hydrostatic test record where applicable.

DOC

Export documents

Packing list, commercial invoice, bill of lading, certificate of origin (Form E / RCEP where applicable), marine insurance certificate and any buyer-nominated inspection release note.

DOC

Technical documents

Recommended welding procedure (WPS/PQR on request), handling and storage guidance, and the surface protection specification for the voyage.

Standards portfolio

Clad plateGB/T 8165

ASTM A263 / A264 / A265

ASME SA-263 / SA-264 / SA-265

JIS G3601

EN 1110

Clad pipeAPI 5LD

GB/T 31940

SY/T 6623

ASTM A928

DNV-OS-F101

Stainless plateASTM A240 / A480 · EN 10088-2

Stainless pipeASTM A312 / A213 / A269 · EN 10216-5

Duplex pipeASTM A790 / A789

Fittings & flangesASTM A403 / A815 / A182 · EN 1092-1

BarASTM A276 / A479 · EN 10272

Sour serviceNACE MR0175 / ISO 15156

Common questions

Quality questions we get asked

Under GB/T 8165 and ASTM A263 / A264 the requirement is normally a bonding rate of at least 99% of the tested area, with no single unbonded area exceeding the limit set by the standard or by your specification. We work to 99.5% or better per plate and do not accept a discrete unbonded area anywhere on the clad surface. The ultrasonic scan map is kept against the plate number so the result is auditable.

The side bend test is the direct answer. A strip is bent through 180° with the cladding on the tension side, and acceptance is that there is no separation, cracking or delamination at the interface. If the bond survives a 180° bend, it will survive the radii your shop will roll or press it to.

Yes. The standard minimum for clad plate is generally quoted at 210 MPa shear, and API 5LD sets a floor of 137.8 MPa for clad and lined pipe. If your project calls for a different figure, tell us and it becomes an acceptance criterion on your certificate.

Every heat is identified by PMI and spectrometric analysis before it is processed, and PMI is repeated on finished parts where the project requires it. The certificate is issued against the actual heat number, and we can arrange for a third party to countersign it as an EN 10204 3.2 if your client insists.

It does not ship. A plate that fails the ultrasonic or shear criteria is quarantined, the cause is recorded, and the material is either reworked to a qualified procedure and re-tested or rejected outright. You will see the outcome in the release note — we do not quietly substitute a borderline plate into a shipment.

Within reason, yes. Send us the buyer's documentation requirement — the nozzle schedule, the ITP, the certificate template, the marking instruction — and we will confirm what we can meet before the order is placed, not after.

Quality & Standards

Test the whole surface,
not a sample of it.

Seven gates between order and shipment

What we test, how, and why

Your inspector is welcome

What travels with the goods

Quality questions we get asked

Ask for the certificates
before you place the order.

Quality & Standards

Test the whole surface,not a sample of it.

Seven gates between order and shipment

What we test, how, and why

Your inspector is welcome

What travels with the goods

Quality questions we get asked

Ask for the certificatesbefore you place the order.

Test the whole surface,
not a sample of it.

Ask for the certificates
before you place the order.