1.1 This specification covers a group of common requirements which, unless otherwise specified in the purchase order or in an individual specification, shall apply to carbon and alloy steel bars under each of the following ASTM specifications (or under any other ASTM specification which invokes this specification or portions thereof):Title of SpecificationASTM DesignationHot-Rolled Carbon Steel Bars:Steel Bars, Carbon, Quenched and TemperedA 321 Steel Bars and Shapes, Carbon Rolled from "T'' Rails A 499 Steel Bars, Carbon, Merchant Quality, M-Grades A 575 Steel Bars, Carbon, Hot-Wrought, Special Quality A 576 Steel Bars, Carbon, Merchant Quality, Mechanical Properties A 663 Steel Bars, Carbon, Hot-Wrought, Special Quality, Mechanical Properties A 675 Steel Bars for Springs, Carbon and Alloy A 689 Cold-Finished Carbon Steel Bars: Steel Bars, Carbon, Cold-Finished, Standard Quality A 108 Stress-Relieved Steel Bars Subject to Mechanical Property Requirements, Cold-Drawn Carbon A 311/A 311MHot-Rolled Alloy Steel Bars: Steel Bars, Alloy, Standard GradesA 322 Steel Bars, Alloy, Subject to End-Quench Hardenability Requirements A 304 Steel Bars, Alloy, Hot-Wrought or Cold-Finished, Quenched and Tempered A 434 Steel Bars, Alloy, Hot-Wrought, for Elevated Temperature or Pressure-Containing Parts, or Both A 739 Cold-Finished Alloy Steel Bars: Steel Bars, Alloy, Hot-Rolled or Cold-Finished, Quenched and Tempered A 434 Steel Bars, Carbon, Hot-Wrought or Cold-Finished, Special Quality, for Pressure Piping Components A 696 These designations refer to the latest issue of the respective specifications, which appear either in the Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 01.05, or as reprints obtainable from ASTM.

1.2 In case of any conflict in requirements, the requirements of the purchase order, the individual material specification, and this general specification shall prevail in the sequence named.

1.3 The values stated in inch-pound units or SI units are to be regarded as the standard. Within the text, the SI units are shown in brackets. The values stated in each system are not exact equivalents; therefore, each system must be used independently of the other. Combining values from the two systems may result in nonconformance with the specification.

1.4 For purposes of determining conformance to this specification and the various material specifications referenced in , dimensional values shall be rounded to the nearest unit in the right-hand place of figures used in expressing the limiting values in accordance with the rounding method of Practice E 29.

Specification A 29 previously listed dimensional tolerances for cold-finished bars; these are now found in Specification A 108.