How does A106 A106M steel pipe compare to EN 10216-2 and GB/T 8163 pipes?

Specifying seamless steel pipe for a refinery, power plant, or pipeline project often comes down to a three-way conversation between ASTM A106/A106M, EN 10216-2, and GB/T 8163. All three are mainstream specifications for carbon and carbon-manganese seamless pipes used in pressure and fluid service, yet they were written for different markets, follow different testing philosophies, and accept slightly different chemical and mechanical limits. Choosing the wrong one - or treating them as fully interchangeable - can lead to procurement delays, rejected shipments, or costly requalification on site.

This guide breaks the three standards down side by side, then shows how ASTM A106/A106M seamless steel pipes from EZ Steel Industrial can be supplied alongside EN 10216-2 seamless tubes and GB/T 8163 pipeline-grade carbon and alloy steel pipes to keep multi-standard projects on schedule.

Where each standard fits

ASTM A106/A106M covers seamless carbon steel pipe for high-temperature service. It is the default choice for refineries, power plant piping, and downstream process units in most non-European projects. The standard defines three strength grades - A, B, and C - with Grade B being by far the most common.

EN 10216-2 is the European counterpart for pressure-purpose seamless tubes made from non-alloy and alloy steels with specified elevated temperature properties. It is mandatory for pressure equipment delivered into the EU under the Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) and is also widely used for offshore, FPSO, and refinery projects that follow European engineering practice.

GB/T 8163 is the Chinese national standard for seamless steel pipes used in fluid transport. It is suitable for working temperatures below 350 °C and is widely accepted for general fluid conveyance in petrochemical, chemical, and utility systems, including the West-East Gas Pipeline and South-to-North Water Diversion projects.

Side-by-side comparison

The table below summarizes the most practical differences for engineers, buyers, and quality teams. Values are taken from the published standard editions referenced below and are intended for material selection, not for final design verification.

Material and grade mapping that actually works

A106 Grade B is the workhorse: 0.30 % C max, 0.29–1.06 % Mn, 0.035 % P and 0.035 % S max, with 240 MPa yield and 415 MPa tensile. EN 10216-2 P265GH is the closest European equivalent, with a slightly higher silicon range for elevated-temperature strength. In Chinese practice, GB/T 8163 grade 20# is the most direct analogue to A106 Grade B, while Q345B offers a noticeable jump in yield strength (345 MPa) at a small cost premium.

For alloyed elevated-temperature service, EN 10216-2 offers 16Mo3, 13CrMo4-5, and 10CrMo9-10, which line up with ASTM A335 P1, P11/P12, and P22 respectively. In the GB system, the equivalents are 15CrMoG, 12Cr1MoVG, and 12Cr2MoG under GB 5310, not GB/T 8163 - an important reminder that GB/T 8163 itself is limited to carbon and carbon-manganese steels for fluid service, not for boiler tubes or refinery cracking services.

Testing and inspection philosophy

All three standards share a core inspection routine: chemical analysis, tensile testing, flattening or ring expanding, and hydrostatic testing on every length. The differences sit in the optional and mandatory layers above that baseline.

A106 makes hydrostatic testing the backbone, with ultrasonic or eddy current testing added by purchase specification rather than by the standard itself. EN 10216-2 introduces a two-class system: TC1 for routine service and TC2 for higher-integrity pressure service, where ultrasonic or eddy current testing is mandatory and the documentation package is heavier. GB/T 8163 follows a similar logic, with eddy current testing commonly specified for high-grade fluid lines and a full test report issued per batch.

In practice, multi-standard projects often end up with the strictest combination - EN 10216-2 TC2 testing on material that is also marked to A106 and GB/T 8163. That is achievable, but only if the mill is set up to run all three documentation streams in parallel.

How to choose for a real project

Use this quick decision rule, then confirm with your project specification:

• If the project is bound to ASME / ASTM practice or is destined for North America, the Middle East, or most of Southeast Asia, start with ASTM A106/A106M Grade B.
• If the project must be CE-marked, follows EN 13480 or EN 13445, or is being built in a European shipyard, specify EN 10216-2 P265GH (or an alloy grade for higher temperature).
• If the project is a Chinese EPC, a domestic pipeline, or a utility water or gas line, GB/T 8163 20# or Q345B is usually the most cost-effective baseline, with the option to upgrade to GB 5310 for high-temperature sections.

For projects that span all three jurisdictions - for example, a refinery designed in Europe but built in the Middle East with Chinese-fabricated modules - it is often worth purchasing to the strictest standard and then dual- or triple-marking the pipes. This avoids the schedule risk of having to re-qualify one batch while a different batch is already on site.

Where EZ Steel Industrial fits in

EZ Steel Industrial operates a three-site manufacturing and supply network covering Cangzhou (alloy steel pipe and custom fittings), Yangzhou (large-scale carbon and alloy steel pipe), and Lishui (stainless and copper-nickel corrosion-resistant materials). The company holds ISO 9001, API 5L, and API 5CT certifications, supplies to PED-compliant projects, and runs more than 12 quality checkpoints including hydrostatic, ultrasonic, and PMI checks.

For a multi-standard pipe package, the most practical approach is to source the three specifications from a single supplier so that heat numbers, MTCs, and inspection records are aligned. A106/A106M seamless pipe, EN 10216-2 seamless tubes, and GB/T 8163 pipeline carbon and alloy steel pipes can all be drawn from the same production plan, which simplifies the documentation package and reduces the risk of one batch arriving late.

Beyond the three standards discussed here, the same supplier can also provide related product lines such as API 5L line pipe for oil and gas transmission, ASTM A53 welded pipe for low-pressure service, and ASTM A335 alloy pipe when the service temperature moves above the carbon-steel range. Pairing pressure pipe with the matching flanges and fittings from the same source keeps the metallurgical story consistent and the traceability chain intact.

Bottom line

ASTM A106/A106M, EN 10216-2, and GB/T 8163 are not ｄｒｏｐ-in replacements. They overlap heavily in the carbon-steel fluid-service space, but they diverge in grade naming, tolerance classes, mandatory NDT, and documentation depth. The safest way to use them on a multi-standard project is to decide which standard governs each line, source all three from a mill that runs the matching inspection and documentation for each, and verify MTCs against the project specification before release. With that discipline, the three standards can sit side by side on the same isometric drawing without becoming a scheduling risk.