16Mo3 is a European standard (EN 10028/EN 10216-2) chrome-molybdenum (Cr-Mo) alloy steel used for high-temperature applications like pressure vessels, boilers, and piping, offering good strength, weldability, and resistance to creep and hydrogen attack at elevated temperatures, commonly found in oil, gas, and power generation industries. It's known for its heat resistance, durability, and toughness, making it ideal for harsh, high-pressure environments.
Chemical Composition
| Grade | C | Si | Mn | P | S | Cr | Mo | Ni | Nb | Ti | V | Al | N | Cu |
| 16Mo3 | 0.12/0.20 | 0.35 | 0.40/0.90 | 0.025 | 0.010 | 0.030 | 0.25/0.35 | 0.30 | – | – | – | – | 0.012 | 0.30 |
Mechanical Properties
| Grade | Thickness | Temperature (° C) | |||||||||
| 50° | 100° | 150° | 200° | 250° | 300° | 350° | 400° | 450° | 500° | ||
| (mm) | MPa | MPa | MPa | MPa | MPa | MPa | MPa | MPa | MPa | MPa | |
| 16Mo3 | ≤16 | 273 | 264 | 250 | 233 | 213 | 194 | 175 | 159 | 147 | 141 |
| >16 ≤40 | 268 | 259 | 245 | 228 | 209 | 190 | 172 | 156 | 145 | 139 | |
| >40 ≤60 | 258 | 250 | 236 | 220 | 202 | 183 | 165 | 150 | 139 | 134 | |
| >60 ≤100 | 238 | 230 | 218 | 203 | 186 | 169 | 153 | 139 | 129 | 123 | |
| >100 ≤150 | 218 | 211 | 200 | 186 | 171 | 155 | 140 | 127 | 118 | 113 | |
| >150 ≤250 | |||||||||||
Main Applications
Pressure vessel and boiler manufacturing: Suitable for fabricating boiler drums, headers, heat exchangers, and pressure vessels that operate continuously at medium and high temperatures (up to 530°C).
Key industrial fields: Widely used in thermal power plants, chemical plants, and petrochemical industries as an important material for equipment transporting or processing high-temperature steam, hot water, or corrosive media.
High-temperature and high-pressure pipeline systems: Applied in the production of pipelines and fittings, ensuring safe media transmission in harsh working environments.
Strict Application Conditions
Temperature control: The operating temperature must be within -20°C to 530°C. Exceeding the upper limit reduces mechanical strength and creep resistance significantly, while temperatures below the lower limit may cause brittle fracture.
Welding procedure requirements: Preheating (usually 80-150°C) and post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) are mandatory to eliminate welding stress, prevent cold cracks, and ensure weld joint integrity.
Compliance with design standards: Only applicable to equipment with a specific pressure rating; material thickness must match working pressure and temperature to avoid overloading.
Non-destructive testing: Before application, ultrasonic testing, radiographic testing and other non-destructive tests must be conducted on the material and its welds to detect internal defects.
Anti-corrosion measures: In corrosive environments, appropriate anti-corrosion methods (such as coating or lining) should be adopted to prevent material degradation and extend service life.
Processing Flow
Raw material preparation:
Select qualified 16Mo3 steel billets or plates, and conduct pre-inspection to remove surface defects like cracks, scales and impurities, ensuring the base material meets technical standards.
Heating and hot working:
Heat the raw materials uniformly to the specified temperature range (typically 1050-1150℃) and keep warm for a certain time. Perform hot forming processes such as forging, rolling or bending, then cool the workpiece in a controlled way to avoid structural abnormalities.
Heat treatment:
Carry out normalization (heating to 890-950℃, holding and air cooling) to refine grain structure. Tempering (600-650℃, holding and cooling) is optional to reduce internal stress and improve toughness, matching service requirements.
Machining and welding:
Use standard tools for turning, milling or drilling with proper cooling/lubrication. Weld with preheating (80-150℃) to prevent cold cracking, followed by post-weld heat treatment to ensure joint integrity.
Final inspection and cleaning:
Remove scale/oil via shot blasting or pickling. Conduct non-destructive testing (ultrasonic, radiographic) to detect defects, ensuring the finished product qualifies.
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Full specification and details are available on request. The above information is provided for guidance purposes only. For specific design requirements please contact our technical sales staff.
What is the purpose of molybdenum in 16Mo3 steel?
Molybdenum in 16Mo3 improves high-temperature strength, creep resistance, and hardenability. It also enhances the steel's resistance to stress corrosion cracking in harsh environments.
Does 16Mo3 steel require preheating before welding?
Yes, preheating is necessary for 16Mo3 welding. Preheating to 100-150°C reduces the temperature gradient, prevents cold cracks in the weld zone, and ensures the joint's mechanical properties.
What is the post-weld heat treatment temperature for 16Mo3 steel?
The recommended post-weld heat treatment temperature for 16Mo3 is 600-650°C, held for a suitable time. This relieves welding stress, improves weld joint toughness, and prevents intergranular corrosion.
Is 16Mo3 steel a low-alloy steel?
Yes, 16Mo3 is a low-alloy steel. It contains small amounts of alloying elements (molybdenum, manganese) on a carbon steel basis, which enhance its properties without significantly increasing production costs.
What is the typical microstructure of 16Mo3 steel after heat treatment?
After normalization or normalizing-tempering, 16Mo3 has a fine-grained ferrite and pearlite microstructure. This microstructure provides a good balance of strength, toughness, and ductility.
Can 16Mo3 steel be cold-formed?
16Mo3 can be cold-formed under certain conditions. For thick plates or complex shapes, preheating may be needed to avoid cracking. Cold forming should be followed by stress relief heat treatment if required.
How to test the mechanical properties of 16Mo3 steel?
Mechanical properties are tested via tensile tests, impact tests, hardness tests, and creep tests. These tests verify tensile strength, toughness, hardness, and high-temperature creep resistance as per EN 10028-2.
What is the difference between 16Mo3 and 20Mo5 steel?
20Mo5 has higher molybdenum (0.45-0.60%) and carbon content than 16Mo3, offering better high-temperature strength and creep resistance. 20Mo5 is for higher-temperature equipment, while 16Mo3 is for moderate-temperature applications.
What is the application of 16Mo3 steel in the petrochemical industry?
In petrochemicals, 16Mo3 is used for reactors, heat exchangers, and pipelines. It withstands high temperatures and pressures during oil refining and chemical processing, ensuring equipment safe operation.
Can 16Mo3 steel be used to manufacture boiler tubes?
Yes, 16Mo3 is widely used for boiler tubes. Its high-temperature resistance, pressure-bearing capacity, and good weldability make it suitable for superheaters, reheaters, and water wall tubes in boilers.