ASTM A380
Standard Practice for Cleaning, Descaling, and Passivation of Stainless Steel Parts, Equipment, and Systems
Provides practices for cleaning, descaling, pickling, and passivating stainless-steel parts, equipment, and systems.
What ASTM A380 specifies
ASTM A380 is a broad shop and field practice rather than a single prescriptive passivation recipe. It addresses removal of grease, shop soil, heat tint, scale, embedded iron, and other contamination, and discusses cleaning, mechanical descaling, chemical descaling, pickling, passivation, rinsing, and verification. The appropriate sequence depends on alloy, fabrication history, surface condition, geometry, and service. Because it offers multiple practices, a bare note stating only ASTM A380 may be ambiguous. Engineering documentation should identify the required operation, affected surfaces, prohibited chemicals, final cleanliness criterion, and the agreed inspection or free-iron test.
ASTM A380 types and classes
Every designation the document defines, with the thickness it requires and the tests it imposes.
| Designation | Meaning | Requirement / test |
|---|---|---|
Cleaning | Removal of oil, grease, dirt, and fabrication contamination | Visual cleanliness and agreed residue test |
Descaling and pickling | Removal of oxide scale and heat tint by mechanical or chemical means | Visual examination and agreed surface criterion |
Passivation | Chemical treatment after cleaning to remove free iron and support passive-film formation | Selected free-iron or corrosion test |
Tests and the drawing call-out
Tests the document imposes
- Visual examination
- Wipe testing
- Water-break testing
- Free-iron detection
- Agreed cleanliness verification
How to cite it
Drawing call-out
CLEAN, DESCALE, AND PASSIVATE PER ASTM A380; <PROCESS AND ACCEPTANCE TEST>Angle brackets mark the choices the drawing must make; every finish page shows a completed example.
Finishes specified to ASTM A380
Also referenced by: Electropolishing, Stainless Steel Passivation.
ASTM A380 — frequently asked
Is ASTM A380 the same as ASTM A967?
No. A380 is a broad cleaning, descaling, and passivation practice; A967 is a specification with defined passivation treatments and acceptance tests.
Does ASTM A380 require pickling every stainless part?
No. The required treatment depends on contamination and scale. Pickling is used when oxide scale or heat tint must be removed.
Is a drawing note saying ASTM A380 enough?
Often not. State the required operation and acceptance criterion because A380 contains multiple alternative practices.
ASTM A380 is copyrighted by ASTM International. This page explains the document so a drawing can be read; it does not reproduce the standard. Purchase the current edition from the publisher. Official source ↗