ASTM B863 Grade 9 Titanium Wire
- Standard: ASTM B863
- Grade: Grade 9 (Ti-3Al-2.5V Titanium Alloy)
- UNS: R56320
- Supply form: Coil, spool or straight cut length
- Condition: Annealed or cold-worked, as ordered
- Diameter Range: Ø0.03–Ø7.0 mm
Customizable sizes are available, while specific product parameters should be confirmed per the applicable standard edition and order.
Product Overview
ASTM B863 Grade 9 titanium wire is medium-strength Ti-3Al-2.5V titanium-alloy wire with UNS designation R56320. It contains 2.5-3.5% aluminum and 2.0-3.0% vanadium and is commonly treated as a cold-workable alpha-beta or near-alpha engineering alloy. It bridges the fabricability and weldability of commercially pure titanium and the higher strength of Grade 5, with common uses in aerospace hydraulic systems, lightweight tubing, pressure components and performance products.
Grade 9 is stronger than the common commercially pure grades but weaker than typical Grade 5, and usually offers better cold formability than Grade 5. Wire properties depend on diameter, cold reduction, stress-relieved or annealed condition, heat treatment, microstructure and surface quality. ASTM B863 Grade 9 wire does not automatically satisfy aerospace-tubing, pressure-equipment, medical-device or welding-consumable specifications.
| Specification | Details | ||
| Industrial Standard | ASTM B863 | ||
| Grades | Gr9 | ||
| Diameter Range | Ø0.03–Ø7.0 mm | ||
| Typical Diameters | Ø0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0 mm | ||
| Supply Form | Coil / Spool or straightened and cut wire |
Grade-equivalence note: Grade 9 is sometimes informally compared with TA18 in the Chinese market. ASTM Grade 9 and Chinese GB/T grades must be certified to their own specifications and should not be declared fully equivalent without clause-by-clause comparison.
Main Characteristics
- Medium strength and high structural efficiency: Density is about 4.48 g/cm³ and an annealed reference tensile strength is about 620 MPa, supporting weight-sensitive parts that also need useful formability.
- Good cold workability: Ti-3Al-2.5V is more suitable than Ti-6Al-4V for cold drawing and forming, but bend radius, area reduction and intermediate annealing still require process validation.
- Good general corrosion resistance: It performs well in seawater, humid atmosphere and many neutral chlorides, broadly near CP titanium behavior, but reducing acids and extreme crevice conditions require specific evaluation.
- Good weldability: Qualified inert-gas fusion or resistance welding can be used; hot weld metal and heat-affected zones must be protected from oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and carbon contamination.
- Useful over a broad temperature range: It has good low-temperature behavior and retains useful strength at moderate temperature, but allowable temperature and stress must come from the applicable design code.
- Properties can be adjusted by cold work and heat treatment: Annealed, cold-worked stress-relieved (CWSR), and solution-treated-and-aged conditions differ in strength and ductility and are not interchangeable; the purchase condition must be explicit.
Chemical Composition
The following limits apply to ASTM B863 Grade 9. Values are mass percentages. Formal acceptance is governed by the contract edition and the producer’s certified report.
| Element | ASTM B863 Grade 9 requirement |
| Aluminum, Al | 2.5-3.5% |
| Vanadium, V | 2.0-3.0% |
| Nitrogen, N | ≤0.03% |
| Carbon, C | ≤0.08% |
| Hydrogen, H | ≤0.015% |
| Iron, Fe | ≤0.25% |
| Oxygen, O | ≤0.15% |
| Residual elements, each | ≤0.10% |
| Residual elements, total | ≤0.40% |
| Titanium, Ti | Balance |
Technical references: ASTM B863 grade scope, TIMETAL 3-2.5, and Ti-3Al-2.5V Grade 9 technical data.
- Aluminum and vanadium: Aluminum stabilizes alpha and contributes strength; vanadium stabilizes beta and supports processing and heat-treatment response. Acceptance follows the specified ranges, not merely the nominal 3Al-2.5V name.
- Oxygen, iron and nitrogen: Affect strength, hardness, ductility and notch performance. Grade 9’s relatively low oxygen limit helps balance strength with fabricability.
- Hydrogen: Must be strictly controlled. Improper pickling, heat treatment or electrochemical exposure can promote hydrogen pickup, loss of ductility and hydride formation.
- Titanium content: ASTM states Titanium: Balance. A fixed titanium percentage calculated from the nominal alloy name is not an untested product guarantee.
Mechanical Properties
ASTM B863 includes tensile, elongation and hardness requirements for Grade 9 wire. Properties vary with diameter and delivery condition. Formal acceptance must therefore follow the ordered annealed or cold-worked condition, applicable size range, test method and the official tables of the specified standard edition.
| Property | Product-page technical statement | Acceptance basis |
| Tensile strength | Depends on diameter and annealed/cold-worked condition | Applicable ASTM B863 table and purchase order |
| Elongation | Depends on diameter, gauge length and condition | Applicable ASTM B863 table and purchase order |
| Hardness | The specification includes applicable requirements; one value cannot cover every condition | Applicable grade, condition and test method |
| Yield strength | Minimum values defined for annealed condition; cold‑worked values vary with cold reduction & wire diameter, no universal fixed value | Specify condition, diameter and acceptance requirements in purchase order if yield strength is required |
Annealed Grade 9 Reference Properties (TIMETAL 3‑2.5 reference data, NOT ASTM B863‑26 wire guaranteed acceptance values)
| Property | TIMETAL 3-2.5 annealed reference |
| Ultimate tensile strength | Reference approx. 620 MPa |
| 0.2% yield strength | Reference approx. 483 MPa |
| Elongation | Reference approx. 15% |
| Reduction of area | Reference approx. 30% |
Important: The values above are representative annealed Grade 9 data and are not ASTM B863 wire acceptance values. Diameter, cold reduction and final annealing materially affect strength, elongation and hardness. Quotations, contracts and MTRs should identify diameter, tolerance, condition, surface, coil weight or cut length, and inspection requirements.
HTN Supply and Quality Documentation
HTN organizes ASTM B863 Grade 9 Ti-3Al-2.5V wire supply to customer purchase requirements. Material is produced by qualified titanium-mill resources. Original mill reports, heat traceability, full chemistry and property records can be supplied as agreed. HTN reviews the edition, heat number, diameter, tolerance, annealed/CWSR or other ordered condition, surface, coil weight or cut length, and can arrange independent retesting, cut-to-length service, clean packaging and third-party inspection.
Typical Applications
- Lock wire, locating wire and small high-strength parts for aerospace hydraulic and pneumatic systems;
- wire or formed stock for lightweight tubing, fittings, clips and pressure systems;
- high-strength lightweight parts for bicycles, motorsport and sporting goods;
- corrosion-resistant medium-strength connectors for marine, chemical and energy equipment;
- precision wire parts requiring drawing, coiling, bending or flattening;
- critical parts only when additional medical, aerospace or customer specifications are satisfied;
- welding filler wire when the applicable Ti-3Al-2.5V classification under AWS A5.16 is met;
- special wire assemblies made to customer drawings and validated by forming, fatigue, pressure or functional testing.
Application boundary: ASTM B863 Grade 9 wire is not automatically qualified aerospace hydraulic tubing, implant material, pressure-equipment material or welding filler. Such uses separately require the applicable AMS/tubing, medical, ASME/design-code, AWS A5.16, customer drawing and quality-system requirements.
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Fabrication and Machining Characteristics
Drawing and Dimensional Control
Grade 9 is stronger than CP titanium and has low thermal conductivity. Drawing requires rigid equipment, clean tooling, suitable lubrication and controlled area reduction. Intermediate annealing or stress relief should be scheduled to manage diameter, roundness, surface damage, microstructure and residual stress.
Cold working
Cold drawing can markedly increase strength and hardness. CWSR supply is widely associated with products that need high strength while retaining some fabricability. Final reduction, diameter and heat treatment change properties and must match subsequent coiling and bending requirements.
Annealing and heat treatment
Annealing restores ductility and stabilizes microstructure; stress relief reduces residual stress while retaining some cold-work strengthening. Solution treatment and aging are also possible, but time, temperature and cooling require a qualified procedure and generic data are not purchase guarantees.
Welding and joining
GTAW/TIG, laser welding, resistance welding or another qualified method may be used with complete inert-gas shielding of the pool, root and hot heat-affected zone. Filler wire must separately satisfy the applicable Ti-3Al-2.5V classification in AWS A5.16, consumable chemistry, cleanliness, dimensions and procedure qualification; ASTM B863 compliance alone does not qualify welding wire.
Typical Physical Properties
The following are annealed Ti-3Al-2.5V reference values near room temperature and are not mandatory lot-acceptance requirements of ASTM B863 .
| Physical property | Typical value |
| Density | Approx. 4.48 g/cm³ |
| Elastic modulus at room temperature | Approx. 95-105 GPa |
| Thermal conductivity at room temperature | Approx. 8.3 W/(m·K) |
| Electrical resistivity at room temperature | Approx. 1.27 μΩ·m |
| Mean CTE, 20-95°C | Approx. 9.61×10⁻⁶/K |
| Poisson’s ratio | Typically approx. 0.30 |
| Specific heat | Reference approx. 0.525 kJ/(kg·K) |
| Beta transus | Approx. 935±15°C |
| Liquidus temperature | Approx. 1700°C |
| Magnetism | Essentially non-magnetic |
Physical-property references: TIMETAL 3-2.5 and Ti-3Al-2.5V Grade 9 technical data. Values vary with heat, temperature, microstructure, orientation, cold work and heat-treatment condition.
Korrosionsbeständigkeit
Grade 9 obtains good general corrosion resistance from a stable titanium-oxide passive film and commonly performs well in seawater, humid atmosphere and many chloride media. It should not be treated as equivalent to palladium-bearing Grade 7 or 18; strong reducing acids, hot tight crevices, fluoride media and hydrogen-charging conditions require evaluation.
Environments in Which Grade 9 Generally Performs Well
- Seawater, salt spray and humid air;
- neutral chloride and brine solutions;
- many oxidizing acid environments;
- nitric acid and some oxidizer-containing process streams;
- many organic acids and organic compounds;
- alkaline media;
- wet chlorine and hydrated halogen environments;
- many food, pharmaceutical and high-purity-water systems.
Environments Requiring Careful Evaluation
- Strong reducing acids under oxygen-starved conditions;
- hot concentrated hydrochloric or sulfuric acid;
- fluoride-containing media or hydrofluoric acid;
- tight crevices in hot concentrated chloride or sulfate solutions;
- anhydrous methanol or halide-contaminated methanol;
- red fuming nitric acid;
- molten chloride salts;
- cathodic-protection or electrochemical conditions that may promote hydrogen absorption;
- dissimilar-metal contact with an unsuitable galvanic design.
Engineering caution: Grade 9 is not immune to every corrosive environment. Fine wire and mesh may also be affected by crevices, deposits, contacting metals and cleaning residues. Evaluate crevice corrosion in hot chloride service and control hydrogen pickup during pickling, heat treatment and electrochemical use.
Typical Industry Manufacturing Route for Grade 9 Titanium Wire
- Raw-material selection and charge preparation: Select qualified titanium sponge, aluminum-vanadium master alloy and controlled clean revert, accurately controlling aluminum, vanadium, oxygen, iron, nitrogen and hydrogen.
- Electrode preparation: Homogenize, compact and weld a consumable electrode while avoiding aluminum-vanadium segregation and contamination from iron particles, oil and moisture.
- Vacuum melting and ingot production: VAR or another qualified vacuum route is commonly used for chemistry uniformity and cleanliness. ASTM B863 does not prescribe one identical melt count for every Grade 9 wire order; special requirements belong in the purchase order.
- Ingot conditioning and breakdown: Crop unsuitable ends, remove surface defects, and forge or roll to break down the cast structure and make billet or rod suitable for wire processing.
- Hot processing to wire rod: Forge, hot roll or make coil in a controlled range, managing grain size, alpha-beta microstructure, dimensions, oxidation and surface quality.
- Surface conditioning and multi-pass drawing: Remove scale and alpha case, condition laps or cracks, and draw through successive dies with intermediate anneals scheduled to total reduction.
- Intermediate and final heat treatment: Apply a qualified anneal, stress relief or agreed strengthened condition, controlling time, temperature, atmosphere and cooling to obtain the specified structure and properties.
- Surface finishing: Use pickling, mechanical cleaning, polishing or another approved method while controlling hydrogen pickup, oxidation, alpha case, iron contamination and surface notches.
- Straightening, coiling and cutting: Supply on coils or spools, or as straight cut lengths, and inspect diameter, roundness, straightness of cut lengths, coil quality and surface condition.
- Inspection and traceability: Verify chemistry, tensile properties, elongation, hardness, dimensions and surface quality, maintaining traceability from heat and lot to spool or package and material-test documentation.
Melting and inspection note: ASTM B863 requires finished wire to meet applicable chemistry, performance, dimensional and quality requirements. It does not prescribe the same number of VAR melts for every Grade 9 product. Double or triple VAR, tight roundness, special roughness, cleanliness, nondestructive testing, EN 10204 3.1 documentation and third-party inspection must be confirmed in the purchase order when required.
