R60704 is a zirconium-tin industrial alloy. This datasheet presents the material within the American (ASTM / ASME / UNS) standard system.
Zirconium is a reactive metal noted for outstanding corrosion resistance in many aggressive chemical environments — particularly hot mineral acids, strong alkalis and organic acids — owing to a tenacious, self-healing oxide film. R60704 is a zirconium-tin industrial alloy; the tin and minor iron/chromium additions raise strength over unalloyed zirconium while retaining excellent corrosion resistance. Like the other industrial grades it may contain hafnium, since the low-neutron-capture requirement does not apply to chemical-process service. It combines its excellent corrosion resistance with good mechanical strength, ductility and weldability, and is supplied in the annealed (recrystallised) condition.
Typical applications include chemical-process equipment — heat exchangers, reactors, columns, piping and pumps — handling hot acids and corrosive media.
| Property | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Density | 6.51 | g/cm³ |
| Melting point | 1852 | °C |
| Elastic modulus | 99 | GPa |
| Coefficient of thermal expansion (20–100 °C) | 5.9 | µm/m·°C |
| Thermal conductivity (20 °C) | 22 | W/m·K |
| Specific heat (20 °C) | 285 | J/kg·K |
| Structure | Hexagonal close-packed (alpha) | — |
| Element | Symbol | Min % | Max % | Role in Alloy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zirconium + Hafnium | Zr + Hf | Balance | — | Base element |
| Tin | Sn | 1.0 | 2.0 | Solid-solution strengthening |
| Iron + Chromium | Fe + Cr | 0.20 | 0.40 | Strength |
| Hafnium | Hf | — | 4.5 | Permitted in industrial grade |
| Oxygen | O | — | 0.18 | Interstitial; strength |
| Carbon | C | — | 0.05 | Interstitial impurity |
| Nitrogen | N | — | 0.025 | Interstitial impurity |
Annealed condition, typical values for ASTM B551 Grade R60704.
| Condition | Property | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Annealed | Tensile strength (UTS) | ≥413 MPa (60 ksi) |
| Annealed | 0.2% yield strength | ≥241 MPa (35 ksi) |
| Annealed | Elongation at break | ≥16 % |
| Cold-worked | Tensile strength (UTS) | higher; less ductile |
| — | Elastic modulus | 99 GPa |
Confirm against the mill test report. Strength depends on oxygen content and condition.
| Environment | Performance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrochloric acid (all conc.) | Excellent | Outstanding; major application |
| Nitric acid | Excellent | Resistant across wide range |
| Sulfuric acid (≤70%) | Excellent | Resistant; attacked at high conc. |
| Strong alkalis | Excellent | Resists hot caustic |
| Ferric / cupric chlorides, aqua regia | Poor | Attacked; also HF |
Zirconium offers outstanding resistance to hydrochloric and nitric acids, hot caustic and many organic acids through a self-healing oxide film, but is attacked by hydrofluoric acid, ferric and cupric chlorides, wet chlorine and aqua regia.
A reactive metal; not hardenable by precipitation. Properties are governed by working and annealing.
Anneal Anneal in vacuum or a protective atmosphere at approximately 540–815 °C to recrystallise and restore ductility after cold work. Avoid oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen pickup, which embrittle the metal; pickling removes surface contamination.
Excellent weldability by inert-gas processes; the weld and hot metal must be fully shielded from air (trailing shields, backing gas or chambers), because oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen pickup cause embrittlement.
| Welding Process | Applicability | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GTAW / TIG | Excellent | Full inert shielding / trailing shield |
| GMAW / MIG | Good | Matching filler |
| EBW / plasma | Good | Vacuum or high-purity shielding |
Weld under full inert-gas shielding with clean surfaces; a bright, silvery weld indicates good shielding, while colours indicate contamination.
Machining Guidelines
| Parameter | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Machinability | Fair; sharp tooling, slow speeds, heavy feeds |
| Caution | Fine chips/dust are pyrophoric — manage swarf, flood coolant |
| Coolant | Ample non-chlorinated coolant |
Forming Processes
| Process | Notes |
|---|---|
| Cold forming | Good; ductile when annealed |
| Hot forming | Performed warm/hot under protection from oxidation |
| Industry | Typical Components | Key Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical process | Heat exchangers, reactors, columns | Hot-acid corrosion resistance |
| Acid production | Piping, pumps, valves | HCl / H₂SO₄ resistance |
| Pulp / pharmaceutical | Process vessels | Corrosion resistance + purity |
| Industrial | Linings, fittings | Broad chemical resistance |
| Product Form | ASTM Standard | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Strip, sheet and plate | ASTM B551 | Grade R60704 |
| Bar and wire | ASTM B550 | Grade R60704 |
| Seamless and welded tube | ASTM B523 | Grade R60704 |
| Material designation | UNS R60704 | Zirconium-tin alloy |
Zirconium-tin industrial alloy (Grade R60704). UNS R60704.
| UNS | Composition | Grade | Best Used For |
|---|---|---|---|
| R60702 | Unalloyed Zr | Industrial unalloyed | Industrial zirconium; chemical-process service |
| R60700 | Unalloyed Zr, low oxygen | Low-oxygen | Higher-ductility unalloyed zirconium |
| R60704 | Zr-Sn | Zirconium-tin | Zirconium-tin alloy; higher strength + corrosion resistance |
| R60705 | Zr-2.5Nb | Zirconium-niobium | Higher-strength zirconium-niobium alloy |
| R60706 | Zr-2.5Nb | Zirconium-niobium | Zirconium-niobium, modified |




