ISO 404:2013

Overview - ISO 404:2013 (Steel and steel products)

ISO 404:2013 defines the general technical delivery requirements for steel and steel products covered by ISO 6929, excluding steel castings and powder metallurgical products. It standardizes what purchasers and manufacturers must agree on for product description, delivery condition, inspection and testing, marking, and documentation. Where a product or material standard or order specifies different delivery requirements, those take precedence over ISO 404:2013. ISO 10474 is referenced for inspection document types.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope and applicability: Applies to all steel products covered by ISO 6929 except castings and powder-metallurgy items.
• Information to be supplied by the purchaser: mass/length, product form, nominal dimensions and tolerances, steel designation, delivery condition (heat or surface treatment), required surface/internal quality, inspection document type, marking/packaging, and any optional requirements.
• Manufacturing process: Left to manufacturer discretion unless otherwise agreed at order stage.
• Inspection and testing:
  • Two principal approaches: non-specific inspection (manufacturer’s internal verification) and specific inspection (pre‑delivery verification on supplied products or test units).
  • Inspection documents follow ISO 10474 (e.g., declaration of conformity, test report).
  • Concepts defined include test unit, sample product, sample, rough specimen, and test piece.
  • Rules for chemical composition (usually cast/heat analysis unless product analysis is specified) and mechanical properties (relate to as‑delivered condition unless otherwise stated).
  • Procedures for impact testing, rounding of test results, invalidation of test results, and sequential testing are covered.
• Surface and internal quality: Accepts minor imperfections from normal manufacture unless specific standards/order state otherwise; nondestructive methods (radiography, ultrasonics, magnetic) used as agreed.
• Supply by intermediaries: Intermediaries must pass manufacturer inspection documents (ISO 10474) and ensure traceability.
• Other clauses: sorting/reprocessing, marking, disputes and annexed bibliographic references.

Applications and users

ISO 404:2013 is used by:

• Steel manufacturers and mills to establish delivery practices and inspection regimes.
• Purchasers, stockists and steel service centres to define order requirements, inspection documents, and acceptance criteria.
• Fabricators, specifiers and QA teams who need to ensure traceability, verification of chemical/mechanical properties, and compliance when procuring steel. Practical uses include procurement specifications, quality assurance, supply-chain traceability, and dispute resolution.

Related standards

• ISO 10474 - Steel and steel products: Inspection documents (directly referenced)
• ISO 6929 - Steel products vocabulary
• ISO 377, ISO 14284 - Sampling and test-piece preparation and chemical sampling

Keywords: ISO 404:2013, steel products, technical delivery requirements, inspection and testing, ISO 10474, chemical composition, mechanical properties, surface quality, purchaser requirements.