Overview
ISO/TR 20174:2020 - Welding - Grouping systems for materials - Japanese materials is a Technical Report that provides a Japanese material grouping system for welding purposes, aligned with the grouping approach of ISO/TR 15608. Published as the second edition in 2020, it maps JIS material designations to the ISO/TR 15608 grouping scheme for steels, aluminium and aluminium alloys, and titanium and titanium alloys. The report is primarily a reference of grouped material types (tables) rather than a prescriptive normative standard.
Key topics and technical content
- Material grouping for welding: Classification of Japanese (JIS) materials into groups compatible with ISO/TR 15608 grouping tables.
- Coverage by material family:
- Steels - extensive lists of JIS steel grades mapped into group tables.
- Aluminium and aluminium alloys - mapping of common JIS aluminium alloy numbers into groups.
- Titanium and titanium alloys - group assignments for JIS titanium materials.
- Cross-reference to ISO/TR 15608: Uses the ISO/TR 15608 grouping logic (Tables 1, 2, 5) to ensure international consistency.
- Applicability beyond welding: The grouping system is documented as also suitable for heat treatment, forming, and non‑destructive testing (NDT) planning.
- Tabulated mappings: The technical report provides tables listing JIS reference standards and designations organized by group - useful for material selection, qualification and documentation.
Practical applications and users
ISO/TR 20174:2020 is a practical tool for:
- Welding engineers and procedure developers - to select compatible filler metals and welding parameters based on material groups.
- Materials engineers and metallurgists - for heat-treatment planning and formability assessments using grouped material behavior.
- Quality managers and inspectors - to standardize acceptance criteria and NDT plans across Japanese materials.
- Fabricators and OEMs - for procurement, specifying JIS grades with clear group-based welding expectations.
- Standards bodies and testing labs - for consistent cross-referencing between JIS and ISO grouping systems.
Related standards
- ISO/TR 15608:2017 - Grouping systems for materials (primary reference for the grouping methodology).
- Various JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) referenced in the report (tables map specific JIS grades).
For implementation, consult the full ISO/TR 20174:2020 document to view the complete JIS-to-group mappings and to confirm group-specific considerations when qualifying welding procedures or planning heat treatment and NDT.