Half the prints in circulation still call out specs that were cancelled in 2008. This converter takes the callout off the drawing, tells you what alloy and form it actually means, whether the spec is still active, what superseded it, and what to write on the purchase order so the material and the paperwork both pass.
Last updated July 2026
This only changes the substitution guidance and the certificate language. It never changes the spec facts.
Status verified against the SAE and ASTM public catalogs in July 2026. Specifications are revised and occasionally cancelled between checks, so confirm on SAE MOBILUS or the ASTM catalog before you release a purchase order against a legacy number.
| Specification | Issuing Body | Status | Alloy | Temper | Product Form | Order To This Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMS-QQ-A-250/11 | SAE, was federal | Cancelled 2008 | 6061 | T6, T651 | Sheet and plate | AMS 4027, or ASTM B209/B209M commercial |
| AMS-QQ-A-250/12 | SAE, was federal | Cancelled 2008 | 7075 | T6, T651, T7351 | Sheet and plate | AMS 4045, AMS 4078 for T7351 |
| AMS-QQ-A-250/13 | SAE, was federal | Cancelled 2008 | Alclad 7075 | T6, T651 | Sheet and plate | AMS 4049 |
| AMS-QQ-A-250/4 | SAE, was federal | Cancelled 2008 | 2024 | T3, T351 | Sheet and plate | AMS 4037 |
| QQ-A-250 base document | Federal | Cancelled 2008 | Multiple | Multiple | Sheet and plate | The individual AMS numbers, or ASTM B209/B209M |
| AMS 4025 | SAE | Active | 6061 | O annealed | Sheet and plate | Current |
| AMS 4026 | SAE | Active | 6061 | T4, T451 | Sheet and plate | Current |
| AMS 4027 | SAE | Active | 6061 | T6, T651, T62 | Sheet and plate | Current, replaces QQ-A-250/11 |
| AMS 4044 | SAE | Active | 7075 | O annealed | Sheet and plate | Current |
| AMS 4045 | SAE | Active | 7075 | T6, T651 | Sheet and plate | Current, replaces QQ-A-250/12 |
| AMS 4049 | SAE | Active | Alclad 7075 | T6, T651 | Sheet and plate | Current, replaces QQ-A-250/13 |
| AMS 4078 | SAE | Active | 7075 | T7351 | Plate | Current |
| AMS 4050 | SAE | Active | 7050 | T7451 | Plate, 0.250 to 6.000 in | Current, ultrasonic inspection required |
| AMS 4201 | SAE | Active | 7050 | T7651 | Plate, 0.250 to 2.000 in | Current, ultrasonic inspection required |
| AMS 4037 | SAE | Active | 2024 | T3, T351, T42 | Sheet and plate | Current, replaces QQ-A-250/4 |
| ASTM B209/B209M | ASTM | Active | All wrought alloys | All standard tempers | Sheet and plate | Current, chemistry and tensile only |
| ASME SB-209 | ASME BPVC Section II Part B | Active | All wrought alloys | All standard tempers | Sheet and plate | Current, code adoption of B209 |
| ASTM B221/B221M | ASTM | Active | All wrought alloys | All standard tempers | Extruded bar, rod, shapes, tube. Not plate. | Current, wrong spec if the part is plate |
| ASTM B211/B211M | ASTM | Active | All wrought alloys | All standard tempers | Rolled or cold finished bar, rod, wire. Not plate. | Current |
| ASTM B928/B928M | ASTM | Active | 5083, 5086, 5456, 5052 | H116, H321, O | Marine sheet and plate | Current, adds sensitization testing |
| AMS 2772 | SAE | Active | All wrought alloys | Process spec | Heat treatment of raw materials | Cited alongside a material spec, not instead of one |
| AMS 2770 | SAE | Active | All wrought alloys | Process spec | Heat treatment of wrought parts | Cited alongside a material spec, not instead of one |
| MIL-A-22771 | Military | Superseded | All wrought alloys | Heat treated | Forgings. Not plate. | AMS-A-22771 |
| AMS-A-22771 | SAE | Active | All wrought alloys | Heat treated | Forgings. Not plate. | Current |
| Requirement | AMS Sheet And Plate Spec | ASTM B209/B209M |
|---|---|---|
| Chemistry limits | Same composition limits, verified at a tighter test frequency | Same composition limits, per heat or per lot |
| Tensile test frequency | Lot tensile testing at a defined frequency | Less frequent, commonly one test per heat or lot |
| Guided bend test | Required on the thicknesses the spec lists | Not required |
| Ultrasonic inspection | Required by AMS 4050 and AMS 4201 on 7050 plate, per AMS-STD-2154 | Not required |
| Flatness grade | Spec tolerance table, tighter grades by purchase order | Standard tolerance table |
| Marking | Every piece marked with alloy, temper, spec and lot | Commonly per bundle or per lot |
| Country of melt statement | Reported when the purchase order requires it | Not a spec requirement, add DFARS 252.225-7009 language on the order |
| Acceptance on paperwork | An aerospace prime can reject on the certificate alone | Sufficient for commercial work |
This is a lookup and comparison tool rather than a calculator. Two pieces of logic are derived, the substitution verdict and the requirement difference.
Callout normalization: the input string is uppercased and every character that is not a letter or a digit is stripped, so QQ-A-250/11 becomes QQA25011. The normalized string is matched against the designation and every known alternate for each record, first as a prefix, then as a substring, and prefix matches rank first.
Verdict, in order of evaluation. If the callout and the candidate cover different product forms, the verdict is no, and the tool names the correct specification for the form. If they cover different alloys, the verdict is no. If the callout is active and the candidate is the same specification, the verdict is yes with no action. If the callout is cancelled and the candidate is a direct superseding specification, the verdict is supply to the superseding specification and reference the cancelled number on the certificate for traceability. If the callout is an AMS aerospace specification and the candidate is a commercial standard that carries fewer requirements, the verdict is only with customer approval, and every missing requirement is listed as the reason.
Requirement difference: each specification carries a ranked value for chemistry limits, tensile test frequency, guided bend test, ultrasonic inspection, flatness grade, marking, and the country of melt statement. The comparison marks each row same, callout requires more, or candidate requires more, by comparing those ranks. Equal rank is the only case that reads same.
Status flags are verified against the SAE and ASTM public catalogs and every card renders the status as of date plus a link out to the issuing body so you can confirm before you commit to a purchase order.
Once you know which specification the print actually needs, you still need the plate. Get an instant quote on DFARS-compliant 6061, 7075 and 7050 plate cut to size, with the mill cert and the spec reference on every order.
No. AMS-QQ-A-250/11 was cancelled in July 2008 along with the rest of the AMS-QQ-A-250 series. For 6061-T6 and T651 sheet and plate it was superseded by AMS 4027, with AMS 4025 covering the O temper and AMS 4026 covering T4 and T451. ASTM B209 covers the same alloy and temper for commercial work. The callout still appears on a large share of legacy drawings, so it remains the most common obsolete spec buyers encounter.
AMS 4027 for the T6 and T651 tempers, which is the direct aerospace replacement, and ASTM B209 for commercial work. AMS 4025 covers 6061-O and AMS 4026 covers 6061-T4 and T451. When a print still says QQ-A-250/11, the normal practice is to supply to AMS 4027 and reference the cancelled number on the certificate for traceability, but confirm with the customer before you order, because some quality systems will not accept the substitution without a documented deviation.
Not without customer approval. The chemistry and minimum tensile properties are generally the same, but the AMS specs require testing that B209 does not: a guided bend test, lot tensile testing at a defined frequency rather than per heat, tighter chemistry test frequency, piece marking, and ultrasonic inspection on thick 7050 plate under AMS 4050. An aerospace prime can reject B209 material on the paperwork alone even when every measured property passes.
AMS 4050, which covers 7050-T7451 plate from 0.250 to 6.000 inches and requires ultrasonic inspection. AMS 4201 covers the 7050-T7651 temper from 0.250 to 2.000 inches. ASTM B209 also lists 7050 chemistry and properties for commercial work, but it does not carry the ultrasonic requirement, which is often the whole reason an aerospace buyer specified AMS 4050 for a thick structural part.
AMS 4027 is an aerospace material specification for 6061-T6 and T651 sheet and plate, and ASTM B209 is the general commercial specification for wrought aluminum sheet and plate. They agree on chemistry and minimum mechanical properties. AMS 4027 adds a guided bend test, a defined lot tensile testing frequency, tighter chemistry testing frequency, and specific piece marking requirements. B209 material is not automatically acceptable against an AMS 4027 callout.
Because someone picked the wrong spec. ASTM B221 covers extruded bar, rod, shapes and tube, not plate. Plate falls under ASTM B209. This is one of the most common drawing errors in aluminum procurement, and it matters because the two specs have different property minimums and different tolerance tables. Get the drawing corrected rather than buying extruded material for a plate part, since the grain structure and properties are genuinely different.