= 9009276 0003283 898

4Crb Designation: A 121 - 81

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MATERIALS
1916 Race St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103
Reprinted from the Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Copyright ASTM
If not listed in the current combined index, will appear in the next edition.

Standard Specification for

ZINC-COATED (GALVANIZED) STEEL BARBED WIRE’
This standard is issued under the fixed designation A 121; the number immediately following the designation indicates the
year of original adoption or, in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicatesthe year of last
reapproval.A superscriptepsilon (e) indicatesan editorialchange since the last revision or reapproval.
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1. scope number of original length of the spools before

I. 1 This specification covers zinc-coated sampling unless changed by contractual ar-
steel barbed wire, consisting of a strand of two rangement.
wires, in a number of sizes and constructions NOTE1-A typical ordering description is as fol-
with three classes(weights)of zinc coating (Sec- lows: 20 spools, 12%gage, 2 point, 441-1.spacing, 14-
tion 8). gage round barbs, Class 1 coating, certified, to ASTM
A 121 dated
1.2 The values stated in inch-pound units
are to be regarded as the standard. 4. Materials
2. Applicable Documents 4.1 Base Metal-The base metal of the
barbed wire shail be of a good commercial
2.1 ASTM Standards: quality steel wire. If copper-bearing base metal
A 90 Tests for Weight of Coating on Zinc- is specified, the copper content shall conform
Coated (Galvanized) Iron or Steel Arti- to the following requirements:
cies’ Copper, min, 9%
A 700 Recommended Practice for Packag-
Cast or heat analysis 0.20
ing, Marking, and Loading Steel Products Product analysis 0.18
for Domestic Shipment3
B 6 Specification for Zinc (Slab Zinc)4 4.2 Zinc-Coated Wire-The wire shall be
2.2 Federal Standard? zinc-coated before fabrication.
Fed. Std. No. 123 Marking for Shipments 4.3 Zincfor Coating-Slab zinc, when used
(Civil Agencies) for coating, shail be any grade of zinc conform-
2.3 Military Standards? ing to Specification B 6.
MIL-STD-129 Marking for Shipment and 5. Size and Construction
Storage
MIL-STD- 163 Steel Mill Products, Prepara- 5.1 The sizes and construction of barbed
tion for Shipment and Storage wire covered by this specification shall be in
accordance with those shown in Table 1.
3. Ordering Information
6. Joints and Workmanship
3.1 Orders for barbed wire purchased under
this specification shall include the following 6.1 Splicing of individual wires by means of
information: a wrap joint or an electric butt weld is permit-
3.1.1 Quantity (number of spools), ted. Not more than three splices or joints shall
3.1.2 Size and construction (Table i),
3.1.3 Class of coating (Section 8),
’ This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM
CommitteeA-5 on Metallic-CoatedIron and Steel Products.
3.1.4 Copper-bearing steel, if increased cop- Current edition approved March 27, 1981. Published Oc-
per content is required (4.1), tober 1981. Originally published as A 121 - 28 T. Last pre-
vious edition A 121 - 77.
3.1.5 Certification, if required, and e Annuul Book of ASTM Standards, Part 3 .
3.1.6 ASTM designation and date of issue. “AnnualBook of ASTM Slandards, Pans 1-5, 10.
‘Annual Book of ASTM Stundards, Pans 7, 8, 9.
3.2 AU spools of barbed wire accepted by ’ Available from Naval Publications and Forms Center,
the purchaser shall be billed on the basis of the 5801 Tabor Ave., Philadelphia.Pa. 19120.

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 9009276 O O O L 2 6 4 724 M
A 121

exist in any 80-rod (402-m) spool of barbed required.

wire. Such splices or joints shall be made in a NOTE2-While the barbs are to be made from
workmanlike manner. zinc-mated Wire, no coaling weight is specified.
6.2 The strands shall be twisted with a uni-
form length of lay. The direction of twisting 9. BreakingStrength
may be in one direction or alternately in left 9.1 The breaking strength of the stranded
and right directions. barbed wire shall be in accordance with Table
6.3 The barbs shall be sharp, well-formed, 3.
tightly wrapped, and normally spaced 4 or 5 in.
(1 02 or 127 mm) apart. 10. spmpling
10.1 For the purpose of tests, one spool from
7. Size and Permissible Variations every 50 spools or fraction thereof in a lot shall
7.1 Line Wire-The size of the zinc-coated be selected at random, or a total of seven
wire shall be expressed in terms of the gage samples, whichever is less. A lot shall consist of
numbers of the steel wire gage given in Tables all the spools of a single type of barbed wire
1 and 2. The permissible variations from the offered for delivery at the same time.
nominal diameter of the wire shall be 10.005 10.2 Test Specimens-A 4-ft (1.2-m) length
in. (0.13 mm). of barbed wire shall be cut from the end of the
7.2 Barbs-The sue of the zinc coated wire spool for the tests prescribed in Sections 8 and
used for the barbs shall be as described in Table 9. Each strand wire will be tested for weight of
1. Due to mechanics of manufacture when coating. The breaking strength value shall be
forming the barb, a certain amount of out-of- determined by having the twisted strand tested
roundness can be expected. The size and con- as a composite.
dition preclude barbs from being subjected to 10.3 Instead of testing wire for weight of
diameter checks. The barb length, measure coating and breaking strength from the com-
from the center of the two strand wires, shall pleted barbed wire in accordance with 10.2, the
be % in. (9.5 mm) minimum. manufacturermay elect toestablish compliance
7.3 Spacing of Barbs-Barbs shall be spaced with Sections 8 and 9 of this specification by
at a nominal 4 or 5 in. (102 or 127 mm) as tests made on wire prior to fabrication. If the
shown in Table 1. The individual barb spacing manufacturer makes this election, the pur-
shall be measured from the edge of one barb at chaser still reserves the right to test wire from
the strand to the corresponding edge of the the completed barbed wire for compliance.
adjacent barb. Cumulative spacing is estab- 10.4 For the purpose of inspection, a maxi-
lished by counting the total number of barbs in mum of two spook from the lot (as described
a 2 5 4 (7.6-m) length of barbed wire. Barbs are in 10.1) may be subjected to observations for
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subject to relocation d u h g fabrication and barb length and spacing, overall length, and
handling;therefore,a rigid interpretation of the general workmanship.
spacing requirement may lead to undue rejec- 10.5 Instead of inspecting for length by un-
tions. Any sample,with 93.5 % ofthe individual rolling full spools in accordance with 10.4, the
barb spacingsconforming to the specified spac- purchaser and manufacturer may agree on a
ing f% in. (19 mm), and containinga minimum weight per spool related to wire size or measur-
of 69 barbs (4-in. spacing) or 55 barbs (5-in. ing tools employed during manufacturing.The
spacing) in. 25 ft (7.6 m), shail be considered purchaser still reserves the right to confirm
acceptable. length by actual measurements.
7.4 The length of barbed wire in each spool 10.6 Inspection for barb spacing is normally
shall be 80 rods (402 m) minimum. performed on the outer 25-ft (7.6-m) length of
a spook this permits repackaging of the spool.
8. Weight of Coating A n y other selection shall be as agreed to be-
8.1 The zinc-coated strand wire, as repre- tween the manufacturer and the purchaser.
sented by the test specimens tested in accord-
ance with Section 10 and Methods A 90,shail 11. Retests and Rejecüon
conform to the requirements of Table 2 for 11.1 Should one or more of the individual
minimum weight of zinc coating of the class wire specimens fail the coating weight test, or

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 9009276 O003285 660 H
A 121

a strand specimen fail the breaking strength any of the inspection and tests set forth in this
test, the lot shall be subjected to retest. For specification when such inspections and tests
retest purposes, four additional spools of are deemed necessary to assure that the mate-
barbed wire for each 50 spools offered shall be rial conforms to prescribed requirements.
sampled. The lot size then becomes 50, except
this lot size may vary slightly to accommodate 13. Rejection and Rehearing
pallet count when the barbed wire is palletized. 13.1 Material that fails to conform to the
I 1.2 Retesting for Coating Weight-Should requirements of this specification may be re-
more than two of the individual strand wires of jected. Rejection should be reported to the
the retest specimens fail to meet the require- producer or supplier promptly and in writing.
ments of Table 2, or if any of the retest speci- In case of dissatisfaction with the results of the
mens has less than 75 % of the specified coating test, the producer or supplier may make claim
weight, the entire lot represented by the retest for a rehearing.
may be rejected.
11.3 Retesting for Breaking Strength- 14. Certification
Should any of the retest specimens fail to meet 14.1 When specified in the purchase order
the minimum breaking strength values of Table or contract, a producer’s or supplier’s certifi-
3, the entire lot represented by the specimens cation shall be furnished to the purchaser that
may be rejected. the material was manufactured, sampled,
11.4 Instead of rejecting the entire lot as tested, and inspected in accordance with this
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provided for in 1 1.2 and 1 1.3, the producer may specification and has been found to meet the
test specimens from every spool, as provided requirements. When specified in the purchase
for in 10.2, and reject only those spools failing order or contract, a report of the test results
the weight of coating or breaking strength re- shall be furnished.
quirement.
i 1.5 Re-inspection for Barb Spacing, Barb 15. Packaging and Marking
Length, and Overall Length-Should either of 15.1 Unless otherwise specified, packaging,
the sample spools fail to meet the requirements marking, and loading for shipment shall be in
of 7.2, 7.3, or 7.4, two additional spools shall accordance with Recommended Practices
be selected for inspection. If either of these A 700.
spools fail to meet the requirements, the lot 15.2 When specified in the contract or order,
may be rejected. and for direct procurement by or direct ship-
ment to the U. S . Government, when Level A
12. Inspection is specified, preservation, packaging, and pack-
12.1 Unless otherwise specified in the pur- ing shall be in accordance with the Levei A
chase order or contract, the manufacturer is requirement of MIL-STD- 163.
responsible for the performance of all inspec- 15.3 When specified in the contract or order,
tion and test requirements specified in this and for the direct procurement by or direct
specification. Except as otherwise specified in shipment to the U. S. Government, marking
the contract or purchase order, the manufac- for shipment, in addition to requirements spec-
turer may use his own or any other suitable ified in the contract or order, shall be in ac-
facilities for the performance of the inspection cordance with MIL-STD- 129 for U. S. military
and test requirements unless disapproved by agencies and in accordance with Fed. Std. No.
the purchaser at the time the order is placed. 123 for U. S . Government civil agencies.
The purchaser shali have the right to perform

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 m 9 0 0 9 2 7 6 000L28b 5 T 7 m

TABLE 1 Standard S i and Construction of Barbed Wire

Nominal Diameter of
Zinc Coated Wire in
S i , Steel
Wire Gage
Strand Number
PointsOf 'pacing
Barbs, Of
in. (mm) wire !~%$~~! Shape of Barbs

in. (mm)
12% 0.099 (2.51) 2 4 (102) 14 round
12% 0.099 (2.5 1) 4 5 (127) 14 round
12% 0.099 (2.5 I) 4 5 (127) 14A half-round
12% 0.099 (2.51) 2 4 (102) 12sA flat
13% 0.086 (2.18) 2 4 (102) 14 round
13% 0.086 (2.18) 4 5 (127) 14 round
15% 0.067 (1.70) 2 4 (102) 13YaA flat
15% 0.067 (1.70) 4 5 (127) 16% round
* The gage of the half-round and fiat barbs is designated by the gage of the round wire from which the barbs are rolled.
The nominal diameter of wire used in making barbs shall be as follows:
12%gage 0.099 in. (2.5 l$nm)
13%gage 0.083 in. (2. I 1 mm)
14 gage 0.080 in. (2.03 mm)
16%gage 0.058 in. (1.47 mm)

TABLE 2 Minimum Weight of Coaling on Zinc Coated TABLE 3 Breaking Strength of Zinc Coated Strand
Barbed Wue Nom-Breakingstrength values reflect both wires tested
~

together.

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Size,
Steel
Wire
Gage Gage in. (mm) Ibf (N)
12% 12% 0.099 (2.51) 950 (4230)
13% 13% 0.086 (2.18) 950 (4230)
15% 15% 0.067 (1.70) 950 (4230)

The American Sociey for Testing and Materials takes no position respecting the validity of any patent rights asserîed in
connectionwith any iiem mentioned in ihis siandard. Users ofthis standard are expressìy advised ihai determinationof the validity
of any such patent rights, and the risk of infringementof such rights, are entirely their own responsibility.

Th13standard is subject to revision at any time by the responsible technical committee and must be reviewed every/ive years
and ynot revised, either reapproved or withdrawn. Your comments are invited eitherfor revision ofthis standard orfor additional
standards and should be addressed to ASTM Headquariers. Your comments will receive cargul considerationat a meeting of the
responsible technicalcommittee, whichyou may attend y y o ufeel that your comments have not received afair hearingyou should
make your views known to the ASTM Committee on Siandards, 1916 Race St., Philadelphia,Pa. 19103, which will schedule a
further hearing regarding your comments. Failing satisfactionthere,you may appeal to the ASTM Board of Directors.

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