American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Current edition approved March 1, 2006. Published March 2006. Originally approved in 1974. Last previous edition approved in 2003 as A 693 – 03. 9 p. This specification covers precipitation-hardening stainless steel plate, sheet, and strip. The mechanical properties of these steels are developed by suitable low-temperature heat treatments generally referred to as precipitation hardening.