Material Identification & PMI Testing

Positive material identification (PMI) and alloy verification in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and across the UAE — XRF and optical emission spectrometry (OES) to ASTM E1476, ASTM E572 and API 578, on site, in fabrication yards and offshore. Last reviewed: August 2026.

Positive material identification confirms that the alloy in front of you is the alloy the specification called for. Material substitution happens — through mislabelling, mixed stock, lost documentation or deliberate supply of a cheaper grade — and the consequence appears in service, as accelerated corrosion, cracking or failure under conditions the correct material would have withstood.

Methods

• X-ray fluorescence (XRF)Handheld, entirely non-destructive, and fast enough to check a full population of components rather than a sample. Identifies alloying elements and matches the result against a grade library to ASTM E572 and ASTM E1476. Suited to verification, sorting and screening in the field.
• Optical emission spectrometry (OES)An electrical arc vaporises a small area of the surface and the emitted light is analysed. Slower and leaves a small burn mark, but measures elements XRF cannot — including carbon, sulphur and phosphorus — and provides full quantitative composition to ASTM E415 and ASTM E1251 rather than identification alone.

Why carbon decides the method

XRF cannot measure carbon. It is a light element and produces no usable fluorescence signal, so an XRF instrument cannot distinguish 304 from 304L, or 316 from 316L, because those grades differ almost entirely in carbon content. The alloying elements read identically and the instrument reports a match.

This matters because L grades exist specifically to resist sensitisation and intergranular corrosion after welding. A component supplied as 316 where 316L was specified will pass an XRF check and fail in service. Where the specification distinguishes an L grade, or sets limits on carbon, sulphur, phosphorus or boron, OES is required — and we will say so rather than issue an XRF result that appears to confirm compliance it cannot establish.

Elements and alloys

OES with a UV probe measures carbon, phosphorus, sulphur, tin, arsenic and boron in steels, and aluminium, magnesium and silicon in aluminium alloys, in situ. We routinely analyse ferrous alloys including carbon and low alloy steels, stainless and duplex grades, nickel alloys, aluminium alloys and copper-based alloys, reporting full composition against the material specification.

Where PMI is required

• Incoming material verification where certification is missing, incomplete or in doubt
• Verification of welding consumables and completed weld deposits
• Confirmation that installed components match the piping or equipment specification
• Alloy sorting where stock has been mixed or identification lost
• Verification after maintenance, where a replacement part's origin is unknown
• Refinery and petrochemical PMI programmes covering pressure-retaining components to API 578
• Failure investigation, establishing whether material substitution contributed
• Pre-shipment verification of fabricated assemblies

Standards applied

• ASTM E1476 — metals identification, grade verification and rating
• ASTM E572 — analysis of stainless and alloy steels by XRF
• ASTM E415 — analysis of carbon and low alloy steel by OES
• ASTM E1251 — analysis of aluminium and aluminium alloys by OES
• API 578 — material verification programmes for new and existing alloy piping systems
• Client and project specifications, including operator PMI procedures where these govern

Surface preparation

Both methods read the surface, so a result is only as good as what the instrument sees. Coatings, scale, oxide, weld spatter and surface contamination must be removed to clean base metal before analysis, and grinding residue from a wheel used on another material will itself skew the result. Preparation is part of the procedure, not a preliminary to it.

Coverage

PMI is carried out on site, in fabrication yards, at refineries and offshore, or on components submitted to us. We work across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain and the northern Emirates, with portable instruments that require no power supply at the test location.

Accreditation and approvals

ITMAD is accredited to ISO/IEC 17020 as an inspection body, is an ADNOC approved inspection contractor, and is listed on the Abu Dhabi City Municipality register of Approved Third Party Inspection Bodies. Certificates are issued in the format required by the governing authority, including Dubai Municipality and the Dubai free zone authorities. Analysis is performed by technicians and chemists experienced in alloy verification, using instruments verified against certified reference materials.

What you receive

• A report identifying each component tested, by line number, weld number or part reference
• The method and instrument used, with calibration verification against certified reference materials
• Measured composition, element by element
• The grade identified, and confirmation of match or mismatch against the specification
• Explicit statement where carbon was not measured, and what that means for the conclusion
• Marking of tested components on site where required by your procedure