Last updated: 8 October 2026.
Quick answer. The GB register holds forging in three separate searches. Searching the process term returns safety rules, energy and carbon reporting, and a large block of forged products; the forging-parts term returns technical conditions by material and industry. Most records the process term returns are not about the process at all.
Forging in China: what the GB register actually holds, why the process search term returns lifting gear, and which standards a 2026 or 2027 order should name.
Every standard number, title, status, issue date and effective date on this page comes from the national standards register's title search, retrieved on 8 October 2026 and listed at the end. The register publishes titles and dates only, and the English titles here are this page's translations.
This is a register-reading page. It sets out what China's national standards register actually contains for forging, which of those records are about the process and which are about forged goods that happen to carry the word, and which entries a buyer placing an order today should be naming.
It does not tell you which factory to use, it does not quote a price, a minimum order or a lead time, and it does not restate the technical content of any standard. The register publishes titles, numbers, dates and status; it does not publish the text, and neither does this page.
The register's title search is a string match. Searching the two Chinese characters for the forging process returns 25 records, and when the 18 that are currently in force are sorted by what they actually govern, the result is not a forging-standard list:
| What the 18 in-force records found by the process term actually govern | Count |
|---|---|
| The forging process itself, its control, or the quality of semi-finished forgings | 8 |
| Forged lifting components: hooks, shackles, eye bolts and lifting gear in grades 4 and 8 | 7 |
| Surgical implant materials — forged stainless steels and forged titanium alloys | 2 |
| Forging robots | 1 |
The pattern continues past the current records. All four records the same search shows as pending — not yet in force — are surgical implant materials, which is a medical-device family rather than a fabrication one.
The practical rule is the one that has produced every trap page on this site: search the process, and read what comes back before you trust it. A buyer who searches the word for forging and takes the top of the list will be reading about crane hooks.
There is no single register entry for forging. The family is spread across three title searches, and the counts below are what the register reported on 8 October 2026:
| Search term (Chinese) | English meaning | Records reported | In force | Superseded | Pending |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 锻造 | forging (the process) | 25 | 18 | 3 | 4 |
| 锻件 | forgings (the goods) | 107 | 80 | 26 | 1 |
| 模锻 | die forging | 26 | 17 | 9 | 0 |
Read as a whole, the shape of the family is clear. The process term is small and mostly safety and control. The parts term is four times larger and is where the material and industry specifications live. The die-forging term is a thin overlay on the same goods, because die forging is a method of making forgings rather than a separate product family.
These are the records that govern how the work is done rather than what comes out of it.
| Standard | What its title says it covers | Issued | Effective | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB 13318-2003 | General rules for safety and environmental protection in forging production | 2003-09-12 | 2004-05-01 | In force |
| GB/T 25135-2010 | Quality control specification for the forging process | 2010-09-26 | 2011-02-01 | In force |
| GB/T 20911-2007 | Dimensional, shape and mass tolerances for semi-finished forgings | 2007-04-18 | 2007-11-01 | In force |
| GB/T 42602-2023 | Forging specification for large steel forgings | 2023-05-23 | 2023-05-23 | In force |
| GB/T 38958-2020 | Process specification for precision forging of wrought aluminium alloys | 2020-07-21 | 2021-02-01 | In force |
| GB/T 38964-2020 | Process specification for isothermal forging of titanium alloys | 2020-07-21 | 2021-02-01 | In force |
| GB/T 41706-2022 | Determination of non-metallic inclusions in metal powders for powder forging | 2022-10-12 | 2022-10-12 | In force |
| GB/T 37394-2019 | General technical conditions for forging robots | 2019-05-10 | 2019-12-01 | In force |
Two things stand out. The only compulsory document in this group is the safety and environmental one — GB 13318-2003 — and it is the oldest record on the page, which is worth knowing when a supplier claims compliance "with the forging GB". And the tolerance layer sits on semi-finished forgings rather than on finished parts, which is the point a machining buyer needs: what the forging stage leaves behind is what the machine shop has to remove.
This is the 锻件 family, and it is where a purchase order finds its specification. It is organised two ways at once — by material, and by the industry the forging is for.
| Group | Representative standards |
|---|---|
| Steel die forgings, general | GB/T 12361-2016 (technical conditions), GB/T 12362-2016 (tolerances and machining allowances), GB/T 29532-2013 (precision hot die forgings), GB/T 13320-2025 (metallographic rating) |
| Steel open-die forgings | GB/T 33212-2016 (hammer), GB/T 26639-2011 (press), GB/T 37775-2019 (large open-die forgings), GB/T 33083-2016 and GB/T 33084-2016 (large carbon and alloy structural steel forgings) |
| Functional classification and design | GB/T 12363-2021 (classification of forgings by function), GB/T 44847-2024 (forging design requirements for heavy machinery) |
| Multi-directional precision die forgings | GB/T 33879-2017 (general), GB/T 35079-2018 (process planning), GB/T 37057-2019 (quality control) |
| Pressure equipment | GB/T 44148.1-2024, GB/T 44148.2-2024 and GB/T 44148.3-2024 (steel forgings and rolled or forged bars for pressure equipment) |
| Aluminium and aluminium alloys | GB/T 8545-2024, GB/T 34359-2017, GB/T 34480-2023, GB/T 42791-2024 (aerospace) |
| Other non-ferrous | GB/T 25137-2010 (titanium), GB/T 26637-2011 (magnesium), GB/T 20078-2023 (copper and copper alloys), GB/T 26030-2010 (nickel), GB/T 30568-2014 (zirconium) |
| Power generation | GB/T 44508-2024 (wind turbine ring forgings), GB/T 40882-2021 (third-generation nuclear main-pipe forgings), GB/T 41982-2022 (power-station thick-wall pipe and forgings), GB/T 36042-2018 (ultra-supercritical turbine rotor forgings) |
| Gears and transmission | GB/T 37683-2019 (large gears and gear rings), GB/T 32256-2015 (reduction gear-ring forgings), GB/T 32254-2015 and GB/T 32253-2015 (straight bevel gear precision hot forgings), GB/T 30569-2014 (precision cold forgings) |
| Valves and flanges | GB/T 12228-2025 (carbon steel forgings for general valves), GB/T 35741-2017 (stainless steel forgings for industrial valves), GB/T 29528-2013 (copper alloy forgings for valves), GB/T 34356-2017 (flange forgings for low-temperature service) |
| Automotive | GB/T 26036-2020 (aluminium alloy die forgings for wheel hubs), GB/T 33823-2017 (aluminium alloy die forgings for passenger-car control arms), GB/T 35078-2018 and GB/T 37676-2019 (high-speed precision hot-upset forgings) |
| Aerospace | GB/T 37596-2019 (magnesium alloy forgings), GB/T 38915-2020 (high-temperature titanium alloy forgings), GB/T 43919-2024 (digital production workshop requirements for civil aviation forgings) |
The organising lesson is that the material name and the industry name are both searchable, and neither replaces the other. A titanium forging for a power station and a titanium forging for an aircraft are different documents, and the register keeps them apart.
The forging family carries its own examination layer, and it is not the welding one.
| Standard | What its title says it covers | Issued | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB/T 25136-2010 | General inspection rules for steel open-die forgings | 2010-09-26 | 2011-02-01 |
| GB/T 6402-2024 | Ultrasonic testing method for steel forgings | 2024-09-29 | 2025-04-01 |
| GB/T 22131-2022 | Ultrasonic testing method for the inner surface of cylindrical forgings | 2022-10-12 | 2022-10-12 |
| GB/T 44155-2024 | Steel forgings — inspection frequency, sampling conditions and test methods for mechanical properties | 2024-06-29 | 2025-01-01 |
| GB/T 44948-2024 | Requirements and assessment for sampling metal flow lines in steel die forgings | 2024-11-28 | 2025-06-01 |
| GB/T 13320-2025 | Metallographic structure rating charts and assessment method for steel die forgings | 2025-12-31 | 2026-07-01 |
| GB/T 34358-2017 | Hot dimensional measurement of open-die forgings and rolled rings | 2017-10-14 | 2018-05-01 |
Three of these are recent enough to matter commercially. The ultrasonic method was replaced in 2024, the mechanical-property sampling rule dates from 2024, and the metallographic rating chart appears twice in the register — the 1991 and 2007 versions are both superseded, and the 2025 version takes effect on 1 July 2026. Where a supplier's inspection report cites a superseded chart, the report is describing a method the register no longer carries as current.
For welds inside a fabricated assembly rather than in a forging, the examination standards are a different family entirely; this site's welding standard guide covers those, and the heat treatment that usually follows forging is covered by our heat treatment guide.
Two records sit under the process but are really about the plant.
GB 13318-2003, the safety and environmental protection rules for forging production, is the single compulsory document this page has found in the process search. Everything else in the forging family the register returned is recommended (GB/T) rather than compulsory (GB), with the surgical implant materials the only other compulsory entries.
The second is newer and less expected: GB/T 32151.18-2024, the requirements for greenhouse gas emission accounting and reporting for forging enterprises, issued 31 December 2024 and effective 1 July 2025. It is one part of a long series covering sectors, and its existence means a forging works now has a named national standard for its own emissions reporting. For a buyer building a supply-chain emissions figure, that is the standard to ask about; for everyone else it is a reminder that the register follows the plant, not only the part.
This is the most commercially useful table on the page. These are records that are in force today and whose effective date falls inside the current or next delivery year, or that sit beside a superseded sibling.
| Standard | What its title says it covers | Effective | The version it follows |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB/T 12228-2025 | Technical specification for carbon steel forgings for general valves | 2026-05-01 | Supersedes the 2006 and 1989 versions, both shown superseded |
| GB/T 17107-2025 | Structural steel bars for forgings | 2026-05-01 | Supersedes the 1997 version, shown superseded |
| GB/T 13320-2025 | Metallographic structure rating for steel die forgings | 2026-07-01 | Supersedes the 2007 and 1991 versions, both shown superseded |
| GB/T 46816-2025 | General technical specification for aluminium alloy flange forgings | 2026-07-01 | New in the register |
| GB/T 45981.1-2025 | Large castings and forgings for heavy-duty gas turbines — steel open-die forgings | 2026-03-01 | New in the register |
| GB/T 45981.2-2025 | Same series — superalloy die forgings | 2026-02-01 | New in the register |
| GB/T 35364-2026 | Titanium and titanium alloy forgings for submersibles | 2027-02-01 | Shown as pending; the 2017 alloy-specific version is in force |
A version that has been superseded is not automatically wrong for goods already delivered, and the register does not say which version a given contract should follow — that is a contract question. What the table does show is which standard numbers a buyer should write into an order for 2026 or 2027 delivery, and how many of them changed recently enough that a 2023 template would name the old one.
This part is our judgement, not the register's, and it deliberately contains no recommended values. The register shows which documents exist; only the drawing and the application can supply the numbers.
This page belongs with the other process guides in this site's manufacturing index. The sampling question it raises — how much of a lot is tested, and at what rate — is treated for bought-in goods in our quality control guide, and where a forging is welded into a larger fabrication the examination standards change family and the welding guide applies instead.
All register data retrieved 8 October 2026. The register publishes titles, numbers, dates and status only; the titles above are translated by this page, and the official Chinese titles are the specification. Status words the register uses are in force, superseded and pending.
Because the register's title search matches the word, not the subject. Of the 18 in-force records the process term returns, 8 are about the process itself, 7 are forged lifting components such as hooks, shackles and eye bolts, 2 are surgical implant materials and 1 is for forging robots. Reading the titles before trusting the list is the whole discipline.
There is no single number, because the family sits in three searches. On 8 October 2026 the register reported 25 records for the process term with 18 in force, 107 for the forgings term with 80 in force, and 26 for die forging with 17 in force. Counts overlap, since one document can carry the same words twice.
Yes, one in the process family: GB 13318-2003, the general rules for safety and environmental protection in forging production. The rest of the process and goods families the register returned are recommended standards, and the only other compulsory entries are the surgical implant material standards.
Several. The carbon steel valve forging specification and the structural steel bar specification for forgings both take effect on 1 May 2026, the metallographic rating chart and the aluminium alloy flange forging specification on 1 July 2026, and two parts of the heavy-duty gas turbine casting and forging series in February and March 2026. The ultrasonic testing method for steel forgings changed in 2025.
That is a contract question and the register does not answer it. What the register shows is status: which version is in force, which is superseded and which is pending. A purchase order written from an older template can name a superseded version, so the numbers in the last table are worth checking against your own document.
All sources retrieved 8 October 2026. This page is an independent reading of the sources listed; the official pages themselves are the specification.
| Fact used on this page | Source |
|---|---|
| S1 — Every standard number, title, status, issue date and effective date on this page for the forging process term and the die-forging term, including the 25 records reported for the process term with 18 in force, 3 superseded and 4 pending; the classification of those 18 in-force records as 8 process, 7 forged lifting components, 2 surgical implant materials and 1 forging robots; that all four pending records returned by the process term are surgical implant materials; the compulsory status of GB 13318-2003 and of the surgical implant material records; and the die-forging count of 26 records with 17 in force and 9 superseded | National standards information public service platform, standards register title search operated by the Standardisation Administration of China — the forging process and die-forging title searches (Chinese), retrieved 8 October 2026 https://std.samr.gov.cn/gb/search/gbQueryPage |
| S2 — Every standard number, title, status, issue date and effective date on this page for the forgings term, including the 107 records reported with 80 in force, 26 superseded and 1 pending; the material and industry specifications listed in the technical-conditions group; the inspection and testing records including the ultrasonic testing method of 2024, the mechanical-property inspection frequency of 2024, the metal flow line sampling requirements of 2024, the metallographic rating chart effective 1 July 2026 and the hot dimensional measurement standard of 2017; the 2026 and 2027 effective dates in the version churn table; and the greenhouse gas accounting standard for forging enterprises effective 1 July 2025 | Same register, the forgings title search (Chinese), retrieved 8 October 2026 https://std.samr.gov.cn/gb/search/gbQueryPage |