Last updated: 6 October 2026.
Quick answer. China separates heat-treatment standards by process family, not by part: 钢件的淬火与回火 is GB/T 16924, 钢件的正火与退火 is GB/T 16923, 渗碳与碳氮共渗 is GB/T 34889. A 热处理 title search returns 91 records, 23 abolished. The trap is 氮化, which mostly returns ceramics.
Heat treatment in China: the GB standard families behind quenching, tempering, carburising and nitriding, the counts the register returns, and the search term that misleads.
Every standard number, title, status and date on this page comes from the National Standards Information Public Service Platform (`std.samr.gov.cn`), the Chinese state platform that publishes the national standard register, searched by title on 6 October 2026. The searches, the counts they returned and the retrieved rows are recorded in the source table at the end.
A heat-treated part bought from China is not specified by one standard, and the register shows why: the Chinese national register files heat treatment under four layers, and a drawing that names only one of them leaves the other three open.
Three findings from the register are worth a buyer's attention before anything else on this page:
The platform searched here is a title index. A term either appears in a standard's title or it does not; the search is not a full-text search, and a standard that governs heat treatment without naming it in the title will not appear in these counts. That single sentence explains almost every surprise on this page, including the 氮化 trap.
Three consequences the reader should carry through the tables below:
The register is also the only source used. No ASTM, EN, ISO, AMS or JIS number appears on this page, and no mapping between the GB system and any other system is attempted, because no mapping was retrieved from a source.
Title searches run on 6 October 2026. "Reported" is the total the platform prints; "retrieved" is the number of rows actually returned and read.
| Search term (Chinese) | Meaning | Reported | Retrieved | In force | Abolished | Not yet effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 热处理 | heat treatment | 91 | 91 | 65 | 23 | 3 |
| 淬火 | quenching / hardening | 35 | 35 | 24 | 11 | 0 |
| 回火 | tempering | 17 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 0 |
| 退火 | annealing | 12 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| 正火 | normalising | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 表面淬火 | surface hardening | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 感应淬火 | induction hardening | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 渗碳 | carburising | 17 | 17 | 13 | 4 | 0 |
| 碳氮共渗 | carbonitriding | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 氮化 | "nitriding" — see the trap section | 80 | 80 | 52 | 24 | 4 |
| 渗氮 | nitriding (the precise term) | 8 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 气体渗氮 | gas nitriding | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 离子渗氮 | plasma nitriding | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 调质 | quench-and-temper | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| 金属热处理 | metal heat treatment | 11 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 |
| 热处理工艺 | heat-treatment process | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 钢件热处理 | heat treatment of steel parts | 6 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 热处理钢 | heat-treated steels | 8 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 真空热处理 | vacuum heat treatment | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 感应加热 | induction heating | 9 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| 热处理炉 | heat-treatment furnace | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 热处理金相 | heat-treatment metallography | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 热处理用钢 | "steel for heat treatment" | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 热处理能效 | heat-treatment energy efficiency | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Three rows need a note, because a reader who skims the table will misread them:
These are the current national entries a heat-treatment specification most often has to name. Status and dates are read from the register, not from the standard's text.
| Standard | Title (this page's translation) | Issued | Effective | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB/T 16924-2008 | quenching and tempering of steel parts | 2008-06-25 | 2009-01-01 | in force |
| GB/T 16923-2008 | normalising and annealing of steel parts | 2008-06-25 | 2009-01-01 | in force |
| GB/T 16923-2026 | normalising and annealing of steel parts | 2026-07-02 | 2027-02-01 | not yet effective |
| GB/T 34889-2017 | carburising and carbonitriding, quenching and tempering of steel parts | 2017-11-01 | 2018-05-01 | in force |
| GB/T 34882-2017 | induction hardening and tempering of iron and steel parts | 2017-11-01 | 2018-05-01 | in force |
| GB/T 18177-2008 | gas nitriding of steel parts | 2008-06-25 | 2009-01-01 | in force |
| GB/T 34883-2017 | plasma nitriding | 2017-11-01 | 2018-05-01 | in force |
| GB/T 32540-2016 | technical requirements for precision gas nitriding | 2016-02-24 | 2016-09-01 | in force |
| GB/T 22561-2023 | vacuum heat treatment | 2023-05-23 | 2023-12-01 | in force |
| GB/T 39191-2020 | heat treatment of stainless and heat-resisting steel parts | 2020-10-11 | 2021-05-01 | in force |
| GB/T 39192-2020 | heat treatment of superalloy parts | 2020-10-11 | 2021-05-01 | in force |
| GB/T 40741-2021 | quality requirements for post-weld heat treatment | 2021-10-11 | 2022-05-01 | in force |
| GB/T 45983.1-2025 | rare-earth thermochemical treatment — part 1: carburising and carbonitriding | 2025-08-01 | 2026-02-01 | in force |
Two observations that matter more than the list itself:
This is the single most useful finding on the page, and it is worth walking through because the same trap exists in other families on this site.
A buyer looking for the Chinese standard for nitriding would reasonably search 氮化 — it is the ordinary word for "nitriding". The register returns 80 records for it, which looks like a rich family. It is not. Of the 80 records, 52 are in force, and here is what those 52 actually are:
Not one of the 52 in-force records governs the nitriding of a steel part. The term that does is 渗氮, which returns 8 records with 5 in force, including GB/T 18177-2008 for gas nitriding and GB/T 34883-2017 for plasma nitriding. If you need the layer-depth and metallographic side, that is GB/T 11354-2025; if you need the precision gas-nitriding process requirements, that is GB/T 32540-2016.
The practical rule this produces: in this register, a term that names a material returns a large family, and the term that names the process returns a small one. Search the process, not the substance.
The family's process, measurement and control documents all carry GB/T numbers, which mark recommended national standards. Only one title retrieved in these searches carries a GB number, which marks a mandatory national standard, and it is:
| Standard | Title (this page's translation) | Issued | Effective | Nature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB 15735-2012 | safety and health requirements for metal heat-treatment production | 2012-11-05 | 2013-06-01 | mandatory (GB) |
That is a useful thing to know before reading a supplier's certificate claims. The mandatory document in this family governs production safety and hygiene, not the metallurgy of the part you are buying. Whether a part was quenched, tempered or carburised to a given result is governed by the recommended standards above — and by your drawing, which is where the specification actually lives. The distinction between mandatory and recommended numbers is described in China's GB standards.
If your part has a hardened case, the measurement standard is the one to check first, because it is the part of this family that moved most recently — and it moved all at once.
| Standard | Title (this page's translation) | Issued | Effective | Status | Replaces (register) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB/T 5617-2025 | determination of the surface-hardening case depth of steel parts | 2025-08-29 | 2026-03-01 | in force | GB/T 5617-2005, GB/T 5617-1985 |
| GB/T 9450-2025 | determination of the carburised-hardening case depth of steel parts | 2025-08-29 | 2026-03-01 | in force | GB/T 9450-2005, GB/T 9450-1988 |
| GB/T 11354-2025 | determination of the nitrided-layer depth and metallographic examination of steel parts | 2025-08-29 | 2026-03-01 | in force | GB/T 11354-2005, GB/T 11354-1989 |
| GB/T 18683-2025 | laser surface hardening of iron and steel parts | 2025-08-29 | 2026-03-01 | in force | GB/T 18683-2002 |
All four were issued on 29 August 2025 and took effect on 1 March 2026, and for each one the register already lists an earlier edition as abolished. The 2005 editions of 5617, 9450 and 11354 and the 2002 edition of 18683 are no longer the current documents.
For a buyer, that produces one concrete instruction: write the case-depth requirement and the measurement standard into the enquiry, and name the 2025 edition. "Hardened" is not a specification — it is a claim — and the measurement standard is what decides whether the claim can be checked. The related metallographic documents are GB/T 34895-2017 for general examination and GB/T 25744-2010 for the carburised-and-hardened case specifically.
⚠️ Source-scope disclosure. This page uses one source: the Chinese national standard register as published on `std.samr.gov.cn`. That is deliberate — it keeps every number on the page checkable against a single official record. It also means the page inherits that source's limits, stated in full above.
⚠️ Translation. The register publishes Chinese titles only. Every English title on this page is this page's own translation, marked as such, and the Chinese term used in each search is printed beside its result. Where a translated title could be rendered differently, the Chinese search term is the checkable one.
⚠️ What was NOT used. No supplier, marketplace, trade publication, consultancy, testing laboratory or certification body contributed a fact to this page. The Bing autosuggest evidence behind the topic choice informed only the decision to write the page; no autosuggest string is cited as a fact anywhere above.
GB/T 16924-2008, quenching and tempering of steel parts, issued 25 June 2008 and effective 1 January 2009, and listed as in force on 6 October 2026. Its predecessor GB/T 16924-1997 is marked abolished in the register. Induction-hardened parts are covered separately by GB/T 34882-2017.
Because 氮化 is the ordinary word for "nitriding" but also the word inside a large family of material names. The register returns 80 records for it; 52 are in force, only 13 of those mention steel or iron, and all 13 are nitrided ferroalloys or their analysis methods. The remaining 39 are nitride ceramics, cubic boron nitride abrasives, gallium-nitride semiconductors and nitride refractories. The term that returns the process standards is 渗氮, with 8 records and 5 in force.
For surface hardening, GB/T 5617-2025; for a carburised case, GB/T 9450-2025; for a nitrided layer, GB/T 11354-2025; for laser surface hardening, GB/T 18683-2025. All four were issued on 29 August 2025 and took effect on 1 March 2026, and each replaced an earlier edition that the register now marks abolished. General metallographic examination of heat-treated parts sits in GB/T 34895-2017.
Only one title retrieved in these searches carries a GB number rather than GB/T, which marks a mandatory national standard: GB 15735-2012, safety and health requirements for metal heat-treatment production, in force since 1 June 2013. The process, measurement and equipment documents in this family are all GB/T, which marks recommended standards.
Two things on this page. GB/T 16923-2026, normalising and annealing of steel parts, is listed as not yet effective with an effective date of 1 February 2027, while the 2008 edition it replaces is still in force. GB/T 30825-2026 (temperature measurement) and GB/T 32541-2026 (quality-control system) carry the same effective date. A purchase order that spans the changeover should name the edition it means.
All sources retrieved 6 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 — The register and its search behaviour: the platform is the National Standards Information Public Service Platform; searches are title searches, not full text; the register publishes Chinese titles only; status values printed are 现行 (in force), 废止 (abolished) and 即将实施 (not yet effective). Twenty-four title searches were run on 2026-10-06 and every count on this page is one of them. | National Standards Information Public Service Platform (全国标准信息公共服务平台), State Administration for Market Regulation https://std.samr.gov.cn/gb/search/gbQueryPage |
| S2 — The main process-family entries and their dates: GB/T 16924-2008 (2008-06-25 / 2009-01-01); GB/T 16923-2008 (2008-06-25 / 2009-01-01); GB/T 34889-2017 (2017-11-01 / 2018-05-01); GB/T 34882-2017 (2017-11-01 / 2018-05-01). Title search 淬火 returned 35 records (24 in force, 11 abolished) and 回火 returned 17 (11 in force, 6 abolished). | same register, title searches 淬火 / 回火 / 热处理 https://std.samr.gov.cn/gb/search/gbQueryPage |
| S3 — The nitriding entries: GB/T 18177-2008 gas nitriding (2008-06-25 / 2009-01-01); GB/T 34883-2017 plasma nitriding (2017-11-01 / 2018-05-01); GB/T 32540-2016 precision gas nitriding (2016-02-24 / 2016-09-01). Title search 渗氮 returned 8 records (5 in force, 3 abolished); 气体渗氮 3 (2 in force); 离子渗氮 1 (in force). | same register, title searches 渗氮 / 气体渗氮 / 离子渗氮 https://std.samr.gov.cn/gb/search/gbQueryPage |
| S4 — The 氮化 trap, verified record by record on the 2026-10-06 retrieval: title search 氮化 returned 80 records, 52 in force, 24 abolished, 4 not yet effective. Of the 52 in force, 13 mention steel or iron — all nitrided ferroalloys (氮化钒铁, 氮化铬铁, 氮化锰铁) or their chemical-analysis methods — and the remaining 39 are materials standards (nitride ceramics, cubic boron nitride abrasives, gallium-nitride semiconductors, nitride refractories). No in-force record returned by this term is a nitriding process standard. | same register, title search 氮化 https://std.samr.gov.cn/gb/search/gbQueryPage |
| S5 — The 2025 case-depth family, all issued 2025-08-29 and effective 2026-03-01, with the predecessors the register marks abolished: GB/T 5617-2025 (replaces GB/T 5617-2005 and GB/T 5617-1985); GB/T 9450-2025 (replaces GB/T 9450-2005 and GB/T 9450-1988); GB/T 11354-2025 (replaces GB/T 11354-2005 and GB/T 11354-1989); GB/T 18683-2025 (replaces GB/T 18683-2002). Title search 表面淬火 returned 3 records (2 in force, 1 abolished); 感应淬火 returned 3 (1 in force, 2 abolished). | same register, title searches 表面淬火 / 感应淬火 / 热处理 https://std.samr.gov.cn/gb/search/gbQueryPage |
| S6 — GB 15735-2012, safety and health requirements for metal heat-treatment production: mandatory GB number, issued 2012-11-05, effective 2013-06-01, in force. It is the only GB (non-GB/T) title retrieved by these searches. Title search 金属热处理 returned 11 records (6 in force, 5 abolished). | same register, title search 金属热处理 https://std.samr.gov.cn/gb/search/gbQueryPage |
| S7 — The entries the register lists as not yet effective: GB/T 16923-2026 normalising and annealing of steel parts (issued 2026-07-02, effective 2027-02-01); GB/T 30825-2026 temperature measurement (issued 2026-07-30, effective 2027-02-01); GB/T 32541-2026 quality-control system (issued 2026-07-30, effective 2027-02-01); GB/T 33956-2026 heat-balance test method for continuous reheating and heat-treatment furnaces (issued 2026-09-28, effective 2027-04-01). Title searches 退火, 正火, 热处理炉 and 热处理 each returned these rows. | same register https://std.samr.gov.cn/gb/search/gbQueryPage |
| S8 — Equipment, process-control and adjacent entries: GB/T 9452-2023 effective heating zone of heat-treatment furnaces (2023-05-23 / 2023-12-01); GB/T 30825-2014 temperature measurement (2014-05-06 / 2014-12-31); GB/T 32541-2016 quality-control system (2016-02-24 / 2016-09-01); GB/T 38749-2020 controlled-atmosphere requirements (2020-04-28 / 2020-11-01); GB/T 37435-2019 cooling requirements (2019-05-10 / 2019-12-01); GB/T 34895-2017 general metallographic examination (2017-11-01 / 2018-05-01); GB/T 25744-2010 metallographic examination of carburised, hardened and tempered cases (2010-12-23 / 2011-06-01); GB/T 8121-2012 terminology for heat-treatment process materials (2012-09-03 / 2013-03-01); GB/T 7232-2023 metal heat-treatment terminology (2023-08-06 / 2024-03-01); GB/T 12603-2005 classification and designation of metal heat-treatment processes (2005-07-21 / 2006-01-01). | same register, title searches 热处理 / 热处理炉 / 热处理工艺 https://std.samr.gov.cn/gb/search/gbQueryPage |
| S9 — The delivery-condition family, kept separate from the process family: title search 热处理钢 returned 8 records (5 in force, 3 abolished), including GB/T 34484.1-2017 heat-treated steels, part 1: non-alloy steels (2017-10-14 / 2018-07-01) and GB/T 34484.2-2018 part 2: quenched-and-tempered alloy steels (2018-09-17 / 2019-06-01). | same register, title search 热处理钢 https://std.samr.gov.cn/gb/search/gbQueryPage |
| S10 — Negative and boundary results, all verified as title searches on 2026-10-06: 热处理用钢 -> 0 records; 热处理能效 -> 0 records; 调质 -> 14 records, 7 in force and 7 abolished; 碳氮共渗 -> 4 records (3 in force, 1 abolished); 感应加热 -> 9 records (7 in force, 2 abolished); 热处理金相 -> 1 record, in force; 真空热处理 -> 4 records (3 in force, 1 abolished); 钢件热处理 -> 6 records (5 in force, 1 abolished). In every title search run for this page, reported equalled retrieved. | same register https://std.samr.gov.cn/gb/search/gbQueryPage |