China releases six national Additive Manufacturing standards
The Chinese State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the Standardization Administration of China (SAC) have published six national standards for metal Additive Manufacturing, which came into effect on August 1, 2026.
The six standards aim to cover the entire process chain, including metal powder feedstock, the production of titanium alloy components via laser-based Directed Energy Deposition (DED), quality classification for parts produced via Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB), non-destructive internal cavity inspection, and personnel certification.
The standards are:
- GB/T 47005-2026 – ‘Technical Specification for Laser Directed Energy Deposition of Titanium Alloy Parts’ fills a domestic gap in standardising large-format aerospace titanium components
- GB/T 47006-2026 – ‘Quality Classification and Testing Requirements for Laser Powder Bed Fusion Metal Parts’ is China’s first national grade-based standard for additively manufactured metal parts establishes thresholds for defects such as pores and cracks.
- GB/T 47008-2026 – ‘Industrial Endoscope Inspection Atlas’ includes over one hundred standard images of internal cavity defects.
- GB/T 47084-2026 – ‘Aluminium Alloy processed by Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB)’ specifies the classification, material composition, mechanical property requirements, quality inspection and testing methods.
- GB/T 47094-2026 – ‘Zinc and Zinc-alloy Powder for Additive Manufacturing’ introduces zinc powder for Additive Manufacturing into the national standards system for the first time.
- GB/T 47570-2026 – Qualification of metal AM coordination personnel
A seventh standard, GB/T 47195-2026 – Technical Specification for Additive Manufacturing of Laser Powder Bed Fusion Aluminum Alloy and Its Composite Parts – will be effective from September 1, 2026.
