This study investigated the effect of the hatch spacing parameter on the microstructure and mechanical properties of SA508 Gr.3 steel manufactured by laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) for a nuclear pressure vessel. Materials were prepared with varying hatch spacing (0.04 mm [H4] and 0.06 mm [H6]). The H4 exhibited finer and more uniformly distributed grains, while the H6 showed less porosity and a lower defect fraction. The yield strength of the H4 material was higher than that of the H6 material, but there was a smaller difference between the materials in tensile strength. The measured elongation was 5.65% for the H4 material and 10.41% for the H6 material, showing a significantly higher value for H6. An explanation for this is that although the H4 material had a microstructure of small and uniform grains, it contained larger and more numerous pore defects than the H6 material, facilitating stress concentration and the initiation of microcracks.