Stainless Steel Material Type

 

 

304 is a general-purpose stainless steel that is widely used to manufacture equipment and parts with good comprehensive properties (corrosion resistance and formability).

301 stainless steel shows obvious work hardening during the deformation process and is used in various occasions requiring higher strength.

302 stainless steel is actually a variant of 304 stainless steel with a higher carbon content. Higher strength can be obtained by cold rolling.

302B is a stainless steel with a high silicon content. Has excellent high temperature antioxidant properties.

303 and 303Se are free-cutting stainless steels containing sulfur and selenium respectively, suitable for applications requiring easy cutting and high surface finish. 303Se stainless steel can also be used to manufacture parts that require thermal bearings, because under such conditions, stainless steel has good thermal workability.

304L is a variety of 304 stainless steel with lower carbon content and is used in conditions requiring welding. The low carbon content minimizes carbide precipitation in the heat affected zone near the weld. And the precipitation of carbides may cause intergranular corrosion (welding corrosion) of stainless steel in certain environments.

304N is a nitrogen-containing stainless steel. Nitrogen is added to increase the strength of steel.

 

305 and 384 stainless steel have higher nickel content. Its work hardening rate is low and it is suitable for various occasions with high requirements for cold forming.

308 stainless steel is used to make welding rods.

 

309, 310, 314, and 330 stainless steel have higher nickel and chromium content to improve high-temperature oxidation resistance and creep strength. 309S and 310S are varieties of 309 and 310 stainless steel. The difference is that this variety has a lower carbon content to minimize the precipitation of carbides near the weld. 330 stainless steel has particularly high resistance to carburization and thermal shock.

 

Due to the molybdenum content, the pitting corrosion resistance of 316 and 317 in marine and chemical environments is much better than that of 304 stainless steel. Type 316 stainless steel includes low carbon stainless steel 316L and nitrogen-containing high-strength stainless steel.

316N with high sulfur content and free-cutting stainless steel 316F.

321, 347, and 348 are stainless steels stabilized by titanium, niobium, tantalum, and niobium respectively; suitable for the production of high-temperature welded parts. 348 is a stainless steel suitable for the nuclear power industry. However, there are certain restrictions on the content of tantalum and niobium.

304L stainless steel has poor forging performance and is difficult to deform.

Due to the existence of hardening phenomenon, the deformation of the mandrel during drawing cannot be too large. And there’s a lot of heat loss. Therefore it must be formed during quenching. Poor handling during the high-temperature insulation stage will produce coarse grains.