Stainless Steel 304-304L

What is 304 Stainless Steel?

304 Stainless Steel is a material that is used in the construction of many appliances, such as sinks. 304 Stainless Steel is the most common Stainless Steel you can find and is widely used in tons of different products and appliances. If you live outside the USA, you may know 304 Stainless Steel as A2 Stainless Steel, however, for this article, we will be referring to it as 304 Stainless Steel. Now we’ve got the basics out the way, let’s get into the more complicated bits, such as what its made from, its heat resistance and corrosion resistance capabilities and much more.  

Chemical Properties of 304 Stainless Steel

Element	Percentage (%)
Carbon (C)	0.08 max
Chromium (Cr)	18.0 – 20.0
Nickel (Ni)	8.0 – 10.5
Manganese (Mn)	2.0 max
Silicon (Si)	1.0 max
Phosphorus (P)	0.045 max
Sulfur (S)	0.030 max
Nitrogen (N)	0.10 max
Iron (Fe)	Balance

Mechanical Properties of 304 Stainless Steel

Property	Value
Tensile Strength	515 – 750 MPa
Yield Strength	205 MPa (minimum)
Elongation	40% (min)
Hardness (Brinell)	201 HB max
Density	8.0 g/cm³
Melting Range	1400 – 1450°C

Physical Properties of 304 Stainless Steel

Property	Value
Thermal Conductivity	16.2 W/m·K at 100°C
Electrical Resistivity	0.72 µΩ·m
Modulus of Elasticity	193 GPa
Magnetic Properties	Non-magnetic

Equivalent Grade of 304 Stainless Steel

Standard	Grade
AISI / ASTM	304
EN	1.4301
JIS	SUS 304
DIN	X5CrNi18-10
IS	304

304 Stainless Steel Hot Working

Stainless Steel has amazing resistance to oxidation and heat with it being able to survive temperatures of up to 870 degrees Celcius to 925 degrees Celcius. However, use at these temperatures isn’t recommended especially if water is involved in which the corrosion resistance would not be able to put up with the heat.

304 Stainless Steel Cold Working

In order to make the heat resistance of the 304 Stainless Steel able to withstand such high temperatures the stainless steel has had to go under extensive amounts of cold working, Cold working techniques are used to resize the metal to new sizes or thickness which ultimately helps increase the heat resistance capabilities of the 304 Stainless Steel. Of course, Cold Resistance is not really needed as most stainless steels can withstand arctic temperatures.

Machinability of 304 Stainless Steel

304 Stainless Steel is known for its low-cost being easily weldable which makes 304 Stainless Steel a good candidate to be turned into a variety of machine parts, such as screws. automotive components and bolts and nuts. The 304 Stainless Steel has a machining cost factor of 5.0, which when compared to other steels is quite good considering all the positive and useful traits 304 Stainless Steel has over other metals and alloys.

Heat Treatment of 304 Stainless Steel

The 304 Stainless Steel can not be hardened using Heat Treatment, however, it can be hardened by heating up the 304 Stainless Steel up to 1010 to 1120 degrees Celcius and then rapidly cooling it before returning it to usual temperature.

Weldability of 304 Stainless Steel

The 304 Stainless Steel can, of course, be welded. However, the way it is welded can be different from the way other metals and alloys are welded and not knowing how 304 Stainless Steel is welded can lead to imperfections or cracking of the steel. Even though they are readily welded, most people and companies usually use a type 308 Stainless Steel as a filler material while welding the 304 Stainless Steel which should hopefully avoid HAZ Cracking.

304 Stainless Steel can be welded using any arc welding processes like MIG, MMA, SA and TIG. Overall, the 304 Stainless Steel can be effortlessly welded as long as you know what precautions to do before you begin welding it.

What is 304 Stainless Steel used for?

Now you know all of the properties about 304 Stainless Steel let’s educate you on what 304 Stainless Steel is used in, and to your surprise, this stainless steel is present in practically every house.

Here is a bullet-pointed list which runs through everything 304 Stainless Steel can be used for

• Bolts
• Screws
• Refrigerators
• Food processing equipment
• Cutlery
• Piping
• Fasteners
• Dishwashers
• Sinks
• Kitchen Appliances

From this short list which probably doesn’t even scratch the surface of the thousands of things that 304 Stainless Steel is used for you will most likely see why 304 Stainless Steel is such a popular metal. It is cheap, weldable, extremely durable and is trusted and used in practically everything that involves metal.

304 Stainless Steel Products

Ambica is leading manufacturers of 304 Stainless steel products. Please check our product range

304/304L Round Bars                                  304 Fine Wire

304/304L Hex Bars                                       304 Core Wire

304/304L Flat Bars                                       304 Cold Heading Wire

304/304L Square Bars                                 304 General Application Wire

304/304L Angle Bars                                   304 TIG Wire

                                                                       304 MIG Wire

Your perfect stainless steel solution is here—choose how you want to continue.