What's the difference between the 304 stainless steel and the 316 stainless steel?
304 (0Cr18Ni9) stainless steel is austenitic stainless steel, can not be strengthened by heat treatment, can not be quenched like carbon steel, without magnetism. 304 of the various mechanical properties are excellent, with considerable corrosion resistance, high temperature resistance, stainless steel as the most widely used heat-resistant steel.
316 stainless steel (0Cr17Ni12Mo2) is the 304 after the second of the most widely used steel, the main characteristic is the ability of acid and alkali resistance, high temperature is higher than 304, mainly for the food industry and surgical equipment, and 316 stainless steel has a very distinctive feature, there is no expansion and contraction phenomenon basically, this the point is very important for precision parts.
304 stainless steel and 316 stainless steel are chromium content of about 16~18%, but 304 stainless steel average nickel 9%, while 316 stainless steel average nickel 12%. Nickel in metal materials can improve the high temperature durability, improve mechanical properties, improve oxidation resistance. Therefore, the amount of nickel contained in the material directly affects the comprehensive properties of the material.
