The difference between various materials of stainless steel

The difference between various materials of stainless steel (201/304/316)

When it comes to the difference between stainless steel materials, you must first understand the characteristics of each common stainless steel material. 201 stainless steel is the most cost-effective stainless steel material, it is cheap, but easy to rust; 304 stainless steel is the most common and widely used stainless steel material, it is not easy to rust, the quality is good, and the price is relatively high; 316 stainless steel is an imported Material, used in some high-end equipment, such as aerospace, food machinery and other fields, the price is high. Let's take a closer look at the differences between these common stainless steel materials.

What is the difference between stainless steel 304 and 201

In the eyes of many consumers, there is almost no difference between 304 stainless steel and 201 stainless steel, and it is almost impossible to distinguish it with the eyes.

1. Specifications: The commonly used stainless steel plates are divided into two types: 201 and 304. The actual composition is different. 304 is better in quality, but expensive, and 201 is worse.

2. The composition of 201 is 17Cr-4.5Ni-6Mn-N, which is a Ni steel grade and an alternative to 301 steel. It is magnetic after cold working and is used in railway vehicles.

3. The composition of 304 is 18Cr-9Ni, which is the most widely used stainless steel and heat-resistant steel. Used in food production equipment, Xitong chemical equipment, nuclear energy, etc.

4. 201 is high in manganese, the surface is very bright with dark light, and the high manganese content is easy to rust. 304 contains more chromium, the surface is matte and does not rust. The most important thing is that the corrosion resistance is different. The corrosion resistance of 201 is very poor, so the price is much cheaper. And because 201 contains low nickel, the price is lower than that of 304, so the corrosion resistance is not as good as that of 304.

5. The difference between 201 and 304 is the nickel content. And the price of 304 is more expensive now, but 304 can at least guarantee that it will not rust during use. (Stainless steel potion can be used for experiments)

6. Stainless steel is not easy to rust because chromium-rich oxides are formed on the surface of the steel body to protect the steel body. The 201 material belongs to high manganese stainless steel with higher hardness than 304, high carbon and low nickel.

7. The composition is different (mainly from the aspects of carbon, manganese, nickel, and chromium to distinguish 201 and 304 stainless steel)

Steel Grade Carbon (C) Silicon (Si) Manganese (Mn) Phosphorus (P) Sulfur (S) Chromium (Cr) Nickel (Ni) Molybdenum (Mo) Copper (Cu)

AISI(304) ≤0.08 ≤1.00 ≤2.00 ≤0.045 ≤0.03 18-20 8-10

AISI(201) ≤0.15 ≤1.00 5.5-7.5 ≤0.05 ≤0.03 16-18 3.5-5.5

The difference between 304 and 316 stainless steel

In fact, it is impossible to see the difference between 304 and 316 stainless steel with the naked eye. Let me take a look at the difference between 304 and 316 stainless steel today.

First of all, 316 stainless steel contains Mo, which has better corrosion resistance than 304 stainless steel in high temperature environment. Therefore, in high temperature environment, engineers generally choose parts made of 316 material.

Secondly, there are also differences between the two in terms of grades; 304 stainless steel corresponds to the Chinese grade 0Cr18Ni9; 316 stainless steel corresponds to the Chinese grade 0Cr17Ni12Mo2.

Third, 316 mainly reduces the Cr content and increases the Ni content and increases the Mo2%~3%. Therefore, its corrosion resistance is stronger than that of 304, and it is suitable for use in chemical, seawater and other environments. Similarly, the cost of 316 is also higher than that of 304. Generally, 316 is used in places with higher requirements to replace 304.

There is also a more intuitive identification method, using stainless steel potion for identification