Known for its corrosion resistance, stainless steel has a wide variety of uses. The range of different grades makes it suitable for a wide variety of applications in many different industries. However, having so many grades requires expertise to choose the right grade for the job.

Does Stainless Steel Need To Have Good Formability?

Avoid martensitic stainless steels if the application requires good formability. Try an austenitic grade such as 304 or a ferritic grade such as 430. Martensitic stainless steels such as 410 tend to be brittle and difficult to form. When it comes to formable stainless steels, austenitic stainless steels are usually the best choice.

How Much And What Type Of Corrosion Resistance Is Required?

Stainless steel is usually chosen for its corrosion resistance properties, but it is important to know that different grades of stainless steel have different corrosion resistance properties. Austenitic stainless steels generally have the highest corrosion resistance because they contain a large amount of chromium. This makes grade 304 an excellent choice when corrosion resistance is important. Grade 316 is similar to Grade 304, but contains molybdenum in its chemical composition to further improve corrosion resistance. Ferritic and martensitic stainless steels are generally more affordable than austenitic stainless steels because they contain less nickel and sometimes less chromium than austenitic stainless steels, which results in reduced corrosion resistance. Duplex stainless steels can be used to avoid stress corrosion cracking associated with austenitic stainless steels.

Typical Application

Sometimes the best way to find out what grade of stainless steel you should use is to look at what stainless steel has been used in the past. Below are some examples of using certain grades of stainless steel.

Ferritic Stainless Steel:

Class 409: Automotive exhaust systems and heat exchangers

Class 416: Axles, shafts and fasteners

Class 430: Food Industry and Appliances

Class 439: Automotive Exhaust System Components

Austenitic stainless steel:

Class 303: Fasteners, fittings, gears

Grade 304: General purpose austenitic stainless steel

Grade 304L: Grade 304 applications requiring welding

Grade 309: Applications involving high temperatures

Level 316: Chemistry Applications

Grade 316L: Grade 316 applications requiring welding

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