What are the Most Common Types of Stainless Steel?

February 22, 2023
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There are countless variations of stainless steel that you could potentially use for a custom wire basket or tray. Each formulation of stainless steel alloy has its own unique properties for tensile strength, melting point, oxidation resistance, and corrosion resistance.

Picking the right grade of stainless steel requires knowing what your options are. To help you better understand your choices, here’s a quick explanation of the most common types of stainless steel and their properties:

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The Five Main Categories of Stainless Steel

While there are thousands of different alloys of stainless steel, they can all be divided into three broad categories:

1. Austenitic Stainless Steels. These are the most frequently used types of stainless steels. Austenitic stainless steels tend to have a high chromium content compared to other steel alloys, giving them a higher resistance to corrosion. Another common characteristic of austenitic stainless steel alloys is that they tend to be non-magnetic—though they may become magnetic after cold working.

2. Ferritic Stainless Steels. The second most common form of stainless steel after austenitic alloys. As the name implies, ferritic stainless steel is magnetic. These alloys can be hardened through cold working. They also tend to be less expensive because of their reduced nickel content.

3. Martensitic Stainless Steels. The least common category of stainless steel alloy. Their corrosion resistance tends to be lower than either ferritic or austenitic alloys, but they have a high hardness. Martensitic stainless steel alloys are often ideal for applications requiring extraordinarily high tensile strength and impact resistance. When said applications also require corrosion resistance, these alloys may be used with a protective polymer coating.
4. Duplex (Ferritic-Austenitic) Stainless Steels. This category of stainless steel derives its name “duplex” from its composition; it is made of half austenite and half delta-ferrite. These stainless steel alloys have better corrosion resistance, especially against chloride pitting, and higher tensile strength than standard austenitic stainless steels. Due to their physical properties and chemical resistance, duplex stainless steels are used widely in the oil and gas industry for pipework systems or as pipelines and pressure vessels in the petrochemicals industry.

5. Precipitation-Hardening (PH) Stainless Steels. This category of stainless steel is comprised of durable, corrosion-resistant alloys with exceptional strength. They can be treated to yield strengths three to four times that of standard austenitic stainless steel. They are most commonly used in the aerospace, nuclear, and oil and gas industries.

 

The Table of Stainless Steel Alloys

 

Alloy Tensile Strength Maximum Use Temp Melting Point Resistance
Austenitic Alloys        
Grade 301 Stainless 515 MPa (75 Ksi) 871 °C (1600 °F) 1399-1421°C (2550-2590°F) Excellent corrosion resistance
Grade 302 Stainless 585 MPa (85 Ksi) 870˚C (1,679˚F) 1400-1420 °C (2550-2590 °F) Excellent corrosion resistance
Grade 303 Stainless Steel 690 MPa ( 100 Ksi) 760˚C (1,400˚F) 1400-1420 °C (2550-2590 °F) Lower corrosion resistance
Grade 304 Stainless 621 MPa (90 Ksi) 870˚C (1,679˚F) 1,399 – 1,454˚C (2,550 – 2,650˚F) Good overall resistance to corrosives
Grade 309 Stainless 620 MPa (89 Ksi) 1000˚C (1,832˚F) 1400-1455 °C (2550-2651 °F) Excellent corrosion resistance
Grade 316 Stainless 579 MPa (84 ksi) ~800˚C (1,472˚F) 1,371 – 1,399˚C (2,500 – 2,550˚F) Excellent chloride resistance
Grade 317 Stainless 585 MPa ( 85 Ksi) 816˚C (1,500˚F) 1,370 – 1,400˚C (2,500 – 2,550˚F) Good chloride resistance
Grade 321 Stainless 620 MPa (90Ksi) 816˚C (1,500˚F) 1,400 – 1,425˚C (2,550 – 2,600˚F) Excellent corrosion resistance
Grade 347 Stainless 690 MPa (101 Ksi) 816˚C (1,500˚F) 1,400 – 1,425˚C (2,550 – 2,600˚F) Excellent corrosion resistance
Ferritic Alloys        
Grade 405 Stainless 585 MPa (85Ksi) 815˚C (1,499˚F) 1,480 – 1,530˚C (2,700 – 2,790˚F) Good acid corrosion resistance
Grade 408 Stainless 505 MPa (73 Ksi) 815˚C (1,499˚F) 1,400 – 1,455˚C (2,550 – 2,650˚F) Resists well against most oxidizing acids and salt spray
Grade 409 Stainless 448MPa (65 Ksi) 815˚C (1,499˚F) 1,425 – 1,510˚C (2,597 – 2,750 F) Good corrosion resistance
Grade 420 Stainless 760 - 1702 MPa (110 - 247 Ksi) 427˚C (800˚F) 1,455 – 1,510˚C (2,651 – 2,750 F) Fairly corrosion resistant
Grade 430 Stainless 450 MPa (65 ksi) 815˚C (1,499˚F) 1,425 – 1,510˚C (2,597 – 2750˚F) Good nitric acid resistance
Grade 434 Stainless 540 MPa (78 ksi) 815˚C (1,499˚F) 1,426 – 1,510˚C (2,600 – 2750˚F) Superior pitting resistance
Grade 436 Stainless 459 MPa (67 Ksi) 815˚C (1,499˚F) 1,425 – 1,510˚C (2,600 – 2,750˚F) Excellent citric and nitric acid corrosion resistance
Grade 442 Stainless 515-550 MPa (77 - 80Ksi) 925-980˚C (1,700/1,800˚F) 1,065 – 1,120˚C (1,950 – 1,120˚F) Good corrosion resistance
Grade 444 Stainless 415 MPa ( 60 Ksi) 950˚C (1,752˚F) 1,405 – 1,495˚C (2,561 – 2,723˚F) Good oxidation resistance
Martensitic Alloy        
Grade 410 Stainless 500 -1400 MPa (73 - 203 Ksi) 650˚C (1,202˚F) 1,482 – 1,532˚C (2,700 – 2,790˚F) Good corrosion resistance to air, water, and some chemicals
Grade 410S Stainless 444 MPa (64 Ksi) 705˚C (1,300˚F) 1,482 – 1,532˚C (2,700 – 2,790˚F) Good oxidation resistance
Grade 416 Stainless 517 MPa (75 Ksi) 760˚C (1,400˚F) 1,480 – 1,530˚C (2,696 – 2,786˚F) Poor Chloride resistance. Good resistance to acids, alkalis & fresh water
Grade 420 Stainless 586 MPa (85 ksi) when annealed
1,586 MPa (230 ksi) when hardened and stress relieved
650˚C (1,202˚F) 1,454 – 1,510˚C (2,649 – 2,750˚F) Resistant to mild acids, alkalis, and water when hardened
Grade 440 Stainless 758 MPa (110 Ksi) 760˚C (1,400˚F) 1,483˚C ( 2,700˚F) Limited corrosion resistance
Duplex (Ferritic-Austenitic) Alloys        
Grade 2205 Stainless 620 MPa (90 Ksi) 300˚C (572˚F) 1,385 – 1,443˚C (2,525 – 2,630˚F) Excellent corrosion resistance
Grade 2304 Stainless >600 MPa (>87 Ksi) 570˚C (1058˚F) 900 – 1,150˚C (1,650 – 2,100˚F) Resistance to corrosion cracking
Grade 2507 Stainless 800 MPa (116 Ksi) 300˚C (572˚F) 1,350˚C (2,460˚F) Excellent chloride corrosion resistance
Precipitation Hardening (PH) Alloys        
Grade 17-4 Stainless 1103 MPa (160 Ksi) 316˚C (600˚F) 1,404 - 1,440˚C (2,560 - 2,625˚F) Excellent corrosion resistance
Grade 15-5 Stainless 1380 MPa (200 Ksi) 316˚C (600˚F) 1,404 - 1,440˚C (2,560 - 2,625˚F) Excellent corrosion resistance

 

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