Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is a metal alloy, made up of steel mixed with elements such as chromium, nickel, molybdenum, silicon, aluminum, and carbon. Iron mixed with carbon to produce steel is the main component of stainless steel. Chromium is added to make it resistant to rust.

Type 304 stainless steel is a T 300 Series Stainless Steel austenitic. It has a minimum of 18% chromium and 8% nickel, combined with a maximum of 0.08% carbon. It is defined as a Chromium-Nickel austenitic alloy. Grade 304 is the standard "18/8" stainless.

Grade 316 is the standard molybdenum-bearing grade, second in importance to 304 amongst the austenitic stainless steels. The molybdenum gives 316 better overall corrosion resistant properties than Grade 304, particularly higher resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion in chloride environments.