Most Widely Used Austenitic Stainless Steel, a Versatile Corrosion Resistant Alloy for General Purpose Applications

Alloy 304/304L (UNS S30400/S30403) is the most widely utilized "18-8" chromium-nickel austenitic stainless steel. It is an economical and versatile corrosion resistant alloy suitable for a wide range of general purpose applications.

It is common practice for 304L to be dual certified as 304 and 304L. The low carbon chemistry of 304L combined with an addition of nitrogen enables 304L to meet the mechanical properties of 304.

Alloy 304/304L resists atmospheric corrosion, as well as, moderately oxidizing and reducing environments. The alloy has excellent resistance to intergranular corrosion in the as-welded condition. Alloy 304/304L has excellent strength and toughness at cryogenic temperatures.

Alloy 304/304L is non-magnetic in the annealed condition, but can become slightly magnetic as a result of cold working or welding. It can be easily welded and processed by standard shop fabrication practices.

Applications

• Chemical and Petrochemical Processing - pressure vessels, tanks, heat exchangers, piping systems, flanges, fittings, valves and pumps

• Food and Beverage Processing

• Medical

• Mining

• Petroleum Refining

• Pharmaceutical Processing

• Power Generation - nuclear

• Pulp and Paper