This group of steels includes the most widely used stainless chromium-nickel steels. They are general-purpose grades with good resistance to atmospheric corrosion and to many organic and inorganic chemicals.

They are suitable for processing, storing and transporting foodstuffs and beverages. This, together with their good formability and that they are supplied with a wide range of functional and aesthetic surfaces, makes them suitable for use in a variety of applications.

Non-titanium-stabilised grades generally have a better surface finish than titanium-stabilised grades.

These grades are non-magnetic in the annealed condition but may become slightly magnetic as a result of phase transformation to martensite or ferrite after cold working and welding respectively. Some of these grades have higher structural stability than others. This is utilized for grade 4318, which is easily partly transformed to martensite during cold working operations, resulting in an increase of strenght and hardness of the material. On the other hand, if transformations are undesirable grade 4306, which has a slightly higher nickel content making transformations more unlikely, is preferable.