Today, we briefly analyze the differences between 304 stainless steel and 316 stainless steel

Publisher：Jiangsu Farrand Metal Products Co., Ltd. Release time：2025-07-08 13:09:05 Number of clicks： Close

304 stainless steel is an austenitic stainless steel. Its main active ingredients include nickel (Ni) and chromium (Cr). Generally, the chromium content is around 18% to 20%, and the nickel content is within the range of 8% to 10.5%. Additionally, it contains small amounts of carbon (C), silicon (Si), manganese (Mn), phosphorus (P), sulfur (S), and other elements. And trace amounts of nitrogen (N), titanium (Ti), molybdenum (Mo), etc. Nickel plays a significant role in 304 stainless steel. It is a key element for strengthening and stabilizing austenite, enabling the steel to achieve a fully austenitic structure. This gives the steel a good combination of strength, plasticity and toughness, as well as excellent cold and hot workability. Meanwhile, nickel can enhance the thermodynamic stability of austenitic stainless steel, making this type of stainless steel have better corrosion resistance and resistance to oxidizing media than ferritic, martensitic and other types of stainless steel with the same chromium and molybdenum content. Moreover, nickel helps stabilize the dense oxide film formed on the surface of stainless steel, further enhancing its resistance to erosion by corrosive media.

316 stainless steel is also an austenitic stainless steel. Besides nickel and chromium, it also contains molybdenum (Mo). Its chemical composition is roughly as follows: chromium (Cr) content is 16.0-18.5%, nickel (Ni) content is 10.0-14.0%, and molybdenum (Mo) content is 2.0-3.0%. And other small amounts of carbon, silicon, manganese, phosphorus, sulfur and other elements. The addition of molybdenum has a significant impact on the performance of 316 stainless steel. It can significantly enhance the steel's resistance to corrosion by reducing media. For instance, in media such as sulfuric acid and acetic acid, 316 stainless steel containing molybdenum exhibits better corrosion resistance than 304 stainless steel. Moreover, molybdenum can also enhance the resistance of steel to pitting corrosion, crevice corrosion and other properties. Especially in an environment containing chloride ions (CL⁻), 316 stainless steel, due to the presence of molybdenum, can better resist local corrosion such as pitting corrosion compared to 304 stainless steel. In addition, the addition of molybdenum enhances the high-temperature strength of 316 stainless steel, significantly improving its creep and endurance properties. However, precisely because of this, the hot workability of 316 stainless steel containing molybdenum is somewhat inferior to that of 304 stainless steel. Moreover, the higher the molybdenum content, the greater the difficulty of hot working.
In conclusion, the different compositions of the main elements such as nickel, chromium and molybdenum in 304 and 316 stainless steels have led to numerous differences in their performance. We will also explore in detail the manifestations of these differences in practical applications in the future. www.boismarinecreation.com

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Today, we briefly analyze the differences between 304 stainless steel and 316 stainless steel

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