Alloys 304 (S30400) and 304L (S30403) stainless steels are variations of the 18 percent chromium – 8 percent nickel austenitic alloy, the most familiar and most frequently used alloy in the stainless steel family.
High strength, excellent corrosion resistance and minimized carbon content make Alloy 304 and 304L Stainless Steels useful for applications where welding is required. Uses include architectural mouldings and trim, welded components of chemical, textile, paper, pharmaceutical and chemical industry processing equipment.
Other advantages are its resistance to oxidation, excellent formability, ease of fabrication and cleaning, excellent strength to weight ratio and good toughness at cryogenic temperatures.
For severely corrosive environments, the lower content of Type 304L is preferred because of its greater immunity to intergranular corrosion.
Available tube product forms
Typical Applications
Typical manufacturing specifications
- AMS 5566
- AMS 5569
- AMS5647
- AMS 6845
- BS 10216 Pt 5
- ASTM A213
- ASTM A269
- ASTM A312
- ASTM A632
- BS 3605 Pt 1
- NFA 49-117
- NFA 49-217
- Mil-T 8504
- Mil-T 8606
- Also individual customer specifications.
Industries predominantly using this grade
Technical Data
Mechanical Properties
| Temper |
304 |
304L |
| Tensile Rm |
76 |
ksi (min) |
70 |
ksi (min) |
| Tensile Rm |
517 |
MPa (min) |
485 |
MPa (min) |
| R.p. 0.2% Yield |
31 |
ksi (min) |
25 |
ksi (min) |
| R.p. 0.2% Yield |
207 |
MPa (min) |
170 |
MPa (min) |
| Elongation (2" or 4D gl) |
40 |
% (min) |
40 |
% (min) |
Physical Properties (Room Temperature)
| Specific Heat (0-100°C) |
500 |
J.kg-1.°K-1 |
| Thermal Conductivity |
16.2 |
W.m -1.°K-1 |
| Thermal Expansion |
17.2 |
μm/μm/°C |
| Modulus Elasticity |
19.3 |
GPa |
| Electrical Resistivity |
7.23 |
μohm/cm |
| Density |
8.0 |
g/cm3 |
Chemical Composition (% by weight)
| |
304 |
304L |
| Element |
Min |
Max |
Min |
Max |
| C |
- |
0.08 |
- |
0.08 |
| Mn |
- |
2 |
- |
2 |
| Ni |
8 |
10.5 |
8 |
12.0 |
| Cr |
18 |
20 |
18 |
20 |
| S |
- |
0.03 |
- |
0.03 |
| N |
- |
0.1 |
- |
0.1 |
| Si |
- |
0.75 |
- |
0.75 |
| P |
- |
0.045 |
- |
0.045 |