Stainless Steel
comparison and specification table:
Credit goes to Principal
Metals, Crucible Metals, and ESCO Corporation
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Component elements, these are given as they are known. Many materials maybe missing components in this table, example: every type of stainless is composed of some level of Fe, Iron, yet in many tables the total iron content can only be discern through calculation of what is mentioned, and the rest is of the total is Iron. Many elements have a range such as the minor amount of Sulfur that may run from .01% to .03% and the alloy still fits within the parameters of 302 stainless.
An excellent addition to this table is the Materials Web site, which is new and has an extensive and growing list of materials including plastics, tool steels, exotics. Much of this information is very specific and comes directly from the manufacturer of the product.
Another Stainless Table, we like this one a lot.
| General Description: | Alloy Links |
Chromium Cr |
Nickel Ni |
Carbon C |
Manganese Mn |
Sulfur S |
Molybdenum Mo |
Copper Cu |
Iron Fe |
Silicon Si |
Phosphorus P |
Vanadium V |
Nitrogen N |
Heat Treating |
Micro Structure |
| General purpose, precipitation-hardening, stainless steel, Low temperature (1000 def F approx) "age hardening" produces superior hardness/strength without distortion or scaling. | 17-4PH | 16% | 3% | Yes | Martensitic | ||||||||||
| Type 302 is a slightly higher carbon version of type 304, most commonly found in strip and wire forms. More corrosion resistant than 301 due to higher nickel content. Non-magnetic in annealed form, slightly magnetic when cold formed. | 302 | 18% | 9% | 0.15% | 2% | 0.03% | 1% | No | Austenitic | ||||||
| 303 is one of the most popular of all the free machining stainless steels. It offers good strength, corrosion resistance and great machinability. | 303 | 17% | 8% | No | Austenitic | ||||||||||
| One of the most widely used and oldest of the stainless steels. This was originally called 18-8 which stood for its chromium and nickel content. It possesses an excellent combination of strength, corrosion resistance and fabricability. | 304 | 18% | 8% | No | Austenitic | ||||||||||
| This austenitic stainless steel has an increased molybdenum content to increase its resistance to corrosion when compared to other 300 series alloys. It will resist scaling at temperatures up to 1600 F. Many of our customer use this material for heat treating applications where hot salt solution is used. 316 is also used in the marine industry because of its resistance to corrosion. | 316 | 16% | 10% | 2% | No | Austenitic | |||||||||
| Much like 316 the "L" means "low carbon", the .035% carbon is a MAXIMUM value, in % by weight, and represents what is not removed during steel making. The advantage of the lower carbon is that it forms less chromium carbide during welding. Chromium is what makes stainless steel stainless, if it is tied up as chromium carbide it cannot prevent corrosion. In the old days it was difficult to get down to .035% so most 316 (and 304) had ~.06% and was subject to "sensitization" during welding. | 316L | 16% | 10% | 0.035% | 2% | No | Austenitic | ||||||||
| 416 was the first free machining stainless steel. It is a heat treatable chromium steel with excellent machinability and non-galling characteristics. The alloy is magnetic in all conditions. 416 is used a lot in well shafting. | 416 | 12% | 0.15% | Yes | Martensitic | ||||||||||
| General Description: | Alloy Links |
Chromium | Nickel | Carbon | Manganese | Sulfur | Molybdenum | Copper | Vanadium | Nitrogen | Heat Treating |
Micro Structure |
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| A basic ferritic non-heat treatable stainless steel. Its strengths are in ductility, formability, good corrosion and oxidation resistance, thermal conductivity and finish quality. | 430 | 16% | Yes | Ferritic | |||||||||||
| This is a high carbon martensitic stainless with moderate corrosion resistance good strength and the ability to obtain and keep excellent hardness (Rc 60) and wear resistance. This is a common material used in knife making. | 440C | 12% | 0.95% | Yes | Martensitic | ||||||||||
| AquaMet is a proprietary alloy of Crucible Metals, it is nitrogen enriched, with the addition of manganese, this is highly corrosion resistant alloy with high strength. Used for marine propeller shafts and is polish and ground to size. Most of the AquaMet we are getting is either AquaMet 19 or AquaMet 22. | |||||||||||||||
| AquaMet 17 is a precipitation-hardening, martensitic stainless steel. Because it is hardened by heat treatment, it provides high strength, regardless of the diameter, combined with good toughness and corrosion resistance. A magnet will slightly stick to AquaMet 17. | AquaMet 17 | 14.5%-16.5% | 3%-5% | .07% | 1% | .03% | 3%-5% | Yes | Yes | Martensitic | |||||
| AquaMet19 is a modified Type 304 stainless steel that is fully austenitic, non-magnetic and strengthened by nitrogen addition, with corrosion resistance better than Type 304 stainless steel. | AquaMet 19 | 18% | 9% | .08% | 2% | .03% | Yes | No | Austenitic | ||||||
AquaMet 22 is a high-alloy
stainless steel that provides superior corrosion resistance along with
excellent toughness and high strength. It has higher strength than AQUAMET
17 in diameters of 
through 1 ,
and equivalent strength in diameters up to 2". Due to its high alloy
content, AQUAMET 22 resists pitting and crevice corrosion. |
AquaMet 22 | 20% | 12% | .06% | 5% | .03% | 1.5%-3% | .1%-.3% | Yes | No | Austenitic | ||||
| General Description: | Alloy Links |
Chromium | Nickel | Carbon | Manganese | Sulfur | Molybdenum | Copper | Vanadium | Nitrogen | Heat Treating |
Micro Structure |
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