Material Info

Material Group - Stainless steel –Austenitic

Stainless Steel is a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5% chromium content by mass.

Stainless steel is used where both the properties of steel and corrosion resistance are required and it differs from carbon steel by the amount of chromium present. Unprotected carbon steel rusts readily when exposed to air and moisture.

Austenitic, or 200 and 300 series, stainless steels have an austenitic crystalline structure. Austenite steels make up over 70% of total stainless steel production. They contain a maximum of 0.15% carbon, a minimum of 16% chromium and sufficient nickel and/or manganese to retain an austenitic structure at all temperatures from the cryogenic region to the melting point of the alloy. when nickel is added, for instance, the austenite structure of iron is stabilized. This crystal structure makes such steels virtually non-magnetic and less brittle at low temperatures

• 200 Series—austenitic chromium-nickel-manganese alloys. Type 201 is hardenable through cold working; Type 202 is a general purpose stainless steel. Decreasing nickel content and increasing manganese results in weak corrosion resistance.

• 300 Series—The most widely used austenite steel is the 304, also known as 18/8 for its composition of 18% chromium and 8% nickel.
The second most common austenite steel is the 316 grade, also called marine grade stainless, used primarily for its increased resistance to corrosion.