Typical Applications

304 stainless steel is widely used in the food industry, home appliances and consumer electronics, medical equipment, architectural decoration, hardware tools, automotive industry, petrochemical, water treatment plants, aerospace, etc. The following list shows typical uses in various industries:

• Food industry: tableware and kitchenware such as stainless steel woks, steamers, pans, forks, chopsticks, baking trays, bbq grills, dairy containers, sterilization baskets.

• Electronic appliances: SS 304 liner of electric kettle, washing machine drum, watch and mobile phone shell, microwave oven, range hood cover, control cabinet, water pump case, etc.

• Medical equipment: medical cabinets, medical trolleys, sterilizing container, work table, etc.

• Hardware tools: stainless steel screws and nuts, steel spring, hardware cloth, window screens, scissors, faucets, shower heads, safety screen;

• Water treatment plants: valves, flanges, water pipelines, water purification equipment.

• Petrochemical industry: filter equipment, oil and gas pipelines.

Hardening

Conventional austenite such as 304 stainless steel cannot be hardened by heat treatment, because they will not change their crystal lattice structure when heated, so they can only be hardened by cold working. Cold working will transform a part of austenite into martensite. As the amount of martensite in the steel increases, its strength increases and its plasticity decreases.

Corrosion Resistance

The reason why SS 304 material does not rust is because the Cr and Fe in it are oxidized to form a dense passive film to prevent further corrosion.

AISI 304 stainless steel has excellent corrosion resistance in mild atmosphere and fresh water, and even the surface will not rust. But it’s not resistant to halide (such as chloride, fluoride, etc.) corrosion, because the halide can easily penetrate the passive film and make stainless steel lose the resistance.

Welding of AISI 304 Grade Stainless Steel

Type 304 stainless steel has excellent weldability and does not require preheating. Generally, post-weld heat treatment is not required, unless large cross-sections are welded, or weld decay may occor.

To prevent weld decay, please refer to heat treatment-stress relief, or recommend the use of ultra-low carbon stainless steel such as 304L, or stabilized stainless steel 321, 347.