Properties and Elemental Composition of 316 and 316L Stainless Steel

Alloying elements are often added to stainless steel to increase the desired properties of the material. 316 stainless steel, also commonly called marine grade stainless steel, has very good corrosion resistance. There are many types of deformed steel in 316 stainless steel, including 316L, F, N, H and so on. Each material performs slightly differently, and each serves a different purpose.

Although 304 stainless steel has excellent performance, 316 and 316L stainless steel have shown better corrosion resistance and have better corrosion resistance at high temperatures.
They also cannot be hardened by heat treatment and can be easily formed and stretched.
In the annealing process, 316 and 316L stainless steels need to be heated to 1038-1149°C before rapid quenching.
316 stainless steel is an austenitic chromium-nickel stainless steel containing 2%-3% molybdenum. Molybdenum content can enhance corrosion resistance, improve pitting corrosion in chloride ion solution, and improve material strength at high temperature.
316 stainless steel is especially effective in acidic environments. This stainless steel grade is highly resistant to corrosion caused by sulfuric, hydrochloric, acetic, formic and tartaric acids, as well as acid sulfates and alkaline chlorides.
Common uses of 316 stainless steel include exhaust manifolds, furnace components, heat exchangers, jet engine components, pharmaceutical and photographic equipment, valve and pump components, chemical processing equipment, tanks, evaporators, and pulp, paper and textile processing equipment and any Parts exposed to marine environments.
316L stainless steel is an ultra-low carbon version of 316 stainless steel. The lower carbon content in 316L stainless steel can reduce harmful carbide precipitation due to welding. Therefore, to ensure maximum corrosion resistance, 316L stainless steel is often used for welding.