When we talk about the differences in stainless steel materials, the first thing we need to understand is the characteristics of various common stainless steel materials. Type 201 stainless steel is a cost-effective stainless steel material, its price is relatively low, but easy to rust. Type 304 stainless steel is the most common and most widely used stainless steel material, it is not easy to rust, high quality, but correspondingly, its price will be slightly higher. Type 316 stainless steel is an imported material, mainly used in some high-end equipment, such as aerospace, food machinery and other fields, its price is relatively high. Next, let's learn more about the differences between these common stainless steel materials.

In the eyes of many consumers, there is almost no difference between type 304 and type 201 stainless steel, which is almost impossible to distinguish with the naked eye. Here, I will introduce some methods to distinguish between type 304 and type 201 stainless steel.

Specifications: Commonly used stainless steel plates are mainly divided into two types: type 201 and type 304, in fact, these two types of stainless steel are different in composition. The quality of type 304 is better, but the price is also higher, while the quality of type 201 is worse. Type 304 is an imported stainless steel plate, while type 201 is a domestic stainless steel plate.

Type 201 is composed of 17Cr-4.5Ni-6Mn-N, which is a nickel-less steel and a replacement steel for Type 301. After cold working, it has magnetic properties and is mainly used in railway vehicles.

Type 304 consists of 18Cr-9Ni, which is the most widely used stainless steel and heat-resistant steel. Mainly used in food production equipment, chemical equipment, nuclear energy and other fields.

Type 201 contains high levels of manganese and has a very bright surface with a dark sheen. Due to high manganese content, it is easy to rust. The 304 type contains more chromium, the surface is matte, and it is not easy to rust. Compare the two side by side and the difference is obvious. Most importantly, the corrosion resistance of the two is different, and the corrosion resistance of the 201 model is poor, so the price is lower. Due to the lower nickel content of type 201, the price is lower than that of type 304, so its corrosion resistance is not as good as that of type 304.

The difference between type 201 and type 304 is mainly due to the nickel content. Moreover, the price of type 304 is now more expensive, but at least it can be guaranteed that it will not rust during use. (Stainless steel solution can be used for experiments)

The reason why stainless steel is not easy to rust is that a chromium-rich oxide protective layer is formed on the surface of the steel body. Type 201 belongs to high-manganese stainless steel with high hardness, high carbon and low nickel.

The composition is different (mainly from the aspects of carbon, manganese, nickel, chromium, etc., to distinguish between type 201 and type 304 stainless steel).

Steel grade carbon (C) silicon (Si), manganese (Mn), phosphorus (P), sulfur (S), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), molybdenum (Mo), copper (Cu)

AISI(304) ≤0.08 ≤1.00 ≤2.00 ≤0.045 ≤0.03 18-20 8-10

AISI (201) or less 0.15 1.00 5.5 7.5 0.05 0.03 or less or less or less 16 to 18, 3.5 to 5.5

Next, let's look at the difference between type 304 and type 316 stainless steel.

In fact, the difference between type 304 and type 316 stainless steel cannot be seen with the naked eye, and many people will be confused when they see these figures. Today, let's look at the difference between stainless steel type 304 and type 316.

First of all, type 316 stainless steel contains molybdenum element, compared to type 304 stainless steel in high temperature environment corrosion resistance is better, so in high temperature environment, engineers usually choose to use type 316 parts.

Secondly, from the brand point of view, the two are also different; Type 304 stainless steel corresponding to the Chinese brand is 0Cr18Ni9; The type 316 stainless steel corresponds to the Chinese brand 0Cr17Ni12Mo2.

Third, type 316 mainly reduces the content of chromium, increases the content of nickel, and increases the content of molybdenum by 2% to 3%. Therefore, its corrosion resistance is stronger than type 304, suitable for use in chemical, seawater and other environments. Similarly, the cost of type 316 is also higher than that of type 304, and it is generally used in places with higher requirements to replace type 304.

In fact, with the naked eye is not able to see the difference between stainless steel type 304 and 316, there is a more intuitive identification method, is to use stainless steel liquid for identification.