Austenitic
stainless steels, such as type 304
typically contain 18Cr and 8Ni wt% (aka
18/8 stainless).. Austenitic stainless
steels comprise 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. Other
standard grades have different preferred
applications; for example, type 316 which
contains up to 3 wt% Mo, offers an improved
general and pitting corrosion resistance,
making it the material of choice for marine
applications and coastal environments.
