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What's The Difference Between 304 and 316 Stainless Steel Mesh

Jan. 04 , 2021

What’s the difference between 304 and 316 stainless steel mesh?

A very common question that is asked what the significant difference between 316 Stainless Steel mesh and 304 Stainless Steel mesh? Let us start with a description of general Stainless Steel.

Stainless Steel is an alloy steel containing 12% or more chromium and is classified as resistant to rust and chemical attack. Stainless steel is also referred to as “Inox steel” this means it has an alloy with a chromium content of it least 12%.  It is used for any application that has to have the correct structural integrity and high resistance to oxidisation caused by harsh weather or environmental conditions.

Stainless Steel Wire Mesh( wire cloth )is divided into NO MAGNET NO NICKEL, AISI202, AISI302, AISI304, AISI 304 L, AISI 316, AISI 316 L, AISI317, 321 and 430 etc.

T-304 stainless steel is the most widely available of all stainless steels in the wire mesh industry. Aside from the countless combinations of mesh opening sizes and diameter wire available both from stock and through manufacturing, T-304 SS exhibits many benefits and is largely considered the standard of the industry. T-304 SS has excellent corrosion resistance in a wide range of environments and is used in a wide range of applications.
Often referred to as "18-8" ( 18% chromium, 8% nickel ) T-304 is the basic stainless alloy mostly commonly utilized for wire cloth weaving. It withstands outdoor exposure without rusting and resists oxidation at an elevated temperature up to 1400 degrees fahrenheit.

T-316 stainless steel is recognized as the second most widely available of all stainless steels in the wire mesh industry. T-316 stainless steel wire mesh is typically considered an alternative grade to T-304 stainless steel wire mesh and preferred in certain circumstances. Particularly, in marine environments and in applications requiring heavy welding, T-316 stainless steel is commonly specified due to its many benefits.

Stabilized by the addition of 2% molybdenum, T-316 is an "18-8" alloy.Type 316 has better resistance to pitting corrosion than the other chromium-nickel stainless steels where brines, sulphur-bearing water or halogen salts, such as chlorides are present. A valuable property of T-316 is high creep strength at elevated temperatures. Other mechanical properties and fabricating characteristics are similar to T-304.
Wire cloth woven of T-316 has extensive use in chemical processing when better corrosion resistance is required than the regular chromium-nickel types.

The simple answer is 304 contains 18% chromium and 8% nickel while 316 contains 16% chromium, 10% nickel and 2% molybdenum. The molybdenum is added to help resist corrosion to chlorides (like sea water and de-icing salts).

More information please cleck our website:https://www.wiremesh-goldenmetal.com/stainless-steel-wire-mesh

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