304 refers to “18-8” ( 18% chromium, 8% nickel ). 304 is the basic stainless alloy commonly applied for woven wire cloth. It withstands outdoor exposure without rusting and resists oxidation at an elevated temperature up to 800 °Cs. 304 is used in all industrial, commercial and domestic fields because of its good corrosion and heat resisting properties.
304 L is very similar to 304, the difference being the reduced carbon content for better weaving and secondary welding characteristics.
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 316 is high creep strength at elevated Temperatures. 316 also possesses excellent mechanical and corrosion properties at sub-zero temperatures. Other mechanical properties and fabricating characteristics are similar to 304. Wire cloth woven of 316 has extensive use in chemical processing when better corrosion resistance is required than the regular chromium-nickel types.
316L is almost similar to 316, the difference being the reduced carbon content for better wire cloth weaving and secondary welding characteristics.
