Austenitic stainless steel

Austenitic

Austenitic stainless steel - austenitic grades of stainless steel contain chromium and nickel. It is nickel that increases deformability and corrosion resistance. These steels are non-magnetic. They are well suited for heat treatment and welding. With an increase in the content of chromium and nickel, austenitic stainless steel has better resistance to oxidation at high temperatures. Such steels are also called heat-resistant steels.

Frequently Asked Questions About Austenitic Stainless Steel

Austenitic steel is a non-magnetic stainless steel containing high levels of chromium and nickel and having low levels of carbon. Known for their formability and corrosion resistance, austenitic steels are the most widely used grades of stainless steel. Austenitic stainless steel has austenite as its main phase at elevated and room temperatures.

Its main feature is the crystalline structure of molecules modified by exposure to high temperatures (over +700 °C). As a result, carbon atoms are located inside the cells, forming a solid solution. At the same time, when alloying additives are introduced, iron atoms are replaced by other metals in the crystal lattice structure. Stable steel with an austenitic structure contains about 18% Cr, 8% - 10% Ni and about 0.1% C. It is characterized by non-magnetic properties and high plasticity.

There are two types of austenitic stainless steel: chromium-nickel and chromium-manganese. Currently, chromium-nickel steel is the most widely produced stainless steel in the world. However, chromium-manganese steel is quickly gaining fans due to its excellent price/quality ratio.

Simply put, austenite is a solid solution of carbon in iron. This phase was named after the English metallurgist William Chandler Roberts-Austen, who studied the physical properties of metals and their alloys in the late 19th century.

Martensite differs from austenite in its crystal lattice. Austenite has a face-centered iron lattice, while martensite has a tetragonal lattice, close to the body-centered cubic lattice of iron.

Nickel, which stabilizes the austenitic structure of these steels, limits their widespread use, as it significantly increases the cost of these stainless steels. Austenitic grades are most often used, mainly because they provide a very predictable level of corrosion resistance with excellent mechanical properties. Their judicious use can save significant time and money in the manufacture of the final product. These steels are a convenient metal alloy, and the life cycle cost of the complete product is lower than many other materials. Some applications of austenitic stainless steel include the following:
- architecture (facing, facades);
- interior design;
- roofing and gutters;
- doors and windows;
- dishes, cutlery;
- benches and food preparation areas;
- food equipment;
- heat exchangers;
- kitchen sinks;
- ovens and parts of furnaces;
- chemical tanks.

Characteristics:
- excellent corrosion resistance;
- suitable for both cold and hot processing;
- high plasticity;
- optimal overall performance;
- wide range of applications;

The main feature of welding austenitic steels is to ensure the required chemical composition of the weld metal for different types of welded joints and spatial welding positions, taking into account the change in the depth of penetration of the base metal and the amount of deposited metal.

Residual austenite can be removed from the structure of high-carbon and alloy steels by heating to 300 - 350 °C, and from the structure of high-speed steels - up to 600 °C. However, at these temperatures, martensite contained in the structure of steels disintegrates into troostite and the hardness of the metal decreases.

List of austenitic stainless steel grades

List of stainless steel grades of the austenitic type. To get detailed information about a specific grade, follow the link from the list.

Stainless Steel Grade AISI 201 | EN 1.4372 | DIN X8CrMnNi18-8

AISI 201 | EN 1.4372 | DIN X8CrMnNi18-8 - stainless steel, belonging to the family of austenitic stainless steels. It is characterized by high strength, plasticity and rigidity. It has very low thermal conductivity. Products made of this grade of stainless steel can be used in a fairly wide range of temperatures. One of the advantages of the grade is its fairly high resistance to corrosion. Such steel can be in moderately
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Stainless Steel Grade AISI 202 | EN 1.4373 | DIN X12CrMnNiN18-9-5

AISI 202 | EN 1.4373 | DIN X12CrMnNiN18-9-5 is a widely used grade of stainless steel that is characterized by high hardness, strength and good corrosion resistance. It is quite well processed in annealed condition. For complete transformation and heat treatment, the material must be heated to a temperature of 1038 °C for 30 minutes and then cooled to below 16 °C.
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Stainless Steel Grade AISI 204Cu | EN 1.4597 | DIN X8CrMnCuNB17-8-3

AISI 204Cu | EN 1.4597 | DIN X8CrMnCuNB17-8-3 - is a special type of stainless steel that is a chromium-magnesium austenitic stainless steel. Due to the addition of copper, the steel has better formability than AISI 201 and AISI 304 stainless steels. Copper improves corrosion resistance and increases resistance to stress corrosion cracking in certain environments. EN 1.4597 is somewhere between the prices of 200 and 300
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Stainless Steel Grade AISI 301 / AISI 302 | EN 1.4310 | DIN X10CrNi18-8

AISI 301 / AISI 302 | EN 1.4310 | DIN X10CrNi18-8 | 07Х16Н6 - is an austenitic stainless steel with good corrosion resistance and weldability. It has high strength and ductility. It is very widely used in the production of springs as it is a high-strength stainless steel.
Due to its moderate carbon content, this grade of stainless steel is prone to
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Stainless Steel Grade AISI 301L

AISI 301L is an improved version of AISI 301. The combination of strength and ductility allows this steel to withstand serious forming methods. Corrosion resistance comparable to AISI 302.
Stainless Steel Grade AISI 301LN | EN 1.4318 | DIN X2CrNiN18-7

AISI 301LN | EN 1.4318 | DIN X2CrNiN18-7 - is an austenitic stainless steel similar to austenitic stainless steel grade AISI 301L with a high degree of hardness.
Stainless Steel Grade AISI 304 | EN 1.4301 | DIN X5CrNi18-10

AISI 304 | EN 1.4301 | DIN X5CrNi18-10 - This is a chromium-nickel austenitic steel. The presence of nickel in it in the amount of 8 - 10% leads to the fact that the austenitic phase is preserved at temperatures from low to 1050 ° C. The main advantage of this class of steel is its high service characteristics. It exhibits strength, plasticity, corrosion resistance in most working environments and has good processability.
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Stainless Steel Grade AISI 304LN | EN 1.4311 | DIN X2CrNiN18-10

Stainless steel grade AISI 304LN / EN 1.4311 / DIN X2CrNiN18-10 is an austenitic stainless steel with the addition of nitrogen. In fact, it is a reinforced version of the AISI 304
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Stainless Steel Grade AISI 305 | EN 1.4303 | DIN X4CrNi18-12

Stainless steel AISI 305 | EN 1.4303 | DIN X4CrNi18-12 is a chromium-nickel austenitic stainless steel with a low degree of strain hardening due to the increased nickel content. This alloy is well suited for multi-stage deep drawing without process annealing. The metal of this stainless steel is non-magnetic under annealing and cold working conditions and has corrosion resistance similar to stainless steel AISI 304, AISI
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Stainless Steel Grade AISI 308L | EN 1.4316 | DIN X1CrNi19-9

AISI 308L | EN 1.4316 | DIN X1CrNi19-9 is a grade of stainless steel that is an austenitic stainless steel intended for welding (welding wire) and for primary molding into forged products. Among forged austenitic stainless steels, it has moderately low tensile strength and moderately low ductility.
Stainless Steel Grade AISI 309 | EN 1.4828 | DIN X15CrNiSi20-12

AISI 309 | EN 1.4828 | DIN X15CrNiSi20-12 - is an austenitic high-alloy stainless steel with a large amount of chromium. It has very high corrosion resistance and strength than other similar steels. In fact, it is a standard stainless steel that is used to make furnace parts and other high-temperature parts and components.
Stainless Steel Grade AISI 310S | EN 1.4845 | DIN X8CrNi25-21

AISI 310S | EN 1.4845 | DIN X8CrNi25-21 | 20Х23Н18 - is a stainless steel that has high mechanical strength and impact toughness. It has excellent resistance to high-temperature oxidation due to the high content of chromium and nickel. And due to the low level of carbon, the release of carbides during welding or at high temperatures is reduced.
Stainless Steel Grade AISI 314 | EN 1.4841 | DIN X15CrNiSi25-20

AISI 314 | EN 1.4841 | DIN X15CrNiSi25-20 - is an austenitic stainless steel that has excellent heat resistance characteristics (heat-resistant stainless steel) among chromium-nickel steels. The silicon content in it improves oxidation and carburization resistance.

Stainless Steel Grade AISI 316 | EN 1.4401 | DIN X5CrNiMo17-12-2

AISI 316 | EN 1.4401 | DIN X5CrNiMo17-12-2 is an acid-resistant austenitic stainless steel that is suitable for use in aggressive environments: phosphoric, nitric, citric, lactic, formic, acetic acids, in the presence of alkalis - hydroxides and salts - nitrates, chlorides, fluorides, acetates and sulfates. This brand also shows excellent resistance to the marine environment and salts.
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Stainless Steel Grade AISI 316L | EN 1.4435 | DIN X2CrNiMo18-14-3

AISI 316L | EN 1.4435 | DIN X2CrNiMo18-14-3 is a modified austenitic stainless steel with extremely low silicon content and much higher molybdenum content. Low carbon content combined with good chemical balance (low silicon and nickel content of about 14%) makes the alloy fully austenitic without precipitation of intermetallic phases.

Stainless Steel Grade AISI 317L | EN 1.4438 | DIN X2CrNiMo-18-16-4

AISI 317L / EN 1.4438 / DIN X2CrNiMo-18-16-4 is a low-carbon austenitic stainless steel. The combination of chromium, nickel and molybdenum increases corrosion resistance, improves resistance to sulfuric, acetic, formic acids, chemical resistance to citric and tartaric acids.

Stainless Steel Grade AISI 321 | EN 1.4541 | DIN X6CrNiTi18-10

AISI 321 | EN 1.4541 | DIN X6CrNiTi18-10 - is an austenitic stainless steel which is able to provide excellent resistance to oxidation and corrosion. It has good creep resistance. It is used mainly in parts and structures involving continuous and intermittent working temperatures in the carbide precipitation range of 427 - 816 ℃. EN 1.4541 has the same corrosion properties as EN 1.4301 / AISI 304, except for improved
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