Brown McFarlane - Steel Stockholders UK | Structural Steel
304 -304L Stainless Steel
Steel Grade 304 / 304L | UNS S30400 / UNS S30403 | 1.4301 / 1.4307
What is Type 304 Stainless Steel?
304 stainless steel is a versatile and dexterous stainless steel. It is a widely used material across a number of industries, as a result of the ease in which it can be formed into a vast number of shapes. Sectors using 304 stainless steel include:
Food processing - across the food industry, strong and non-corrosive equipment is of paramount importance. 304 stainless steel exhibits superb anti-corrosion properties, and as a result, is suitable for the processing and handling of most food products.
Chemical industry - stainless steel demonstrates a number of properties that are advantageous in chemical applications. For example, it is resistant to corrosion and heat.
Ultimately, 304 stainless steel is easy to form, weld and fabricate, and as a result, it a suitable material for a number of applications within industry.
What is Type 304 Stainless Steel?
304 stainless steel is the most widely used stainless steel grade across the globe. Its durability, anti-corrosion and anti-rust properties have all contributed towards its use in applications all over the world - ranging from storage tanks through to food processing equipment. Contact Brown McFarlane for expert advice on what steel grade you should be using for your specific application.
Stainless Steel Grade 304 vs 304L
Stainless steel grades 304 and 304L are some of the most specified - at Brown McFarlane, we believe that they represent the embodiment of the basic stainless product. SAE specifications define 304 and 304L as part of the 300 Series of Steels (this category covers a range of austenitic chromium-nickel alloys). Although Type 304 and Type 304L exhibit similar properties (and are often included on a single material test certificate when the actual properties of a stainless steel plate meets the criteria of both types) Type 304L is actually a variation of Type 304 - it has a lower carbon content. This lower carbon content results in improved weldability and a lower risk of reduced corrosion resistance around the weld. It should also be mentioned that Type 304L also demonstrates a slightly lower yield and tensile strength than Type 304.
Contact Brown McFarlane’s specialist stainless steel team for all sales and technical enquiries.
Type 304 and Type 304L Stainless Steel at Brown McFarlane
Brown McFarlane holds a comprehensive stock of plate in large area format (up to 12,000 mm long and 3,000 mm wide) which is designed to minimise fabrication costs for our customers by reducing the amount of welding required. The large format also gives us the opportunity to make the best possible use of each plate when “nesting” the parts required by our customers before we cut them using our computer controlled high definition plasma and laser cutting machines. In fact the majority of our customers prefer to purchase their 304 and 304L material as ready cut to size items.
We assume you have included sufficient machining allowance to obtain your finished dimensions from the material sizes requested. A sufficient allowance should be included for lengths / widths / outside diameters / inside diameters / internal holes / cut outs and thicknesses. If you are in any doubt please discuss your requirements with our sales team who will be happy to assist you.
Supply subject to items quoted remaining unsold. This offer is made subject to a complete order. Part orders may require a re-quote. Prices quoted are valid for 5 days from the date of this offer.
Please Note:
Unless otherwise stated and agreed at the point of order, supply of Construction Products according to Regulation (EU) No. 305/2011 will default to EXC2 as defined in EN 1090-2 Clause 4.1.2.
