What is 316L Stainless Steel?
316 Stainless Steel is a type of molybdenum-alloyed austenitic chromium-nickel steel,The molybdenum gives 316 better overall corrosion resistant properties than Grade 304, particularly higher resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion in chloride environments.Grade 316 is second in importance to 304 amongst the austenitic stainless steels,widely used in many applications.
Material 316L Stainless Steel
316L is a molybdenum-alloyed austenitic chromium-nickel steel,the low carbon version of 316 stainless steel,with improved machinability. 316L is immune from sensitization (grain boundary carbide precipitation),widely used in welded components with a thickness greater than 0.2 inches.316L stainless steel offers higher creep, stress to rupture and tensile strength at elevated temperatures than chromium-nickel austenitic stainless steels.
The "L" in 316L indicates low carbon content (up to 0.03%), which significantly reduces the risk of carbide precipitation during welding, to maintain its corrosion resistance after welding,making 316L material the better choice for welding applications.
316L Properties
316L is a molybdenum-containing stainless steel, containing 2%-3% molybdenum, and properties is better than 310 and 304 stainless steels.Under high temperature conditions, when the concentration of sulfuric acid is lower than 15% or higher than 85%, 316L stainless steel has a wide range of applications. 316L stainless steel also has good resistance to chloride corrosion,widely used in marine environments.
316L Steel Chemical Composition
| Grade | C | Mn | Si | P | S | Cr | Mo | Ni | N | |
| 316L | Min | - | - | - | - | - | 16.0 | 2.00 | 10.0 | - |
| Max | 0.03 | 2.0 | 0.75 | 0.045 | 0.03 | 18.0 | 3.00 | 14.0 | 0.10 | |
SS316L Material Mechanical Properties
| Grade | Tensile Str (MPa) min | Yield Str 0.2% Proof (MPa) min | Elong (% in 50 mm) min | Hardness | |
| Rockwell B (HR B) max | Brinell (HB) max | ||||
| 316L | 485 | 170 | 40 | 95 | 217 |
316L SS Physical Properties
| Grade | Density (kg/m3) | Elastic Modulus (GPa) | Mean Co-eff of Thermal Expansion (µm/m/°C) | Thermal Conductivity (W/m.K) | Specific Heat 0-100 °C (J/kg.K) | Elec Resistivity (nΩ.m) | |||
| 0-100 °C | 0-315 °C | 0-538 °C | At 100 °C | At 500 °C | |||||
| 316/L | 8000 | 193 | 15.9 | 16.2 | 17.5 | 16.3 | 21.5 | 500 | 740 |
Material 316L Stainless Steel Equivalent Grades
| Grade | UNS No | Old British | Euronorm | Swedish SS | Japanese JIS | ||
| BS | En | No | Name | ||||
| 316L | S31603 | 316S11 | - | 1.4404 | X2CrNiMo17-12-2 | 2348 | SUS 316L |
316L SS Heat Treatment
Melting point: 1375~1450°C;
Solution treatment: 1010~1150°C
Solution Treatment (Annealing) - Heat to 1010-1150 °C and cool rapidly. 316L grades cannot be hardened by thermal treatment.
SS316L Material Corrosion Resistance
Grade 316L has better corrosion resistance than 304 stainless steel and has good corrosion resistance in the production process of pulp and paper. 316L stainless steel is also resistant to corrosion in marine and corrosive industrial atmospheres.
Excellent in a range of atmospheric environments and many corrosive media - generally more resistant than 304. Subject to pitting and crevice corrosion in warm chloride environments, and to stress corrosion cracking above about 60 °C. Considered resistant to potable water with up to about 1000 mg/L chlorides at ambient temperatures, reducing to about 500 mg/L at 60 °C.
316 is usually regarded as the standard "marine grade stainless steel", but it is not resistant to warm seawater. In many marine environments, 316 does exhibit surface corrosion, usually visible as brown staining. This is particularly associated with crevices and rough surface finish.
Stainless 316L Heat resistance
Good oxidation resistance in intermittent service below 1600 °C and in continuous service below 700 °C. Continuous use of 316L in the 800-1750°C range is not recommended.316L stainless steel has good heat resistance,when used continuously outside this temperature range.
316L Welding
316L stainless steel has good welding properties,can be welded by all standard welding methods.According to the application,316Cb, 316L or 309Cb stainless steel filler rods or electrodes can be used for welding.Grade 316 require post-weld annealing for maximum corrosion resistance. This is not required for 316L.
316L Stainless Steel Features
- The appearance of colr-rollrd products is gloss and beautiful
- Due to the addition of Mo, corrosion resistance, especially pitting resistance is excellent
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Excellent high temperature strength
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Excellent work hardening (weak magnetism after processing)
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Non-magnetic in solid solution
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Compares to 304 stainless steel, the price is higher.
Machining
316L stainless steel tends to work harden if machined too quickly. For this reason, low speeds and constant feed rates are recommended.
316L stainless steel is also easier to machine compared to 316 stainless steel due to its lower carbon content.
Hot and Cold Working
316L stainless steel can be hot worked using the most common hot working techniques. Optimal hot working temperatures should be in the range 1150-1260 °C, and certainly should not be less than 930 °C. Post-work annealing should be carried out to induce maximum corrosion resistance.
Most common cold working operations such as shearing, drawing, and stamping can be performed on 316L stainless steel. Post-work annealing should be carried out to remove internal stresses.
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