Type 304 Stainless Steel

At Global Precision, we provide a variety of different steel balls which we tailor to specific industries and tasks. When deciding on which material is best for your application, it’s important to consider your options and consider the steel’s composition. One of our more popular options is our type 304 stainless steel. The unique design of this type of steel allows it to serve various industries.

Composition & Properties

The engineering behind each grade of stainless steel includes a special combination of different elements that affect how the material will perform. Since it includes a variety of metals, stainless steel is an alloy. 304 stainless steel’s chemical composition contains the following:

1. Chromium – 18% - 20%
2. Carbon – .08%
3. Nickel – 8% - 10.5%
4. Manganese – 2%
5. Silicon – 1% Max
6. Phosphorous – .045% Max
7. Sulphur –  .03% Max

This specific combination leaves you with a material that has good corrosion resistance, especially against dyes, food, and other materials. Type 304 stainless steel has a hardness of 70 on the Rockwell hardness scale.

304 stainless steel’s strength is between 80,000 – 180,000 psi on the Tensile strength test. This puts 304 on the lower end of the strength spectrum.