what is 304 stainless steel

304 stainless steel is a type of stainless steel that is commonly used in household and industrial applications such as food handling and processing equipment, machinery parts, utensils, and exhaust manifolds. It is a member of the austenitic family of stainless steels, which means that it contains both chromium and nickel metals as the main non-iron constituents. The defining features of 304 stainless steel are its inclusion of at least 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel, which is why it’s also known as 18/8 steel. This combination produces a number of desirable material qualities, including excellent resistance to a wide range of atmospheric environments and many corrosive media. However, it is subject to pitting and crevice corrosion in warm chloride environments and to stress corrosion cracking above about 60°C. For more severe corrosion conditions, when 304 stainless steel is too sensitive to pitting or crevice corrosion by chlorides or general corrosion in acidic applications, it is commonly replaced by 316 stainless steel.