316L stainless steel pipe is a kind of pipe widely used in construction projects. The shape of the tube is an oblong hollow steel tube. Mechanical equipment, petrochemical equipment, medical equipment, food, and light industry pipelines or mechanical parts will all use 316L stainless steel pipes, but many friends will confuse 316L with 316. The following briefly introduces the difference between 316L stainless steel pipe and
316 stainless steel pipe:
1. Differences in production costs. 316L stainless steel has low carbon content and is easy to weld, so the price of 316L stainless steel pipe is more expensive than that of
316 stainless steel pipe, but the difference is not big. In addition, 316L stainless steel can also be called ultra-low carbon steel 316 stainless steel.
2. Differences in the strength of stainless steel pipes. The tensile strength of
316 stainless steel pipe is higher than that of 316L stainless steel pipe. The tensile strength of
316 stainless steel pipe is higher than that of 520 MPa~(316L) stainless steel pipe. The tensile strength of
316 stainless steel pipe is only greater than 480 Mpa. This is because carbon is a strong austenite-forming element that can significantly increase the strength of stainless steel pipes.
3. Differences in practical applications. The cost difference between 316L stainless steel and 316 stainless steel is not significant, and the corrosion resistance and weldability of 316L stainless steel are significantly better than ordinary 316 stainless steel. From a producer's point of view, stainless steel plants are reluctant to produce because demand for common 316 stainless steel is low. Therefore, the actual circulation in the market is low carbon 316L stainless steel. Generally, 316 stainless steel is rarely sold unless there is a specific demand.
4. Differences in welding processing. Carbon hurts the corrosion resistance of stainless steel pipes. Especially the stainless steel that needs to be welded, the corrosion resistance of low carbon 316L stainless steel after welding is lower than that of 316 stainless steel. I thought I could get it. Good corrosion resistance, 316 stainless steel welded section needs to be solution annealed after welding. Solution annealing after welding is not required if 316L stainless steel is used.
5. The difference in corrosion resistance. 316L stainless steel pipe has stronger corrosion resistance and is suitable for strong corrosion areas such as seasides. In addition,
316 stainless steel pipe is not recommended considering previous conditions.
6. Differences in the scope of use. In most cases, 304 stainless steel pipe is sufficient for the application. Since 316L stainless steel pipe is expensive, from the perspective of material cost, the usage of 316L stainless steel pipe is about 1.5 times that of 304 stainless steel pipe, so the usage amount of 316L steel pipe should be customized.
