304 stainless steel plate is the most widely used 18-8 austenitic stainless steel sheet. It balances excellent corrosion resistance, ductility, formability, weldability and machinability. Produced via hot rolling, cold rolling, annealing, pickling, surface finishing and cutting, it covers thin cold rolled sheets and thick hot rolled plates. It features uniform flatness, stable mechanical properties and multiple surface finishes to match decoration, food machinery, chemical equipment, construction, medical and general industrial anti-rust structures. It is the universal cost-effective stainless steel sheet for global manufacturing projects.
2. Global Equivalent Grade Cross Reference
| Standard System | Grade Name | Relevant Standard Code |
| USA UNS/ASTM | UNS S30400 / AISI 304 | ASTM A240, ASTM A480 |
| Japan JIS | SUS304 | JIS G4305 (CR), JIS G4306 (HR) |
| European EN | X5CrNi18-10 / 1.4301 | EN 10088-2 |
| China GB | New:06Cr19Ni10 / Old:0Cr18Ni9 | GB/T 3280, GB/T 4237 |
| British BS | 304S31 | BS EN 10088 |
| French NF | Z6CN18-09 | NF A35-571 |
| Swedish SS | SS2337 | SS 2337 |
| Russian GOST | 08Х18Н10 | GOST 5632 |
Remark: All grades are interchangeable for general industrial use; minor element tolerance differences do not affect processing and service performance.
3. Chemical Composition (wt%, Standard Specification Range)
| Element | C | Si | Mn | P | S | Cr | Ni | N | Fe |
| Limit | ≤0.08 | ≤1.00 | ≤2.00 | ≤0.045 | ≤0.030 | 18.00–20.00 | 8.00–10.50 | ≤0.10 | Balance |
4. Physical & Mechanical Properties
4.1 Basic Physical Properties (Room Temperature, Annealed)
Density: 7.93 g/cm³
Melting range: 1398 ~ 1454 ℃
Thermal conductivity: 16.2 W/m·K
Specific heat capacity: 500 J/kg·K
Resistivity: 0.72 Ω·mm²/m
Linear expansion coefficient (20–200℃): 17.2 ×10⁻⁶ /℃
Elastic Modulus E: 193 GPa
Shear Modulus G: 72 GPa
Poisson’s Ratio: 0.24
Magnetism: Fully non-magnetic after solution annealing; slight weak magnetism after cold rolling, stamping or cutting.
4.2 Mechanical Properties (Annealed Base Material)
| Index | Standard Minimum Value |
| Tensile Strength | ≥515 MPa |
| 0.2% Offset Yield Strength | ≥205 MPa |
| Elongation (50mm gauge) | ≥40% |
| Reduction of Area | ≥60% |
| Max Brinell Hardness HB | ≤201 HB |
| Max HRB Hardness | ≤92 HRB |
Cold rolled hard temper sheets have higher tensile strength and lower elongation for structural parts requiring high rigidity.
5. Standard Sizes & Thickness Classification
5.1 Thickness Category
Cold Rolled Stainless Steel Sheet (CR): 0.3mm ~ 3.0mm
Hot Rolled Stainless Steel Plate (HR): 3.0mm ~ 120mm
5.2 Standard Fixed Width & Length (Global Common Sizes)
Standard Widths:1000mm, 1219mm (4ft), 1500mm, 1524mm (5ft)
Standard Fixed Lengths:2000mm, 2438mm (8ft), 3000mm, 6000mm
Standard Flat Sheet Finished Sizes (Most Popular Export Sizes)
1000×2000mm,1219×2438mm (4×8ft),1500×3000mm Custom slitting, cutting to any special width/length available.
5.3 Thickness Tolerance
Cold rolled thin sheet: ±0.02 ~ ±0.05mm
Hot rolled thick plate: ±0.3 ~ ±1.0mm
6. Surface Finishes (Full Industry Standard Types)
●2B Surface (Most Popular Export Grade)Cold rolled, annealed & pickled, uniform silver matte finish, smooth surface, good formability, easy polishing, etching and welding. Widely used for machinery, kitchen, equipment housings.
●BA Bright Annealed SurfaceBright furnace annealed, mirror semi-bright finish, clean surface without oxide film, for decorative and precision components.
●No.1 Hot Rolled Pickled SurfaceHot rolled + acid descaling, gray matte thick plate surface, for pressure vessels, structural frames, chemical equipment without high appearance demand.
●No.3 Polished SurfaceMedium coarse abrasive polished, uniform linear grain, general decorative panels.
●No.4 Brushed Hairline SurfaceFine linear brushed finish, fingerprint-resistant treatment optional, widely used for elevator panels, door panels, kitchen decoration.
●8K Mirror Polished SurfaceHigh gloss mirror finish, ultra-smooth, used for high-end decoration, signboards, reflective equipment shells.
●HL Hairline, Embossed, PVD Color CoatedCustom decorative surfaces for architectural projects.
7. Edge Types
●Slit Edge (Standard Cold Rolled Coil Cut Edge) Clean smooth straight edge, tiny burr, suitable for direct bending, stamping.
●Sheared Edge (Cut by plate shear machine) Flat straight edge, minor burr on bottom side, common for hot rolled plate and large-format sheets.
●Laser Cut Edge Ultra-smooth burr-free edge, high precision for special shaped blanks.
●Ground Deburred Edge Manual grinding removes all burrs, safe for food, medical and hand-touch applications.
●Rounded Edge Edge chamfered or rounded to avoid scratching operators and sealing gaskets.
8. Typical Applications
8.1 Food & Catering Industry
Kitchen equipment, stainless water tanks, food processing machinery shells, baking oven panels, beverage production line liners, tableware blanks.
8.2 Architectural & Decoration Engineering
Elevator car panels, interior wall decorative sheets, outdoor curtain wall panels, stair handrail cladding, hotel decorative screens, signboards.
8.3 Medical & Pharmaceutical Equipment
Sterile workshop partition plates, medical equipment shells, pharmaceutical tank lining, laboratory anti-corrosion countertops.
8.4 Mechanical & General Industrial Equipment
Automation equipment housings, pump & valve outer covers, conveyor equipment plates, mold base blanks, storage cabinet panels.
8.5 Chemical & Environmental Protection
Mild acid & alkali storage tank lining, sewage treatment equipment shell, waste gas dust removal equipment outer plate, low-corrosion reaction vessel sheets.
8.6 Household Hardware & Daily Products
Stainless sink blanks, refrigerator inner liners, washing machine shells, decorative metal panels, furniture anti-rust panels.
8.7 Transportation Industry
Bus & subway interior decorative panels, ship interior non-marine structural plates, new energy equipment protective covers.
9. Grade Comparison Chart
| Grade | Carbon | Mo Content | Corrosion Resistance | Weld Performance | Main Usage |
| 304 (1.4301) | ≤0.08% | 0 | Excellent | Very Good | Universal sheet for decoration, food, general machinery |
| 304L (1.4307) | ≤0.03% | 0 | Good anti-intergranular corrosion | Best | Frequently welded chemical tanks |
| 316L (1.4404) | ≤0.03% | 2~3% | Excellent chloride resistance | Excellent | Coastal, marine, salt spray environment |
| 201 | ≤0.15% | 0 | Poor | General | Low-cost indoor decoration only |
10. Executive Standards & Export Certifications
Compliant with ASTM A240, EN 10088-2, JIS G4305/G4306, GB/T 3280 / GB/T 4237. Available documents: MTC material test report, SGS third-party composition inspection, RoHS environmental certificate, food-grade contact safety test, salt spray test report, fully meet global export standards.
