What are the advantages of 316 and 316L stainless steel?

316 and 316L stainless steel have high resistance to pitting corrosion. Therefore, 316 and 316L are suitable for use in paper mills and chemical plants, and 316 has good corrosion resistance to sulfate, halide, phosphate or other salts. Nevertheless, 316 resists static or slow (less than 1.5m/s) flowing seawater corrosion is not large enough. Therefore, several super ferritic, austenitic and duplex stainless steels have been developed in the past 20 years.

316ss is used to manufacture equipment that requires high strength and high creep strength; 316 contains molybdenum, which makes it have higher creep strength than 304. 316 has excellent resistance to high temperature oxidation. At 898°C, the rate of scale formation in the atmosphere is very slow. 316 and 316L are easier to weld and do not require heat treatment after welding.

316 stainless steel is used for occasions requiring high strength and high creep strength at high temperatures. The addition of molybdenum makes the creep strength several times that of 304. 316 stainless steel is generally used in papermaking, chemical, food and phosphoric acid industries.