Why 201 stainless steel is cheaper than 304?

201 stainless steel, a relatively inexpensive alternative material to the traditionally 304 stainless steel. The 201 stainless steel sheet does have its advantages over its competitors, it uses a less amount of Cr and nickel content. This leads to less wastage in the making of joints as well as a reduction in the cost of production. In spite of this though the stainless steel sheet loses some of its hardness and ductility when compared to 304 stainless steel.

201 stainless steel sheet has around half the nickel content as that of 304 stainless steel. Instead, tungsten is replaced by various alloy additions of nitrogen and manganese. It is possible that the overall contribution of these alloy ingredients may not equal the total content of nickel but they certainly contribute in a pretty significant manner. The disadvantage of this material is that the following 18% chromium content and low nickel content can not reach the balance and form ferrite, so the chromium content in 201 stainless steel to 13.5% ~ 15%, in some cases down to 13% ~ 14%, its corrosion resistance is not compared with 304 and other similar steel. In addition, manganese and, in some cases, copper reduce the possibility of re-passivation under acidic conditions common in the corrosion sites of deposits and crevasses. The destruction rate of 201 steel under these conditions is approximately 10-100 times that of 304 stainless steel. Residual sulfur and carbon content in steel is often not controlled during production, even during material recycling.

The major change that occurs in the composition of these stainless steels is the replacement of nitrogen with manganese. The nickel content is reduced from about 20 % in the case of 201 to just 7 % in the case of 304 stainless steel. This is primarily due to the fact that the tungsten is replaced by manganese. There are some other advantages as well, which can be looked into as the combination of both the drawbacks coming together with results in a very effective all-round stainless steel.

The next stainless steel alternative that has come up in the last couple of years has been the use of carbon in place of nitrogen. Carbon is extremely hard-wearing and durable. Many of the new appliances that are coming onto the market use carbon in place of nickel and this is because of this reason alone. Carbon also increases the softness of the alloy and this can be used in household appliances that use a lot of electricity such as stoves and microwaves. The increase in softness can also make the performance of these household appliances much better.

The entire composition of the 201 stainless steel is changed when the carbon is replaced by manganese. This makes the alloy harder, stronger and also more resistant to corrosion. The physical properties of this alloy improve as a result of the increase in mechanical properties and the thermal conductivity improves. As we can see, the combination of these two makes for a perfect match. If you are looking for a brand new kitchen set or if you want to replace the kitchenware of your kitchen then the best option would be to opt for the 201 stainless steel. We have taken pride of place in the supplying of stainless steel products such as 201, 304, 316 and others. When opening a new steel project, it is important to look for a high-quality product.