The difference between 316L stainless steel pipe and 316 stainless steel pipe

316L stainless steel pipe is a kind of pipe widely used in construction engineering. 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. The following briefly introduces the difference between 316L stainless steel pipe and 316 stainless steel pipe:

1. Production cost

316 L stainless steel has low carbon content and is easy to weld. Therefore, the price of 316 L stainless steel pipe is more expensive than that of 316 stainless steel pipe, but the difference is not big. In addition, 316 L stainless steel can also be called ultra-low carbon steel 316 stainless steel.

2. The difference in the strength of stainless steel pipes

The tensile strength of 316 stainless steel pipe is higher than that of 316 L stainless steel pipe. The tensile strength of 316 stainless steel pipe is higher than 520 MPa~(316 L) stainless steel pipe. The tensile strength of 316 stainless steel pipe is only greater than 480 Mpa. This is because carbon is the strong austenite-forming element that can significantly increase the strength of stainless steel pipes.

3. The difference in actual application

There is little difference in cost between 316 L stainless steel and 316 stainless steel. The corrosion resistance and weldability of 316 L stainless steel are significantly better than ordinary 316 stainless steel.

4. The difference in welding treatment

Carbon has a negative effect on the corrosion resistance of stainless steel pipes. Especially for stainless steel that needs to be welded, the corrosion resistance of low-carbon 316 L stainless steel after welding is lower than that of 316 stainless steel. Good corrosion resistance, the welded section of 316 stainless steel needs to be solution annealed after welding. If 316 L stainless steel is used, solution annealing after welding is not required.

5. The difference in corrosion resistance

316 L stainless steel pipe has stronger corrosion resistance and is suitable for strong corrosion areas such as the seaside. In addition, 316 stainless steel pipe is not recommended to consider the previous conditions.

6. The difference in the scope of use

In most cases, 304 stainless steel pipe is sufficient to meet the application requirements. Because 316L stainless steel pipe is expensive, from the point of view of material cost, the usage of 316L stainless steel pipe is about 1.5 times that of 304 stainless steel pipe, so the usage of 316L stainless steel pipe should be customized.