About Stainless Steel

316L Stainless Steel vs. 304L Stainless Steel … What's the difference?
 
Both are CRES (corrosion-resistant steel) rated American Manufactured Stainless Steel. Both 300 series stainless steel materials are of very similar strength and durability. Austenitic (300 series) stainless steel obtain their strength and durability from alloy of at least 16% chromium and addition of nickel/manganese to resist stress fracture. The “L” parameter indicates that the material is “low carbon” steel (less than 0.03%).  Low carbon improves ability to resist corrosion, particularly in salt environments. A noteworthy difference between 304L and 316L stainless steel is that while 304L is “low magnetic”, 316L approaches non-magnetic in character. A good method for you as a consumer (to determine the genuine materials composition of a stainless steel product), is to apply a hand-held magnet ( good source: from a throw-away speaker system, or a destroyed computer hard drive).
 
Vandal Stop Products uses “only” American Manufactured 304L and 316L Stainless Steel (Materials certification is available upon prior request). Though other countries manufacture “stainless steel” their alloy methods and composition standards and related rating systems are not reliable, nor do they meet American CRES standards.
 
Vandal Stop Products uses 304L Stainless Steel for most “land application” products. Vandal Stop Products uses 316L Stainless Steel for military and maritime application products where higher corrosion resistance and non-magnet character are valued.
 
Pound for pound, 316L stainless steel is significantly more expensive than 304L stainless steel and is reflected in product pricing.
 
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