{"id":2134,"date":"2022-07-24T12:53:24","date_gmt":"2022-07-24T07:23:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ambicasteels.com\/blog\/?p=2134"},"modified":"2024-01-12T12:54:27","modified_gmt":"2024-01-12T07:24:27","slug":"204-vs-304-stainless-steel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ambicasteels.com\/blog\/204-vs-304-stainless-steel\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Difference between 204 and 304 Stainless Steel"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Austenitic stainless steel<\/strong> <\/a>is admired for grades used in common high-fidelity applications. These are iron-based amalgamations with 16-25% of chromium with other alloying agents. Chromium and molybdenum protect austenitic grade from general and pitting corrosion. Nickel strengthens and stabilizes its austenite structure with manganese and nitrogen.<\/p>\n

Austenitic grades are non-magnetic in nature and pose excellent weldability ad formability<\/strong>. These grades can be successfully used in cryogenic applications and even in the red hot temperature of furnace and heat-exchangers. The strength, durability, visual appeal, easy maintenance, and contribution towards a sustainable environment are some added perks to its applications.<\/p>\n

Grade 204 and 304 are popular austenitic grades<\/strong> with face-centered microstructure and maintain their niche of applications and differences. The major difference is the distribution of elements in chemistry.<\/p>\n

Difference between grades 204 and 304<\/u><\/strong><\/h1>\n

The chemical compositions define attribution, mechanical and physical parameters. Here, the key component is nickel. Grade 304<\/strong> contains 18-20 % of chromium and 8-10% of nickel. On the other hand, grade 204 contains 18% chromium and 0.5% of nickel. The significant difference is nickel content is vast relatively. One more differentiation is created by manganese. Grade 304 has a manganese content of 2%, and grade 204 has 5% of manganese by weight.<\/strong> As a result, the corrosion resistance, strength, price, use differs for both grades.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n
Grade<\/td>\nCarbon<\/p>\n

(max)%<\/td>\n

Manganese<\/p>\n

(max)%<\/td>\n

Silicon<\/p>\n

(max)%<\/td>\n

Phosphorus<\/p>\n

(max)%<\/td>\n

Sulfur<\/p>\n

(max)%<\/td>\n

Chromium<\/p>\n

(max)%<\/td>\n

Nickel<\/p>\n

(max)%<\/td>\n

Nitrogen<\/p>\n

(max)%<\/td>\n

Molybdenum<\/p>\n

(max)%<\/td>\n

Copper<\/p>\n

(max)%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

304<\/td>\n0.08<\/td>\n2.0<\/td>\n0.75<\/td>\n0.045<\/td>\n0.030<\/td>\n18-20<\/td>\n8-10<\/td>\n0.10<\/td>\n\u00a0–<\/td>\n–<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
202<\/td>\n0.10<\/td>\n6-8<\/td>\n2.0<\/td>\n0.040<\/td>\n0.015<\/td>\n16-18%<\/td>\n2.0<\/td>\n–<\/td>\n1.0<\/td>\n2-3.5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

How to identify grades 204 and 304? <\/u><\/h2>\n

Grade 204 and 304 are both austenitic stainless steel and non-magnetic in nature.\u00a0 Grade 304 has considerably superior corrosion resistance when exposed to saltwater, compared to grade 204. In the spark test, grade 204 produces yellow-red sparks, whereas grade 304 will produce more reddish sparks with fast speed. Other differences can be obtained with magnetic spots and laboratory tests.<\/p>\n

Corrosion resistance (Grade 204 versus 304)<\/u><\/h3>\n

Grade 204<\/strong> produces weakened corrosion resistance when compared to grade 304. But it does not mean it is not corrosion-resistant at all.\u00a0 Grade 204<\/strong> performs well in general or less corrosive mediums. Its chemistry does not hold good for chloride environments. Grade 204<\/strong> is an economical option with compromised corrosion resistance.<\/p>\n

Grade 304<\/strong> has more nickel in its compound and produces excellent corrosion resistance and strength. Its applications cover kitchen utensils to power generation equipment.<\/p>\n

Cost difference<\/u><\/h3>\n

Nickel is an essential commodity with volatile prices. It is expensive in nature. 304 Stainless steel<\/strong><\/a> contains a significant amount of nickel when compared to grade 204. So, grade 304<\/strong> automatically becomes an expensive material. But this cost comes with numerous advantages and practical applications.<\/p>\n

Inferentially, grade 204<\/strong> is an economical option and is used in indoor applications. Grade 304<\/strong> is a popular and cost-effective stainless steel with excellent corrosion resistance and strength with an expansive range of applications.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Austenitic stainless steel is admired for grades used in common high-fidelity applications. These are iron-based amalgamations with 16-25% of chromium with other alloying agents. Chromium and molybdenum protect austenitic grade from general and pitting corrosion. Nickel strengthens and stabilizes its… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2254,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[123],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-frequently-asked-question-faq"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\n","aioseo_head_json":{"title":"Difference between 204 and 304 Stainless Steel","description":"What is the Difference between 204 and 304 Stainless Steel","canonical_url":"https:\/\/www.ambicasteels.com\/blog\/204-vs-304-stainless-steel\/","robots":"max-image-preview:large","keywords":"faq","webmasterTools":{"google-site-verification":"tmAVcg1t9-y4utUnH7en8eJVj1DSqrZ-bGMnHhpDRHU","miscellaneous":""},"schema":null,"og:locale":"en_US","og:site_name":"Stainless Steel Blog | THE OFFICIAL BLOG OF AMBICA STEELS LTD.","og:type":"article","og:title":"Difference between 204 and 304 Stainless Steel","og:description":"What is the Difference between 204 and 304 Stainless Steel","og:url":"https:\/\/www.ambicasteels.com\/blog\/204-vs-304-stainless-steel\/","og:image":"https:\/\/www.ambicasteels.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/cropped-ASL-LOGO.png","og:image:secure_url":"https:\/\/www.ambicasteels.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/cropped-ASL-LOGO.png","article:published_time":"2022-07-24T07:23:24+00:00","article:modified_time":"2024-01-12T07:24:27+00:00","twitter:card":"summary","twitter:title":"Difference between 204 and 304 Stainless Steel","twitter:description":"What is the Difference between 204 and 304 Stainless Steel","twitter:image":"https:\/\/www.ambicasteels.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/cropped-ASL-LOGO.png"},"aioseo_meta_data":{"post_id":"2134","title":"Difference between 204 and 304 Stainless Steel","description":"What is the Difference between 204 and 304 Stainless Steel","keywords":[],"keyphrases":{"focus":{"keyphrase":"","score":0,"analysis":{"keyphraseInTitle":{"score":0,"maxScore":9,"error":1}}},"additional":[]},"primary_term":null,"canonical_url":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"og_object_type":"default","og_image_type":"default","og_image_url":null,"og_image_width":null,"og_image_height":null,"og_image_custom_url":null,"og_image_custom_fields":null,"og_video":"","og_custom_url":null,"og_article_section":null,"og_article_tags":[],"twitter_use_og":false,"twitter_card":"default","twitter_image_type":"default","twitter_image_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_fields":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"schema":{"blockGraphs":[],"customGraphs":[],"default":{"data":{"Article":[],"Course":[],"Dataset":[],"FAQPage":[],"Movie":[],"Person":[],"Product":[],"ProductReview":[],"Car":[],"Recipe":[],"Service":[],"SoftwareApplication":[],"WebPage":[]},"graphName":"Article","isEnabled":true},"graphs":[],"defaultGraph":"Article","defaultPostTypeGraph":""},"schema_type":"default","schema_type_options":"{\"article\":{\"articleType\":\"BlogPosting\"},\"course\":{\"name\":\"\",\"description\":\"\",\"provider\":\"\"},\"faq\":{\"pages\":[]},\"product\":{\"reviews\":[]},\"recipe\":{\"ingredients\":[],\"instructions\":[],\"keywords\":[]},\"software\":{\"reviews\":[],\"operatingSystems\":[]},\"webPage\":{\"webPageType\":\"WebPage\"},\"blockGraphs\":[]}","pillar_content":false,"robots_default":true,"robots_noindex":false,"robots_noarchive":false,"robots_nosnippet":false,"robots_nofollow":false,"robots_noimageindex":false,"robots_noodp":false,"robots_notranslate":false,"robots_max_snippet":"-1","robots_max_videopreview":"-1","robots_max_imagepreview":"large","priority":null,"frequency":"default","local_seo":null,"breadcrumb_settings":null,"limit_modified_date":false,"ai":null,"created":"2022-08-24 06:54:23","updated":"2025-06-04 01:05:54","seo_analyzer_scan_date":null},"aioseo_breadcrumb":"

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