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302 vs 316 stainless steel: what is the difference?

Stainless steel 302 is a general purpose stainless steel that has good corrosion resistance in applications with light/mild exposure to water or mild corrosive elements. Stainless steel 302 has some magnetic properties acquired during the coil forming process. Stainless steel 316 has excellent corrosion resistance. Typical applications for stainless steel 316 include the medical industry and food grade products. The magnetic properties of stainless steel 316 are significantly lower comparative to stainless steel 302.

300 series stainless steels typically have lower tensile strength comparative to high carbon steels and these lower tensiles must be accounted for during design and material selection process.