Currently on the market there are many types of stainless steel such as stainless steel 304, 201, 316, 410, 310,… to serve each need and purpose of many industries and fields. However, among them, there are two types of stainless steel 201 and 304 that are widely used every day. So what is the difference between stainless steel 201 and 304?, how to distinguish them? Let’s carefully learn the characteristics of these two types of stainless steel in the article below so that you can easily distinguish between 201 and 304 stainless steel.
Nội dung chính
- 1 What is stainless steel?
- 2 What is stainless steel 201? Advantages of stainless steel 201
- 3 What is 304 stainless steel? What are the advantages of 304 stainless steel?
- 4 Compare stainless steel 201 and 304
- 5 Simple way to distinguish between 201 and 304 stainless steel
- 6 How to choose quality 201 and 304 stainless steel
- 7 Where to buy reputable 201 and 304 stainless steel that meets quality standards?
What is stainless steel?
Stainless steel, also known as stainless steel, is an alloy of iron containing many different chemical elements. Each chemical element plays a different role and function to create unique characteristics for the product. Stainless steel is mainly composed of a mixture of many metals such as nickel, copper, iron, chromium, carbon, silicon, manganese, etc. So this material has high durability, good corrosion resistance and does not discolor easily.
What is stainless steel 201? Advantages of stainless steel 201
Stainless steel 201 is an alloy of iron, made mainly of manganese. With a ratio of 2:1, nickel accounts for 4.5% and manganese accounts for 7.1% in this alloy. Thanks to this, Stainless Steel 201 has a lower price and is more stable.
Advantages of stainless steel 201:
- Anti-rust ability and reasonable price:Stainless steel 201, with higher manganese and lower nickel content. This helps stainless steel 201 to be cheap and suitable for civil industries, as well as in the production of simple products such as cabinets, shelves, stainless steel racks to hold bowls, chopsticks, shoes, and hang household items. shower and toilet. However, it is also more susceptible to rust than 304 stainless steel.
- Low electrical conductivity: Stainless steel 201 has poorer electrical conductivity than other metals such as copper, silver, gold, iron and aluminum, so it is extremely safe to use.
- Durable:With high nitrogen content, Stainless Steel 201 has high hardness and durability, especially at low temperatures. Even when cooled, Stainless Steel 201 becomes harder.
- Non-toxic, safe for users: One of the advantages of stainless steel is that it does not harm the user’s health. The structural components of Stainless Steel 201 have been thoroughly tested and do not contain toxic substances, so they are commonly used in everyday life.
What is 304 stainless steel? What are the advantages of 304 stainless steel?
Similar to Stainless Steel 201, Stainless Steel 304 is also an alloy formed from a combination of nickel and manganese compounds. However, the percentage of nickel in 304 stainless steel is much higher than the percentage of manganese. This makes the price of stainless steel 304 somewhat higher than stainless steel 201.
Compare stainless steel 201 and 304
Regarding resistance to corrosion and rust
The Chromium content in Stainless Steel 201 is about 2% lower than Stainless Steel 304. Therefore, Stainless Steel 304 is more resistant to corrosion than Stainless Steel 201.
About color
Because 201 stainless steel contains a higher manganese content, this easily makes the surface of 201 stainless steel darker than 304 stainless steel. However, this difference is very small and difficult for users to distinguish.
About durability and machinability
When comparing the chemical composition tables of Stainless Steel 201 and Stainless Steel 304, we can easily see that the Chromium content in Stainless Steel 201 (about 16%) is lower than Stainless Steel 304 (about 18%), the difference is 2%. Therefore, Stainless Steel 201 has lower corrosion resistance than Stainless Steel 304.
In addition, Stainless Steel 304 also has a higher Sulfur content, which increases rust resistance compared to Stainless Steel 201.
About the price
In today’s market, because the price of Nickel continuously increases, materials containing large amounts of Nickel will have high prices. This leads to Stainless Steel 304 having a higher price than Stainless Steel 201, because the Nickel content in Stainless Steel 304 is much higher than Stainless Steel 201. This is also one of the reasons why Stainless Steel 201 accounts for a part of the price. Such a large market share in the market.
Characteristics comparison table
| Characteristic | Stainless steel 304 | Stainless steel 201 |
| Chemical composition | 8,1% niken + 1% magan | 4,5% niken + 7,1% magan |
| Anticorrosion | The anti-rust and anti-corrosion ability of 304 stainless steel is much superior to 201 stainless steel. Because the structure of 304 stainless steel contains high levels of chromium and sulfur, which gives 304 stainless steel anti-rust and anti-corrosion properties. Extremely effective wear. | Because Stainless Steel 201 has low Nickel content, its rust and corrosion resistance is much lower than Stainless Steel 304. |
| Reliability | Greater durability | Lower durability |
| Stiffness | Lower than stainless steel 201 | Stainless steel 201 is more durable than stainless steel 304 because stainless steel 201 contains higher manganese content. |
| Magnetism | Does not attract magnets | Gently suck the magnet |
| Price | High | Short |
| Field of use | Kitchen appliances (pots, pans, food processing equipment…), washing machines, dishwashers, exterior decoration, chemical industry, oil and gas, nuclear energy, | Interior |
Simple way to distinguish between 201 and 304 stainless steel
Use acid
This is a popular method and provides highly accurate results, while also saving testing costs.
How to do it: Prepare a piece of 201 stainless steel and a piece of 304 stainless steel, along with a vial of acid. Put a drop of acid on the surface of two pieces of stainless steel. Wait for 10 seconds and observe the surface of two pieces of stainless steel.
Result: If the stainless steel piece creates foam and turns brick red, it is 201 stainless steel. If the stainless steel piece does not react and the acid drop is gray, it is 304 stainless steel.
Use specialized stainless steel reagents
Doing:
- Clean the stainless steel surface to be inspected.
- Place a drop of reagent on the surface.
- Wait for 2-3 minutes and observe the color change. Then, compare with the color chart on the box to determine the type of stainless steel. Stainless steel 304 will be blue, while stainless steel 201 will be brick red. The darker the color, the poorer the quality of the stainless steel.
Use magnets
Stainless steel 304 does not attract magnets, while stainless steel 201 has the ability to gently attract magnets. However, it should be noted not to use magnets to distinguish stainless steel after being processed into products, because during the shaping process, stainless steel products can create magnetism, making this method unsuitable. still accurate.
Test at the testing center
This is a method that ensures 100% accurate test results. You can take samples from stainless steel 304 and 201 and send them to the quality testing center for testing. Results will be returned after about 5-7 days. However, this method takes a lot of time and money, but brings the most accurate results. If you plan to import large quantities, you should use this method to ensure product quality.
Distinguish based on CO & CQ
When importing iron and steel, having CO and CQ certificates is essential. CO (Certificate of Origin) is a certificate of origin, while CQ (Certificate of Quality) is a certificate of quality. You can ask the supplier to provide both of these certificates to distinguish between 201 and 304 stainless steel.
How to choose quality 201 and 304 stainless steel
Currently, stainless steel manufacturing companies are growing strongly in the market. However, for the sake of profit, many companies do not care about reputation and produce poor quality 304 and 201 stainless steel, causing negative effects on construction projects. Therefore, we need to carefully check product quality before making a purchasing decision. Here are some methods to help identify 201 and 304 stainless steel as genuine products that meet quality standards.
- Genuine stainless steel usually has a bottom that is 2-3 layers thick. When you touch the bottom, it will not make a resounding sound. Meanwhile, thin, poor quality stainless steel has only one bottom layer, so when touched, it will create a more resonant sound. Therefore, to avoid revealing this problem, some manufacturers often use an additional layer of plating on the bottom to suppress sound. However, we can still detect through volume. Stainless steel with a plating layer will be much lighter than stainless steel with a thick base
- High quality products will be molded in one piece, without any joints or seams. “Spot welded” stainless steel products often leave burn marks forming dots at the handle or seam junction.
- To avoid buying poor quality products, you should buy from long-standing stainless steel manufacturing and processing companies or reputable distributors and agents in the area. Please check carefully to see if the product has all the label information and technical specifications from the manufacturer? Is there a warranty card included with the product?
Where to buy reputable 201 and 304 stainless steel that meets quality standards?
With more than 50 years of operation in the stainless steel field, Hoa Giang is a leading enterprise in the field of processing and manufacturing stainless steel products. Hoa Giang Stainless Steel has provided stainless steel materials for many large projects in Vietnam, including Metropole Thu Thiem, International Center and Caravelle Hotel.
Through participating projects, Hoa Giang has successfully built solid trust from customers. We always put customers as our guideline in all activities, so you can feel completely secure when buying stainless steel 201 and 304 at Hoa Giang. Depending on your budget and purpose of use, you should consider using 201 or 304 stainless steel to suit your project. If you are not sure whether to use 201 or 304 stainless steel for your project, please immediately contact Hoa Giang’s hotline 028.38485518. We will respond quickly and give you the most suitable advice.
CONTACT INFORMATION OF HOA GIANG PRODUCTION – CONSTRUCTION – TRADING COMPANY
- Address: No. 19 Bach Dang, Ward 2, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City
- Email: support@inoxhoagiang.com
- Hotline: 028.38485518
- Website: https://inoxhoagiang.com/
Above is detailed information about stainless steel 201 and 304. Hopefully the above article can help you easily identify these two types of stainless steel. Follow our articles to update the latest news about stainless steel. If you still have questions, please leave a comment below so we can promptly respond!
