Type 304 stainless steel is a T 300 Series Stainless Steel austenitic. It has a minimum of 18% chromium and 8% nickel, combined with a maximum of 0.08% carbon. It is defined as a Chromium-Nickel austenitic alloy. ... Grade 304H with its higher carbon content finds application at elevated temperatures.

Grade 304 is a standard "18/8" stainless. It is the most versatile and most widely used stainless steel available, even though a wide range of alternatives are available; and has excellent forming and welding characteristics. The balanced austenitic structure of Grade 304 enables it to be severely deep drawn without intermediate annealing. This means that this grade steel is dominant in the manufacture of drawn stainless parts such as sinks, hollow-ware and saucepans. For these applications, it is common to use special "304DDQ" (Deep Drawing Quality) variants. Grade 304 can be readily braked or roll-formed into a variety of components for applications in the industrial, architectural, and transportation fields. It also has outstanding welding characteristics. Post-weld annealing is not required when welding thin sections.

Grade 304 Chemical Composition