Austenitic Stainless Steel

304, 316, 304L, 316L

Non-magnetic; high corrosion resistance (especially to acids and alkalis); good toughness; easy to weld/process; excellent low-temperature performance

Food equipment (storage tanks, conveyor belts), medical devices, architectural decoration (elevator panels), chemical pipeline linings

Ferritic Stainless Steel

430, 409L

Magnetic; good oxidation resistance (stable at high temperatures); low cost; but poor toughness and weldability

Kitchen appliances (oven liners, range hood panels), automotive exhaust systems, decorative components (guardrails)

Martensitic Stainless Steel

410, 420, 440C

Magnetic; hardenable via heat treatment (high strength and hardness); but lower corrosion resistance than austenitic stainless steel

Knives, valve cores, bearings, medical instruments (scalpels, forceps)

Duplex Stainless Steel

2205, 2507

Combines austenitic and ferritic structures; high strength (tensile strength 1.5x higher than 304); strong resistance to stress corrosion cracking

Marine engineering (seawater pipelines, offshore platform structures), high-pressure chemical equipment, oil and gas extraction pipelines

Precipitation-Hardening Stainless Steel

17-4PH, 15-5PH

Strengthened via 'precipitation hardening'; extremely high strength (yield strength ≥1000MPa); corrosion resistance close to austenitic stainless steel

Aerospace components (aircraft landing gear parts), high-pressure valves, precision mecha