What Is The Difference Between 304 And 316 Stainless Steel Mesh?

‌Stainless steel wire mesh is a widely used wire mesh‌, its corrosion resistance and high strength and its application range covers multiple fields such as protective wire mesh, decorative wire mesh, anti-theft wire mesh, bird-raising wire mesh, filter wire mesh, fish-raising wire mesh, and mine mesh screens.

There are many types of stainless steel wire mesh, including stainless steel square mesh, stainless steel Dutch weave mesh, perforated wire mesh, etc., which can meet the needs of different industries.

Stainless steel materials include 304, 304L, 316, 316L, 310, 310s, 904L, 2205, 2507, etc. These materials have good corrosion resistance and strength and are suitable for various harsh environments.

Among them, the most popular are 304 stainless steel wire mesh and 316 stainless steel wire mesh.

In this article, we mainly learn the similarities and differences between the two, as well as the environment suitable for their use, to ensure that you can choose the stainless steel wire mesh suitable for your use.

What is stainless steel?

front view of stainless steel crimped wire mesh

Stainless steel is an alloy material with corrosion resistance, high temperature resistance, and oxidation resistance. ‌
Its main components include iron, chromium, nickel, and other alloying elements. Chromium is one of the most important elements in stainless steel, which can form a dense oxide film to protect the material from being corroded by oxides.

The characteristics of stainless steel make it widely used in many fields, including construction, chemical industry, food processing, etc.
The corrosion resistance of stainless steel depends on the alloying elements contained in the steel, and is usually divided into austenitic, ferritic, and martensitic stainless steel types according to the metallographic structure.

Among them, austenitic stainless steel is the most widely used in daily life because of its best comprehensive performance and non-magnetic properties.
Both 304 and 316 stainless steels are austenitic stainless steels, which means that they have good corrosion resistance, are non-magnetic, and their metallographic structure cannot be changed by heat treatment methods.

What is the difference between 304 and 316 stainless steel?

The main difference between 304 and 316 stainless steels is their chemical composition. ‌

  • ‌304 stainless steel is mainly composed of 18% chromium and 8% nickel, with small amounts of carbon, manganese and other elements.
    This combination of ingredients gives 304 stainless steel good corrosion resistance, especially in non-corrosive media.
    It is widely used for indoor and general purposes, such as home decoration, kitchen utensils, building structures, etc. ‌
  • ‌316 stainless steel contains 16-18% chromium, 10-14% nickel and 2-3% molybdenum.
    The addition of nickel and molybdenum makes 316 stainless steel have better corrosion resistance, especially in high temperature and corrosive environments.
    316 stainless steel has stronger corrosion resistance due to the addition of molybdenum, especially in chloride environments, such as seawater or corrosive media such as hydrochloric acid.

Front view of 316L stainless steel wire cloth mesh roll

Further comparison of 316 and 316L stainless steels shows that 316L stainless steel has a lower carbon content of about 0.03% compared to 316 stainless steel. The low carbon content makes 316L stainless steel more corrosion resistant, especially reducing the risk of intergranular corrosion during welding.
Due to the characteristics of low carbon content, 316L stainless steel avoids the problem of intergranular corrosion, does not require heat treatment, and is more suitable for welding processes.
This makes 316L stainless steel widely used in fields such as chemical industry, medicine, and food processing that require high corrosion resistance of materials.

In summary, the main difference between 304 and 316 stainless steel lies in their chemical composition and the resulting corrosion resistance.
304 stainless steel is suitable for general use, while 316 stainless steel is suitable for more stringent conditions such as marine environment, chemical industry, etc. due to its higher corrosion resistance.

304 and 316 stainless steel mesh application

‌304 stainless steel wire mesh and 316 stainless steel wire mesh each have their own applicable environments, and the specific choice depends on the usage scenario and needs. ‌

  • ‌304 stainless steel wire mesh is widely used in food processing, medical equipment, chemical industry and other fields due to its good corrosion resistance, easy cleaning, heat resistance and low temperature resistance.
    In daily life, 304 stainless steel has a wider range of applications and is widely used in kitchenware, equipment, furniture, railings and other fields, suitable for general corrosive environments.
  • ‌316 stainless steel wire mesh is superior in corrosion resistance, high temperature resistance, strength and hardness, especially in some highly corrosive environments, such as marine environment, chemical environment, etc., showing better performance. It is suitable for more severe corrosive environments, such as marine environment, chemical equipment, medical equipment and other fields.

316 stainless steel has more molybdenum than 304 stainless steel, which makes it more corrosion-resistant and can resist chloride corrosion and acidic environment corrosion.
In addition, 316 stainless steel wire mesh also has good oxidation resistance and higher safety, and is widely used in medical equipment and other fields.
Although the price of 316 stainless steel wire mesh is relatively high, it plays an important role in application scenarios that require high corrosion resistance, high temperature resistance and high strength.

front view of stainless steel mesh screen

In summary, the choice of 304 stainless steel wire mesh or 316 stainless steel wire mesh should be weighed according to specific usage scenarios and needs.
In general corrosive environments, 304 stainless steel wire mesh is sufficient to meet the needs; in harsh corrosive environments, 316 stainless steel wire mesh should be selected. At the same time, cost factors are also an important factor to consider when choosing.

Which stainless steel is more durable 304 or 316?

316 stainless steel is better than 304 stainless steel in corrosion resistance, especially in chloride environment. This is because the addition of molybdenum makes the passivation film of 316 stainless steel more stable and can resist chloride corrosion.
Therefore, 316 stainless steel is more widely used in marine engineering, chemical industry and other fields.

However, it should be noted that 316 stainless steel is not required in all cases. In general environment, 304 stainless steel can already meet most of the use requirements and has lower cost.

How can I tell if my stainless steel is 304 or 316?

The PMI test is usually used to identify the difference between 304 and 316 stainless steel. The PMI machine can detect the difference in content and grade of stainless steel.

If there is no PMI, you can send it to the laboratory for testing or send it to us, and we can help you test it.

What is a 316 Stainless Steel 20 mesh screen?

20 mesh 316 stainless steel mesh is made of SUS 316 stainless steel wire.
20 mesh 316 stainless steel mesh weaving process: plain weave, twill weave.

Corrosion resistance is better than 304 stainless steel mesh and has good corrosion resistance in the production process of pulp and paper.

Moreover, 316 stainless steel mesh is more resistant to marine and corrosive industrial atmospheres than 304 stainless steel mesh.

Mesh count: 20, which means there are 20 holes in a length of 1 inch.
Wire diameter: 0.38mm, 0.4mm, etc.
If you need to customize other specifications of stainless steel mesh, please contact us.

Where to Buy the Best Stainless Steel Industrial Wire Mesh

Dingzhou Hongli Metal introduction

Dingzhou Hongli Metal Products Co., Ltd., a Chinese wire mesh manufacturer, has an experienced production team and a professional sales team.
Hongli Metal’s product quality, price, delivery time, and the professionalism of our team are the reasons why customers choose to trust us.

Our Products include:
Woven Wire Mesh, Sintered Wire Mesh, Wire Mesh Packing, Knitted Wire Mesh, Perforated Wire Mesh, and various customizable Wire Mesh Filters, etc.

Material includes:
304 Stainless steel wire mesh, 316 Stainless steel wire mesh, 316L Stainless steel wire mesh,430 Stainless steel wire mesh, 904LStainless steel wire mesh, 310S Stainless steel wire mesh, 2205 Stainless steel wire mesh, 2507 Stainless steel wire mesh;
FeCrAl wire mesh, Copper wire mesh, Brass wire mesh, Phosphor bronze wire mesh, Nickel wire mesh, Monel wire mesh, Inconel wire mesh, Nichrome wire mesh, Hastelloy wire mesh, Titanium wire mesh, etc.

Applications include:
Construction, protection, EMI/EMF shielding, filtration, screening, pharmaceutical, chemical industry, Mining, petroleum, food, medicine, heat treatment, machinery, etc.

Please get in touch with us at info@honglimetalmesh.com if you have any requirements for stainless steel wire mesh,
Special specifications can be customized according to requirements.

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