Articles 

When In Doubt - Ask!

2011-02-23

I have written before regarding stainless steels and their properties; however several recent events concerning ordering have prompted me to dig deeper into three different specifications. The results are staggering but the lesson here is to pay attention to the details on the order sheet; what exactly has the customer ordered? Point One: Most general corrosion resistance and commercial application stainless steels are ordered under the ASTM F593 / F593M standards. For our purpose here, we order to Group 1 or Group 2; Group 1 consists of types 304, 305, 384, 304L, 18-9LW and 302HQ; Group 2 is 316 and 316L. Both groups are cold worked, or condition CW.