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316L has a wide range of applications in the chemical industry due to its excellent corrosion resistance. 316L is also a derivative steel of 18-8 type austenitic stainless steel, with 2 to 3% Mo element added. On the basis of 316L, many steel grades are also derived. For example, 316Ti is derived from adding a small amount of Ti, 316N is derived from adding a small amount of N, and 317L is derived from increasing the content of Ni and Mo.
Most of the existing 316L on the market are produced in accordance with American standards. For cost considerations, steel mills generally keep the Ni content of their products as low as possible. The American standard stipulates that the Ni content of 316L is 10-14%, and the Japanese standard stipulates that the Ni content of 316L is 12-15%. According to the minimum standard, there is a 2% difference in Ni content between the American standard and the Japanese standard, which is still quite huge in terms of price. Therefore, customers still need to see clearly when purchasing 316L products, whether the product is based on ASTM or JIS standards.
The Mo content of 316L makes the steel have excellent resistance to pitting corrosion and can be safely used in environments containing halogen ions such as Cl-. Because 316L is mainly used for its chemical properties, steel mills have slightly lower requirements for surface inspection of 316L (relative to 304). Customers with higher surface requirements should strengthen the surface inspection.
