When 304 stainless is the wrong material for a part
Where 304 stainless fails — chloride pitting, stress cracking, weld decay, galling — and the cheaper or better grade to use instead, with the decision numbers.
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Topic hub · 38 guides
Materials and grades
Most sheet metal problems are material decisions made too late. This cluster covers grade selection, thickness and tolerance, formability and corrosion for the materials Ganesh cuts, forms, welds and coats: CRCA and hot-rolled steel, 304 and 316L stainless, 5052 and 6061 aluminium, brass and copper. Each guide names the standard, the property that matters and the failure it prevents.
Guides in this topic, page 2
Grade selection for CRCA, stainless, aluminium, brass and copper: formability, thickness, corrosion and what the mill certificate actually guarantees.
CRCA corrosion and finish compatibility
CRCA corrosion and finish compatibility: exposure categories, pretreatment, powder and paint thickness, edge coverage and the failures that start at a cut edge.
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Brass corrosion and finish compatibility
How brass behaves bare, powder coated, painted or galvanised: dezincification, tarnish, pretreatment and the finish schedule that survives the service life.
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5052 aluminium corrosion and finish compatibility
5052 aluminium corrosion and finish compatibility: how the alloy behaves bare, powder coated, wet painted and anodised, and the pretreatment each finish needs.
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CRCA for sheet metal parts: grade, thickness and formability
How to choose CRCA grade, thickness and formability for sheet metal parts: yield, elongation, r-value and the bend numbers that decide the part.
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304 stainless sheet metal: grade, thickness, formability
304 stainless sheet metal parts: which grade to call out, the thickness a shop can cut and form, bend radius, springback and weld data with worked numbers.
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430 stainless for sheet metal: grade and formability
430 stainless formability, thickness and grade selection: bend radius by rolling direction, springback against 316L, weld limits and the mill callouts.
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When 316L stainless is the wrong material for a part
When 316L is the wrong material: the five duties it cannot cover, the yield numbers behind a bad substitution, and what to specify instead of it.
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316L stainless: corrosion and finish compatibility
316L stainless corrosion and finish compatibility: PREN maths, why powder needs a blast, why galvanising cannot work, and the masking a drawing must carry.
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