316L has a wide range of applications in the chemical industry due to its excellent corrosion resistance. 316L is also a derivative steel grade belonging to the 18-8 type austenitic stainless steel, with 2 to 3% Mo added. On the basis of 316L, many steel grades have also been derived, such as 316Ti with a small amount of Ti, 316N with a small amount of N, and 317L with increased Ni and Mo content.
Most of the 316L available on the market is produced according to the American Standard. For cost reasons, steel mills generally try to bring the Ni content of their products down to the lower limit. The American Standard specifies that the Ni content of 316L is 10-14%, while the Japanese Standard specifies that the Ni content of 316L is 12-15%. According to the minimum standard, the American Standard and the Japanese Standard have a 2% difference in Ni content, which is reflected in the price or is quite huge, so customers still need to see when buying 316L products, whether the product is referenced to ASTM or JIS standards.
The Mo content of 316L gives the steel excellent corrosion resistance and can be safely used in environments containing halogen ions such as Cl-. As 316L is mainly used for its chemical properties, steel mills require slightly less surface inspection for 316L (compared to 304), customers with higher surface requirements should strengthen their surface inspection efforts.
