--- title: "304 Stainless Steel Channel | Laxcon Steels" source: "https://www.laxconsteels.com/products/channels/aisi-304/" description: "AISI 304 stainless steel channel, made to order by Laxcon Steels, India: composition, equivalents and standards." --- # AISI 304 Channels *[Home](https://www.laxconsteels.com/) > [Products](https://www.laxconsteels.com/products/) > [Channels](https://www.laxconsteels.com/products/channels/) > AISI 304* AISI 304 stainless steel channel is general purpose 18/8 stainless section, 50 x 25 to 101.6 x 50.8 mm, used for frames and supports. 50 x 25 to 101.6 x 50.8 mm Austenitic stainless steel Made to order ## AISI 304 channel AISI 304 channel is hot rolled channel section in the general purpose austenitic stainless steel, the 18/8 combination of chromium and nickel with no deliberate molybdenum. Chromium gives the section its passive film, which holds in air, water and ordinary plant service, and nickel keeps the structure austenitic, so an annealed channel is non-magnetic and keeps its toughness in the cold. It is chosen over 316 where the service carries no chlorides, since the molybdenum 316 adds is paid for only against pitting in salt or brine. It is chosen over 304L where the frame is bolted or lightly welded, the lower carbon of 304L being bought for heavy welds left as welded. Laxcon Steels rolls the channel to order. The channel is supplied annealed and pickled: the anneal heats the steel and cools it quickly so the chromium carbides return into solution, and the pickling strips the rolling scale. ASTM A276 sets the annealed minima at 515 MPa tensile strength and 205 MPa yield strength. Taper flange and parallel flange sections are both rolled, to the shape, dimension and mass tolerances of EN 10279. The grade takes strength only from cold work and work hardens under the tool, so drilling and sawing call for sharp edges and a steady feed. It welds readily, although slow cooling through about 450 to 850 C sensitises the weld zone, meaning chromium carbides form at the grain boundaries and open them to attack. Typical uses are equipment frames, walkway and platform supports, tank and vessel stiffeners, and machine guards. Composition limits in weight percent are carbon 0.08 maximum, manganese 2.0 maximum, sulphur 0.03 maximum, phosphorus 0.045 maximum, silicon 0.75 maximum, chromium 18.0 to 20.0, nickel 8.0 to 10.5 and nitrogen 0.1 maximum. ## AISI 304 channel supply conditions | Property | Value | | --- | --- | | Length | Up to 6.4 metres | | Supply condition | Hot rolled, Annealed & Pickled (HRAP) | | Tolerance | EN 10279 | | Bars End Finish | Deburred ends or plain ends | | Grade | AISI 304 (304, SS 304, SUS 304, 1.4301) | | Family | Austenitic stainless steel | | Supply | Made to order in this grade; every published size of the form | ## Composition of AISI 304 | Element | Symbol | Minimum % | Maximum % | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Carbon | C | | 0.08 | | Manganese | Mn | | 2.0 | | Sulphur | S | | 0.03 | | Phosphorus | P | | 0.045 | | Silicon | Si | | 0.75 | | Chromium | Cr | 18.0 | 20.0 | | Nickel | Ni | 8.0 | 10.5 | | Nitrogen | N | | 0.1 | Composition, weight percent, balance iron. From the Laxcon Steels grade reference. ## Equivalents of AISI 304 | Standard | Designation | | --- | --- | | UNS | S30400 | | EN number | 1.4301 (X5CrNi18-10) | | JIS | SUS 304 | Equivalence means nearest counterpart, not identity: each standards body sets its own composition window, so the limits of the standard named on the order govern. ## Pitting resistance The pitting resistance equivalent number of AISI 304 runs from 18.0 at the specified minimum chromium, molybdenum and nitrogen to 21.6 at the maxima, computed as PREN = Cr + 3.3Mo + 16N (International Molybdenum Association). It ranks resistance to chloride pitting against other austenitic and duplex grades and nothing else: it does not predict crevice corrosion, stress corrosion cracking or service life. The [pitting resistance reference](https://www.laxconsteels.com/grades/pitting-resistance/) carries the full table. ## Governing standards | Property | Value | | --- | --- | | EN 10088-3 | Stainless steels: technical delivery conditions for semi-finished products, bars, rods, wire, sections and bright products for general purposes. Composition, heat treatment condition and mechanical properties per grade. | | EN 10279 | Hot rolled steel channels: tolerances on shape, dimension and mass. | | ASTM A276/A276M | Stainless steel bars and shapes: composition, condition, mechanical properties and finish designations for hot-finished and cold-finished bar. | | ASTM A484/A484M | General requirements for stainless steel bars, billets and forgings: permissible variations in dimensions, straightness, weight and length, and the test and marking requirements every bar order inherits. | | EN 10204 | Metallic products, types of inspection documents: the 2.2 test report and the 3.1 and 3.2 inspection certificates a purchase order can call for. | ## Ordering AISI 304 channel An enquiry for this section is complete when it states the grade and governing standard (AISI 304 to EN 10088-3 or ASTM A276), the condition (annealed and pickled), the flange form, the section size with its tolerance to EN 10279 or ASTM A484, the cut length, the quantity, the certificate type to EN 10204, and any test to be reported, such as PMI confirmation of grade. ## AISI 304 in other forms - [**Hot Rolled Round Bars** hot rolled round bar](https://www.laxconsteels.com/products/hot-rolled-round-bars/aisi-304/) - [**HRAP Flat Bars** flat bar](https://www.laxconsteels.com/products/hrap-flat-bars/aisi-304/) - [**HRAP Equal Angles** equal angle](https://www.laxconsteels.com/products/hrap-equal-angles/aisi-304/) - [**Threaded Bars** threaded bar](https://www.laxconsteels.com/products/threaded-bars/aisi-304/) - [**Square Bright Bars** square bright bar](https://www.laxconsteels.com/products/square-bright-bars/aisi-304/) - [**Hexagonal Bright Bars** hexagonal bright bar](https://www.laxconsteels.com/products/hexagonal-bright-bars/aisi-304/) [Channels: every size](https://www.laxconsteels.com/products/channels/) [AISI 304 composition and equivalents](https://www.laxconsteels.com/grades/aisi-304/) [Weight calculator](https://www.laxconsteels.com/weight-calculator/) [Send the RFQ](https://www.laxconsteels.com/contact/?product=channels)