Application and development trend of stainless steel products

About 76% of the global stainless steel production belongs to the 300 series, so the fluctuation of international nickel price has a considerable impact on the price of nickel-chromium stainless steel. In the past year, the price of nickel raw materials has soared, which has caused a substantial increase in the cost of nickel-chromium stainless steel, which has led consumers to actively seek alternatives, and some markets have also been replaced by alternatives. In recent years, the development of chromium-based stainless steel and low-nickel stainless steel (such as 200 series) has gradually attracted attention from all parties. Looking forward to the future, the consumption ratio of chromium series and low nickel stainless steel will have an increasing trend.

200 series stainless steel (Cr-Mn-Ni series)
During World War II, the supply of nickel was seriously insufficient, and Germany first developed stainless steel that replaced part of nickel with manganese-nitrogen. In the 1950s, due to the shortage of nickel raw materials, the United States successfully developed high manganese series austenitic stainless steel, namely 200 series stainless steel, after in-depth research. 200 series commonly used steel grades include: AISI 201 (16%～18%Cr, 5.5%～7.5%Mn, 3.5%～5.5%Ni, <0.25%N), 202, 205 and J1, J4 (including Cu) in India The equivalent cost is 25% lower than that of 304, and it is suitable for general purposes in weakly corrosive environments such as utensils, kitchen utensils, interior decoration, etc., and its welding performance is poor. Compared with 304 grade stainless steel, 204Cu (3%Cu) recently developed in the United States has higher strength, better cold working performance, and corrosion resistance equivalent to 304 grade. It may replace 304 as a widely used stainless steel variety.

400 Series Stainless Steel
The development trend of 400 series is to add trace amounts of Nb, Ti, Cu, Al to improve deep drawing, weldability, corrosion resistance, antibacterial properties and high temperature strength, etc., which can partially replace 304 grades. The main steel grades are: SUS430LX, 430JIL, 444 , 445M2, NSS 477M1, etc. The United States and Japan have been widely used in automobile exhaust pipes (409, 410), washing machine inner cylinders (430), kitchen utensils, household appliances, medical equipment, water heaters, roofs, curtain walls, power plants, etc.

Duplex stainless steel
Duplex stainless steel is high-chromium and low-nickel stainless steel, which combines the excellent toughness and weldability of austenitic stainless steel with the higher yield strength and chloride stress corrosion resistance of ferritic stainless steel. The current dosage is SAF 2205. The development trend of duplex stainless steel is to reduce nickel and increase manganese and nitrogen. The representative of the second generation of duplex stainless steel is LDX2101 developed by Avesta Polarit. The corrosion resistance is equivalent to grade 316, the strength is twice that of grade 304, and the mechanical properties are equivalent to grade 2205. Potential application fields include: steel bars, bridges, barrels, containers, train structures, water heaters, etc.