Applications
304 vs 316 Stainless Steel: How to Tell Them Apart
The most common PMI question in food, pharma, and process industries — answered with composition data.
Specelex Team · 2025-06-05
304 and 316 stainless steels look identical but perform very differently in corrosive environments.
304 typically contains ~18% Cr and ~8% Ni. 316 adds ~2–3% Mo for improved chloride resistance.
With Specelex portable XRF, inspectors measure Cr, Ni, and Mo in one test. Grade ID can confirm 304 or 316 in about one second — critical for food-contact equipment, pharma piping, and offshore structures.
Wrong grade installation is costly. Portable XRF reduces that risk at the point of inspection.