Which is better 18 8 or 18 10 stainless steel?
2024-12-27
1. Chemical composition
18-8 stainless steel: the main composition is iron, 18% chromium, 8% nickel, in addition to containing a small amount of carbon, silicon, manganese, phosphorus, sulfur and other elements.
18-10 stainless steel: the main composition is iron, 18% chromium, 10% nickel, its nickel content is higher than 18-8 stainless steel, but also contains carbon, silicon, manganese, molybdenum and other elements, some 18-10 stainless steel molybdenum content between 2.00% and 2.50%.
2. Performance characteristics
Corrosion resistance: 18-10 stainless steel corrosion resistance is better. The increase in nickel content enables it to form a more stable and denser passivation film in the face of various corrosive media, so as to effectively resist corrosion, especially in some harsh chemical environments or high humidity and high salinity environments, such as Marine environment, chemical production, 18-10 stainless steel performance is better.
Strength: Under normal circumstances, the strength of 18-10 stainless steel is relatively high. The high nickel content and reasonable alloying elements make it obtain higher strength and hardness than 18-8 stainless steel after proper heat treatment or processing, which can be used to manufacture parts and equipment with higher strength requirements.
Processing performance: The processing performance of both is better, but there are differences in some details. 18-8 stainless steel is relatively easier to cold work, such as stamping, bending, etc., and the surface quality after processing is better; Although the processing difficulty of 18-10 stainless steel is slightly higher than that of 18-8 stainless steel, due to its strength and toughness, it has more advantages in the processing of some complex shapes and high-precision processing.
Magnetic: 18-8 stainless steel is usually non-magnetic in the annealed state, but it may be slightly magnetic after cold working; The 18-10 stainless steel is generally weak magnetic or non-magnetic.
3. Application field
18-8 stainless steel: due to its good comprehensive performance and relatively low cost, it is widely used in tableware, kitchenware, architectural decoration, general chemical equipment, auto parts and other fields, which can meet most of the use requirements in daily life and general industrial production.
18-10 Stainless steel: With its excellent corrosion resistance and high strength, it is mainly used in occasions with extremely high material performance requirements, such as medical devices, high-end tableware, Marine engineering, chemical, pharmaceutical, food processing and other industries, especially in some require long-term exposure to corrosive media or strict health and safety requirements in the environment, 18-10 stainless steel is one of the preferred materials.
Product cost
18-8 stainless steel: due to its relatively low nickel content, it has certain advantages in raw material costs, so the product price is relatively close to the people, and it is more suitable for large-scale production and widely used fields.
18-10 stainless steel: due to the high nickel content, and some also added molybdenum and other alloying elements, its raw material costs and production costs are relatively high, resulting in more expensive products, but for some high-end applications with demanding performance and quality requirements, its high cost is also worth it.
In summary, if the corrosion resistance, strength and other performance requirements are high, and the budget is sufficient, 18-10 stainless steel is a better choice; If it is a general daily use or the performance requirements are not particularly extreme scenarios, 18-8 stainless steel can meet the needs, and has a higher cost performance.
