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AISI 308L (S30880, ER308) Stainless Steel

AISI 308L stainless steel is an austenitic stainless steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. Cited properties are appropriate for the annealed condition. 308L is the AISI designation for this material. S30880 is the UNS number.

It has a moderately low tensile strength and a moderately low ductility among wrought austenitic stainless steels.

The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare AISI 308L stainless steel to: wrought austenitic stainless steels (top), all iron alloys (middle), and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness

170

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus

200 GPa 29 x 106 psi

Elongation at Break

34 %

Fatigue Strength

180 MPa 27 x 103 psi

Poisson's Ratio

0.28

Reduction in Area

46 %

Shear Modulus

78 GPa 11 x 106 psi

Shear Strength

380 MPa 56 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

580 MPa 84 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)

230 MPa 34 x 103 psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

290 J/g

Maximum Temperature: Corrosion

430 °C 800 °F

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical

1010 °C 1850 °F

Melting Completion (Liquidus)

1420 °C 2590 °F

Melting Onset (Solidus)

1380 °C 2510 °F

Specific Heat Capacity

480 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F

Thermal Conductivity

15 W/m-K 9.0 BTU/h-ft-°F

Thermal Expansion

16 µm/m-K

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume

2.2 % IACS

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)

2.6 % IACS

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

16 % relative

Density

7.8 g/cm3 490 lb/ft3

Embodied Carbon

3.2 kg CO2/kg material

Embodied Energy

45 MJ/kg 19 x 103 BTU/lb

Embodied Water

160 L/kg 19 gal/lb

Common Calculations

PREN (Pitting Resistance)

21

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)

160 MJ/m3

Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)

140 kJ/m3

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

14 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

25 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

21 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

20 points

Thermal Diffusivity

4.1 mm2/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

13 points

Alloy Composition

Among wrought stainless steels, the composition of AISI 308L stainless steel is notable for containing comparatively high amounts of manganese (Mn) and chromium (Cr). Manganese is used to improve ductility at elevated temperatures. It also permits a higher nitrogen content than would otherwise be possible. Chromium is the defining alloying element of stainless steel. Higher chromium content imparts additional corrosion resistance.

Iron (Fe)Fe 63.8 to 70.5
Chromium (Cr)Cr 19.5 to 22
Nickel (Ni)Ni 9.0 to 11
Manganese (Mn)Mn 1.0 to 2.5
Silicon (Si)Si 0.25 to 0.6
Carbon (C)C 0 to 0.080
Phosphorus (P)P 0 to 0.030
Sulfur (S)S 0 to 0.030

All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.

Followup Questions

Similar Alloys

Further Reading

ASTM A479: Standard Specification for Stainless Steel Bars and Shapes for Use in Boilers and Other Pressure Vessels

Machining of Stainless Steels and Super Alloys: Traditional and Nontraditional Techniques, Helmi A. Youssef, 2016

Welding Metallurgy of Stainless Steels, Erich Folkhard et al., 2012

Corrosion of Austenitic Stainless Steels: Mechanism, Mitigation and Monitoring, H. S. Khatak and B. Raj (editors), 2002

Pressure Vessels: External Pressure Technology, 2nd ed., Carl T. F. Ross, 2011

Austenitic Stainless Steels: Microstructure and Mechanical Properties, P. Marshall, 1984

ASM Specialty Handbook: Stainless Steels, J. R. Davis (editor), 1994

Advances in Stainless Steels, Baldev Raj et al. (editors), 2010

CRC Materials Science and Engineering Handbook, 4th ed., James F. Shackelford et al. (editors), 2015