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EN 1.4303 (X4CrNi18-12) Stainless Steel

EN 1.4303 stainless steel is an austenitic stainless steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 1.4303 is the EN numeric designation for this material. X4CrNi18-12 is the EN chemical designation.

The properties of EN 1.4303 stainless steel include three common variations. This page shows summary ranges across all of them. For more specific values, follow the links immediately below. The graph bars on the material properties cards further below compare EN 1.4303 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

190 to 270

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus

200 GPa 29 x 106 psi

Elongation at Break

13 to 49 %

Fatigue Strength

220 to 320 MPa 32 to 46 x 103 psi

Impact Strength: V-Notched Charpy

91 to 98 J 67 to 73 ft-lb

Poisson's Ratio

0.28

Shear Modulus

77 GPa 11 x 106 psi

Shear Strength

420 to 540 MPa 61 to 79 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

590 to 900 MPa 85 to 130 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)

230 to 560 MPa 33 to 81 x 103 psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

290 J/g

Maximum Temperature: Corrosion

410 °C 780 °F

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical

940 °C 1730 °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 8.7 BTU/h-ft-°F

Thermal Expansion

16 µm/m-K

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume

2.4 % IACS

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)

2.7 % IACS

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

17 % relative

Density

7.8 g/cm3 490 lb/ft3

Embodied Carbon

3.2 kg CO2/kg material

Embodied Energy

46 MJ/kg 20 x 103 BTU/lb

Embodied Water

150 L/kg 17 gal/lb

Common Calculations

PREN (Pitting Resistance)

19

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)

110 to 230 MJ/m3

Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)

140 to 800 kJ/m3

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

14 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

25 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

21 to 32 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

20 to 26 points

Thermal Diffusivity

4.0 mm2/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

13 to 20 points

Alloy Composition

Among wrought stainless steels, the composition of EN 1.4303 stainless steel is notable for containing comparatively high amounts of nickel (Ni) and chromium (Cr). Nickel is primarily used to achieve a specific microstructure. In addition, it has a beneficial effect on mechanical properties and certain types of corrosion. Chromium is the defining alloying element of stainless steel. Higher chromium content imparts additional corrosion resistance.

Iron (Fe)Fe 64.8 to 72
Chromium (Cr)Cr 17 to 19
Nickel (Ni)Ni 11 to 13
Manganese (Mn)Mn 0 to 2.0
Silicon (Si)Si 0 to 1.0
Nitrogen (N)N 0 to 0.1
Carbon (C)C 0 to 0.060
Phosphorus (P)P 0 to 0.045
Sulfur (S)S 0 to 0.015

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

Followup Questions

Similar Alloys

Further Reading

EN 10269: Steels and nickel alloys for fasteners with specified elevated and/or low temperature properties

EN 10088-2: Stainless steels - Part 2: Technical delivery conditions for sheet/plate and strip of corrosion resisting steels for general purposes

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

EN 10088-3: Stainless steels - Part 3: Technical delivery conditions for semi-finished products, bars, rods, wire, sections and bright products of corrosion resisting steels for general purposes

EN 10088-1: Stainless steels - Part 1: List of stainless steels

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

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

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