UNS S20161 Stainless Steel
S20161 stainless steel is an austenitic stainless steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. Cited properties are appropriate for the annealed condition.
It has a moderately high electrical conductivity among wrought austenitic stainless steels. In addition, it has a moderately low base cost and a moderately low embodied energy.
The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare S20161 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
250
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
190 GPa 28 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
46 %
Fatigue Strength
360 MPa 52 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.28
Reduction in Area
45 %
Rockwell C Hardness
22
Shear Modulus
76 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
690 MPa 100 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
980 MPa 140 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
390 MPa 56 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
330 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Corrosion
410 °C 770 °F
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
870 °C 1600 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1380 °C 2510 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1330 °C 2430 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
490 J/kg-K 0.12 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
2.5 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
2.9 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
12 % relative
Density
7.5 g/cm3 470 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
2.7 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
39 MJ/kg 17 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
130 L/kg 16 gal/lb
Common Calculations
PREN (Pitting Resistance)
19
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
360 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
390 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
14 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
26 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
36 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
29 points
Thermal Diffusivity
4.0 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
22 points
Alloy Composition
Among wrought stainless steels, the composition of S20161 stainless steel is notable for containing comparatively high amounts of silicon (Si) and manganese (Mn). Silicon content is typically governed by metallurgical processing concerns, but it can also be added for the purpose of improving oxidation resistance. Manganese is used to improve ductility at elevated temperatures. It also permits a higher nitrogen content than would otherwise be possible.
| Fe | 65.6 to 73.9 | |
| Cr | 15 to 18 | |
| Mn | 4.0 to 6.0 | |
| Ni | 4.0 to 6.0 | |
| Si | 3.0 to 4.0 | |
| N | 0.080 to 0.2 | |
| C | 0 to 0.15 | |
| P | 0 to 0.040 | |
| S | 0 to 0.040 |
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
ASTM A240: Standard Specification for Chromium and Chromium-Nickel Stainless Steel Plate, Sheet, and Strip for Pressure Vessels and for General Applications
ASTM A959: Standard Guide for Specifying Harmonized Standard Grade Compositions for Wrought Stainless Steels
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