How to choose the right grade of stainless steel for your clamps?

There are many types of hose clamps,different sizes, and the scope of application also touches all aspects. From small water pipes at home to large industrial pipes. At present, various grades of stainless steel clamps and clamps with different coatings have appeared in response to the rust, weathering and other problems that the clamps face. The price is also different due to the manufacturing cost, so for the stainless steel clamps used in different scenes, besides knowing which type of clamp should be used, do we also know how to choose the different stainless steel grades of each clamp? How to choose the most suitable clamp within a reasonable cost range?

Below we will introduce the current grades of several types of stainless steel and the scope of suitable scenes.

Stainless steel by the numbers

Performance can be divided into Cr series (400 series), Cr-Ni series (300 series), Cr-Mn-Ni (200 series) and precipitation hardening series (600 series) according to the composition. Common stainless steel clamps have 304, 316, and 430 stainless steel grades.

304 stainless steel clamps

304 stainless steel is a common material in stainless steel with a density of 7.93 g/cm³. The steel must contain more than 18% chromium and more than 8% nickel. High temperature resistance of 800℃, good processing performance, high toughness, corrosion resistance, heat resistance, low temperature strength and mechanical properties, good hot workability such as stamping and bending, no heat treatment hardening phenomenon, non-magnetic.

Widely used in household products (category 1, 2 tableware), cabinets, indoor pipelines, water heaters, boilers, bathtubs, auto parts, medical appliances, building materials, chemicals, food industry, agriculture, and ship parts. It is widely used in industry and furniture decoration industry and food and medical industry.

316 stainless steel clamps

316 has added molybdenum to 304 stainless steel, so the salt and rust resistance of 316 stainless steel is much better than that of 304.

18Cr-12Ni-2.5Mo is added with Mo, so its corrosion resistance, atmospheric corrosion resistance and high temperature strength are particularly good. It can be used under harsh conditions; it has excellent work hardening (non-magnetic). Equipment used in seawater, chemical, dye, paper, oxalic acid, fertilizer and other production equipment; photography, food industry, coastal facilities, ropes, CD rods, bolts, nuts. Mechanical properties of 316 stainless steel, tensile strength (Mpa) 620 MIN, yield strength (Mpa) 310 MIN, elongation (%) 30 MIN, area reduction (%) 40 MIN, density of 316 stainless steel 8.03 g/cm3, austenitic Body stainless steel generally uses this value.

 Corrosion resistance and high temperature strength are particularly good, can be used under harsh conditions, good work hardening, non-magnetic. Suitable for seawater equipment, chemistry, dyes, papermaking, oxalic acid, fertilizer production equipment, photography, food industry, coastal facilities.

430 stainless steel clamps

430 stainless steel is a general-purpose steel with good corrosion resistance, low thermal expansion rate, good forming and oxidation resistance   suitable for heat-resistant appliances, burners, home appliances, kitchen sinks. Low price and good processability are ideal substitutes for SUS304; mainly used in hot water tanks, hot water supply systems, sanitary appliances, household durable appliances, bicycle flywheels, etc.

Performance comparison

Anti-rust and corrosion resistance: The difference between 304, 316 and 430 lies in the different anti-rust properties. 430 stainless steel cannot resist oxidation caused by chemicals in the air. Because there are more and more acidic chemicals in the air, 430 stainless steel does not After a period of regular use, there will still be oxidation (rust) due to unnatural factors. 316L is more resistant to chemical corrosion than 304. For example, where sulfur-containing gas is condensed, 316L stainless steel is more corrosion resistant than other types, and has higher resistance to high temperature creep, stress fracture and tensile strength than other steel types. . When the requirements for corrosion resistance are not high, 304 stainless steel is better because it has a lower unit price than 316 stainless steel. When the use scene has higher requirements for chloride ion corrosion resistance and heat resistance, 316 stainless steel is better.

Magnetism: 304 and 316 are not magnetic and cannot be attracted by magnets. Generally, it does not generate heat in a high-voltage electromagnetic environment, so it is used more. Martensitic and 430 ferritic stainless steel, precipitation hardening stainless steel are magnetic, and magnets can attract them. 

Price: Based on the above factors, 304/316 austenitic stainless steel has much better rust resistance than 430 stainless steel, and it is not magnetic. The price of 304/316 is much higher than that of 430.

Thermal conductivity: 430 stainless steel has better thermal conductivity and mechanical properties. 430 stainless steel is better in the fields of architectural decoration fuel burner parts, household appliances, and home appliance parts.

Toughness: One of the decisive factors for the toughness of stainless steel is the nickel content. Therefore, 304 and 316 stainless steel have strong toughness, which is stronger than that of 430 stainless steel.

Stability: 430 stainless steel is of ferrite form, 304 stainless steel is of austenitic form, 304 stainless steel is more stable than 430 stainless steel.

We also provide carbon steel galvanized clamps, which have better mechanical properties than cast iron. It is an iron-carbon alloy with a carbon content of 0.0218% to 2.11%. Generally, the higher the carbon content of carbon steel, the greater the hardness and strength, but the lower the plasticity. Carbon steel is magnetic. Compared with the above stainless steel, carbon steel has the smallest coefficient of linear expansion and the price is lower.

Carbon steel is mainly used to manufacture relatively important mechanical parts that have complex shapes and high mechanical properties, but are difficult to form by forging and other methods, such as automobile gearbox housings, rolling stock couplers and couplings.

The specific use of which clamp also needs to consider the comprehensive factors of the use scene. For general conditions, please refer to the following table.