“316” or “grade 316” is a class of stainless steel (SS) used by the steel industry to define a specific quality; it is a grade of steel which MicroSolv offers in our laboratory tubing, fittings and HPLC columns.

According to Atlas Steel Australia, “grade 316 is the standard molybdenum-bearing grade, second in importance to 304 amongst the austenitic stainless steels. The molybdenum gives 316 better overall corrosion resistant properties than Grade 304, particularly higher resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion in chloride environments.

It has excellent forming and welding characteristics. It is readily brake or roll formed into a variety of parts for applications in the Industrial, architectural, and transportation fields. Grade 316 also has outstanding welding characteristics. Post-weld annealing is not required when welding thin sections.”

Tempering is a process of heat treating and cooling, which is used to increase the toughness of iron-based alloys. This is different from Ti1 or Ti2 designations. This refers to the amount of pure titanium used in the alloy. The higher the number, the better.

Click HERE for Stainless Steel Laboratory Tubing