How to quickly distinguish between 304 and 201 stainless steel？

1. Judgment by dropping potion

When purchasing stainless steel, it is necessary to identify the material of stainless steel. There are many ways to distinguish between 304 and 201 stainless steel. The most commonly used method is to drop potion on the surface of stainless steel and see the color change of potion to determine whether the material is 304 or 201 (by purchasing stainless steel inspection liquid or through other e-commerce platforms). Convenient, but sometimes not applicable.

2. Judgment of polished spark state

The second is to polish the stainless steel material. The spark shape that is polished can be used to identify whether it is 304 or 201 stainless steel. This is a commonly used inspection method for waste recycling personnel. The sparks of 304 material will form long sparks, while the sparks of 201 material are relatively scattered.

3. Pass the inspection by authoritative organization

If you want an authoritative quality inspection report, you need to go to a third-party organization for chemical composition analysis (understand: 316L stainless steel chemical composition, stainless steel grade comparison table). The professional organization will take a long time and spend the most time to detect the results. In the event of a dispute, this quality inspection report is the only inspection method adopted by the court.

4. Spectrometer detection

Another is the spectrometer detection method, which is a relatively scientific, simple, direct, and commonly used method for companies purchasing large quantities of materials. The spectrometer detection will immediately read the content of stainless steel elements to determine whether the material is 304 or 201. Its reliability and authority are also close to the chemical analysis method of a third-party national testing center.

5. Judging by the presence or absence of magnetism

In daily life, we also use magnets to determine the material. 201 material is magnetic, 304 material is generally non-magnetic. Of course, some 304 materials are magnetic due to different production processes. Therefore, it is not recommended to distinguish between 201 and 304 by the presence or absence of magnetism.

6. Judging by unit price and supplier reputation

It is not easy to distinguish between 304 and 201 stainless steel with the naked eye. When purchasing stainless steel, it is recommended to first judge whether it is 201 or 304 by the price (unit price). Generally, the price of 304 stainless steel is about twice as high as that of 201 stainless steel.

Second, choose a reputable business.

Using the above methods together, you can basically buy substandard stainless steel products to avoid rabbits.