Stainless steel grades / cost 8

[newstart18]

We are trying to select a material for a .50 inch fitting that will be machined from stainless steel. Does someone have a rough idea of the cost of 430 vs. 303 vs. 316 stainless? Info I have received is all over the map. I know 430 is the least costly of the three, then 303, then 316. Should 303 cost 50% more than 430, 100% more, or...? And then how much more for 316 than 303? I am trying to decide on a material based on actual and replacement cost. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[MikeHalloran]

Stainless steel contains iron, and varying amounts of nickel and/or chromium.
Nickel and chromium are found mostly in perpetual war zones, so the prices are subject to the ebb and flow of conflict and politics.

You probably don't buy enough metal to keep a supply line busy just with your demand, so you must deal in a free market. Prices there are also affected by the form you buy, the alloy, the quantity, the lot size, the documentation you require, how much is in stock, where it is, etc.

In short, you will just drive yourself crazy trying to make sense of metal prices 'in general'. The only prices that matter are the quotes you get in response to a serious request for delivery of a defined material in a defined time frame. Do check multiple suppliers.

Buy you should be choosing alloys based on performance, not price. At least, figure out what your competitors use, and why.






Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[TVP]

A rough estimate for base price is as follows:

Type 430 $0.79/pound
Type 303 $1.40/pound
Type 316 $1.92/pound

This is from AK Steel, which produces flat stock not bars, but it should be similar:

http://www.aksteel.com/pdf/markets_products/stainless/StainlessSteelPriceList.pdf

On top of the base price will be surcharges for alloy elements, energy, etc. These also can be found from stainless producers, such as Cartech, which produces all three of these grades in bar:

http://www.cartech.com/uploadedFiles/Products/rms display 2010.pdf

 

[moltenmetal]

The three largest nickel producing nations are Russia, Canada and Australia- hardly war zones.

The largest producer of chromium by far is South Africa, followed by India and Kazakhstan. War zones? Not so much.

The other key alloying element in some of those alloys is molybdenum: again the US, China, Chile, Peru and Canada are the major producers.

Supply and demand has an effect on commodities pricing, but so does speculation. The latter makes for a wild ride sometimes. A "reason" can always be found for why the speculators behaved a particular way, but only AFTER the fact.

I see finished fully austenitic stainless steel goods coming here from China etc. at retail prices so low that I couldn't buy the plate here wholesale to compete with them- very fortunately, I don't have to! There definitely is a great deal of mystery in regard to local pricing for normal product forms of alloy materials.

As Mike correctly stated, quoted prices for the alloy in question in the product form you need is the only reliable source of information- and then only for today. Sometimes that price will be good for months, and sometimes you'll get 5 day validities on the quotes due to volatility.

 

[tbuelna]

newstart18,

While 303 might be slightly more expensive than some of your other choices, it is very machinable. So if you are manufacturing a high volume of parts, 303 will give the highest production rates and least tool wear.

But having said that, 303 is not widely used for things like fittings due to its poor fracture properties.

You should also consider how the part will be used. 430 is heat treatable while 316 is not. 430 is magnetic while 316 is not. 316 welds better than 430.

You can also reduce raw material cost by starting with a casting or forging if your budget permits. The casting or forging will cost more up front, but will provide savings in material scrap and machining. The material cost for a .50 inch fitting is probably less than 50 cents at most. But your machining costs are likely 3 or 4 times that.

Hope that helps.
Terry