Topics Covered

Introduction
Key Properties
Composition
Mechanical Properties
Physical Properties
Grade Specification Comparison
Possible Alternative Grades
Corrosion Resistance
Heat Resistance
Heat Treatment
Welding
Fabrication
Applications
Introduction
Grade 904L stainless steel is a non-stabilized austenitic stainless steel with low carbon
content. This high alloy stainless steel is added with copper to improve its resistance to
strong reducing acids, such as sulphuric acid. The steel is also resistant to stress
corrosion cracking and crevice corrosion. Grade 904L is non-magnetic, and offers
excellent formability, toughness and weldability.
Grade 904L contains high amounts of expensive ingredients, such as molybdenum and
nickel. Today, most of the applications that employ grade 904L are replaced by low-cost
duplex stainless steel 2205.
Key Properties
The following sections describe the properties of flat rolled products in ASTM B625. The
specifications may not be identical for other products such as bar, tube and pipe.
Composition
The table below provides the compositional ranges of grade 904L stainless steels:
Table 1. Composition ranges of grade 904L stainless steels
Grade C Mn Si P S Cr Mo Ni Cu
904L
min.
max.
-
0.02
-
2
-
1
-
0.045
-
0.035
19
23
4
5
23
28
1
2
Mechanical Properties
The typical mechanical properties of grade 904L stainless steels are given in the table
below:
Table 2. Mechanical properties of grade 904L stainless steels
Grade Tensile
Strength
(MPa) min
Yield
Strength
0.2% Proof
(MPa) min
Elongation (%
in 50mm) min
Hardness
Rockwell B
(HR B)
Brinell (HB)
904L 490 220 36 70-90 typical 150
Physical Properties
The physical properties of grade 904L stainless steels are tabulated below:
Table 3. Typical physical properties of grade 904L stainless steels
Grade
Density
(kg/m
3
)
Elastic
Modulus
(GPa)
Mean Co-eff of Thermal
Expansion (m/m/C)
Thermal
Conductivity
(W/m.K)
Specific
Heat 0-
100C
(J/kg.K)
Elec
Resistivity
(n.m) 0-
100C
0-
315C
0-538C
At
20C
At 500C
904L 7900 190 15 - - 11.5 - 500 952
Grade Specification Comparison
The following table outlines the approximate grade comparisons of 904L stainless steels:
Table 4. Grade specifications of grade 904L stainless steels
Grade
UNS
No
Old British Euronorm Swedish
SS
Japanese
JIS BS En No Name
904L N08904 904S13 - 1.4539 X1NiCrMoCuN25-20-5 2562 -
Possible Alternative Grades
The suitable alternatives to 904L stainless steels are tabulated below:
Table 5. Possible alternative grades to grade 904L stainless steels
Grade Reasons for choosing grade 904L
316L A lower cost alternative, but with much lower corrosion resistance.
6Mo A higher resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion is needed.
2205
A very similar corrosion resistance, with the 2205 having higher mechanical
strength, and at a lower cost to 904L. (2205 not suitable for temperatures above
300C.)
Super
duplex
Higher corrosion resistance is needed, together with a higher strength than
904L.
Corrosion Resistance
Grade 904L stainless steels have excellent resistance to warm seawater and chloride
attack. The high resistance of grade 904L against stress corrosion cracking is due to the
presence of high amounts of nickel in its composition. Moreover, the addition of copper
to these grades develops resistance to sulphuric acid and other reducing agents in both
aggressive and mild conditions.
The corrosion resistance of grade 904L is intermediate between super austenitic grades,
with 6% molybdenum content, and standard 316L austenitic grades. Grade 904L is less
resistant to nitric acid than grades 304L and 310L, which are free of molybdenum. This
steel grade needs to be solution treated following cold working, to achieve maximum
stress corrosion cracking resistance under critical environments.
Heat Resistance
Grade 904L stainless steels offer good oxidation resistance. However, the structural
stability of this grade collapses at high temperatures, particularly above 400C.
Heat Treatment
Grade 904L stainless steels can be solution heat-treated at 1090 to 1175C, following by
rapid cooling. Thermal treatment is suitable for hardening these grades.
Welding
Welding of grade 904L stainless steels can be performed using all conventional methods.
This grade does not require pre-heat and post-weld heat treatments. Grade 904L can be
subjected to hot cracking in constrained weldment. Grade 904L electrodes and rods are
used for welding grade 904L steels according to AS 1554.6.
Fabrication
Grade 904L stainless steels are high purity steels with low sulphur content. They can be
machined using any standard methods. These grades can be readily bent to a small
radius under cold conditions. Although subsequent annealing is not required in most
cases, it should be carried out when the fabrication is performed under severe stress
corrosion cracking conditions.
Applications
Some of the major applications of grade 904L stainless steels include:
Wiring in electrostatic precipitators
Oil refinery components
Seawater cooling devices
Gas scrubbing plants
Pulp and paper processing industries
Acetic, phosphoric and sulphuric acid processing plants