Why Is 304 Stainless Steel Magnetic
May 12, 2021
Austenitic stainless steel is the most widely used stainless steel. Its chromium content is about 18%, and its nickel content is about 8%. It belongs to chromium-nickel stainless steel and is habitually called 18/8 stainless steel. Its carbon content is low. After solid solution treatment due to the addition of nickel, its microstructure is single-phase austenite at room temperature, which is usually non-magnetic. However, due to chemical composition fluctuations or different processing conditions caused by smelting, magnetism may also appear.
After 304 stainless steel undergoes cold working, a small amount of martensite can be precipitated in the steel. At this time, the steel will have a certain degree of magnetism, and the greater the degree of cold working deformation, the greater the magnetism of the steel. The polished stainless steel is also weakly magnetic.
