About Stainless Steel 904L

What is 904L Stainless Steel?

• 904L also known as UNS N08904 or 1.4539 is an austenitic stainless steel alloy material. It has high molybdenum and non-stabilised extremely low carbon content.
• 904L does have very substantial contents of the high cost ingredients nickel and molybdenum. Due to addition of Copper, it has increased resistance to phosphoric, sulphuric and hydrochloric acid concentration. It is sometimes referred to as super austenitic stainless steel due to superiority over other 300 series austenitic steel grades. 904L is also resistant to chloride and sea water attack. 904L is primarily used in production and transport of phosphoric acid as well as in environment containing concentrations of phosphoric acid or phosphorous gas.

What is the Difference Between SS 904L and SS 316L ?

• 904L is an austenitic grade stainless steel with low carbon and higher resistance to stress and crevice corrosion cracking as compared to AISI 316 & AISI 317 stainless steel grades.
• SS 904L has low carbon content and copper has been added to it, to increase its resistance against strong reducing acids, like sulphuric acid. SS316L is a low carbon version of 316 and to this, molybdenum has been added, which gives it good resistance to corrosion. 1.4539 Stainless Steel displays superb resistance to chloride attacks and even warm seawater. SS316L shows very good resistance to corrosion in various corrosive media and atmospheric environments. But, though SS316L is considered to be a lower cost option, its resistance to corrosion is much lesser.
• 904L has greater amounts of chromium and nickel than the 316L grade. It is typically used in the chemical industry for severe corrosion Environments i.e better resistance to pitting, SCC, IGC etc. 316L Stainless steel is far less scratch resistant than the 904L because it has a much higher Rockwell hardness. The 316L has less nickel in it and is far brighter in appearance and tends to stay that way. Nickel can be an irratant. Many of the applications in which this grade has previously performed well can now be fulfilled at lower cost by duplex stainless steel 2205 (S31803 or S32205), so 904L is used less commonly than in the past.

Applications of Stainless Steel 904L

• Petroleum, petrochemical equipment, such as reactors in petrochemical equipment.
• National defense
• Nuclear industry
• Aviation
• Power generation
• 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
• Storage and transportation equipment for sulfuric acid, such as heat exchangers.
• Power plant flue gas desulfurization device, the main use parts are: tower body of the absorption tower, flue, door panel, internal parts, sprinkler system, etc.
• Washers and fans in organic acid treatment systems.

Properties, Limitations and Processing Characteristics of Stainless Steel 904L

Characteristics

• 904L is a high-alloy austenitic stainless steel with a very low carbon content. The steel is designed for harsh environments. The alloy was originally developed for corrosion resistance in dilute sulfuric acid. This feature has been proven to be very successful after many years of practical application. The 904L is now standardized in many countries and has been approved for the manufacture of pressure vessels.
• Like other commonly used CrNi austenitic steels, 904L alloy has good resistance to pitting corrosion and crevice corrosion, high resistance to stress corrosion cracking, good resistance to intergranular corrosion, good processability and Weldability. The maximum heating temperature for hot forging can reach 1180 degrees Celsius, and the minimum stop forging temperature is not less than 900 degrees Celsius. This steel thermoforming can be carried out at 1000–1150 degrees Celsius. The heat treatment process of the steel is 1100–1150 degrees Celsius, and is quickly cooled after heating.

Processing/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.

Equivalents of Stainless Steel 904L

Chemical, Mechanical & Physical Properties of Stainless Steel 904L

SS 904L Chemical Composition

SS 904L Physical Properties

SS 904L Mechanical Properties

Fabrication Data and Other Properties of 904L Stainless Steels

Alloy 904L stainless steel products can be easily welded and processed by standard shop fabrication practices.

Hot forming

• Working temperatures of 1562–2102°F (850–1150°C) are recommended for hot working processes. Normally hot working should be followed by a solution anneal and quench, but for 904L, if hot forming is discontinued at a temperature above 2012°F (1100°C) and the material is quenched directly thereafter, the material may be used without subsequent heat treatment. It is important that the entire workpiece be quenched from temperatures above 2012°F (1100°C). In the event of partial heating or cooling below 2012°F (1100°C), or if the cooling has been too slow, hot working should always be followed by a solution anneal and quenching. 904L should be solution annealed at 1940–2084°F (1060–1140°C).

Cold forming

• Although higher forces are required, 904L will respond in a similar fashion to other austenitic stainless steels like 304, 316 or 317. Most common operations can be successfully performed

Machining

• The cold work hardening rate of Alloy 904L makes it less machinable than 410 and 304 stainless steels.

Annealing

• 1920-1990 Deg F (1050-1090 Deg C), rapid cooling.

Hardening

• This alloy does not respond to heat treatment. It may only be hardened by cold reduction.

Corrosion Resistance of Stainless Steel 904L

• In general welding and heat treatment, there will not be carbide precipitation because the carbon content is very low (0.020% maximum). This eliminates the intergranular corrosion after the welding and heat treatment.
• Due to high nickel, chromium, molybdenum, and copper element, 904L stainless steel can be used in heavy reducing environments, such as in sulfuric acid and formic acid. High nickel content also has a lower corrosion rate in the activity state. In the range of 0 ~ 98% concentration pure sulfuric acid, the use of SS 904L can be done at temperature as high as 40℃. In the range of 0 ~ 85% concentration pure sulfuric acid, its corrosion resistance is very good.
• 904L corrosion resistance is better than ordinary stainless steel in all kinds of phosphoric acid.
• In the hydrochloric acid, SS 904L is limited to use in lower concentrations of 1-2%. In this concentration range. 904L corrosion resistance better than generic stainless steel.
• Ordinary austenitic stainless steel in the temperature higher than 60℃ maybe sensitive of the stress corrosion resistance in a rich chloride environment. By increasing the nickel content in stainless steel, this sensitivity can be reduced. Due to the high content of nickel, 904L exhibits high stress corrosion cracking capacity in chloride solution.

Testing & Inspection of Stainless Steel 904L Materials

Testing (Destructive, Non Destructive)

Inspection

• Our internal inspection reports would be provided for all the goods before shipment.
• Buyers or their associates are most welcome to visit us for personal inspect
• We regularly have inspections ongoing at our premises from internationally acclaimed Inspection Agencies such as TUV, BVIS, SGS, Llyods, DNV etc.

Prices for Stainless Steel 904L Materials

Prices for stainless steel 904L materials are directly co related to prices of the raw materials such as iron ore, metal scrap, chromium, nickel and various other alloying elements. The production cost of heat resistant stainless steel and nickel alloy plates is high as they contain high amount of nickel and chromium. Meanwhile, mild steel material is among the lowest cost steel available, followed by carbon steel, 400 series stainless steels, aluminium, alloy steel, and 300 series stainless steel. Special alloys such as titanium, Inconel, Monel and Hastelloy cost very high as the nickel, chromium and moly content is very high.

For special and discounted prices for various types of stainless steel 904L products, please feel free to contact us through email, phone or whatsapp.

We are also regularly publishing our price list for various steel products on our blog.

Documents Provided at the time of Domestic Sales or Export of Stainless Steel 904L Products

Price Basis for Stainless Steel 904L Materials

We can offer any of the following price basis depending on your requirement:

• Ex-works
• FOR Site in India
• FOB Nhava Sheva
• CFR, CIF, CPT your destination port
• Door to Door Delivery Duty Paid as well as Duty Unpaid

Delivery Time of Stainless Steel 904L Materials

• If the items are available in stock, we take 2 days from the date of receipt of advance payment to clear the shipment and send it to port.
• And in-case the items are not availabe in stock, the time taken for manufacturing depends on the size, quantity and grade.
• However we can claim the fact that we can compete with anyone in India on Delivery time and most of the time our production time is the least.
• We have tied up with strong logistic partners in India which can undertake any type of shipping activities and make sure that there is no delay in shipment.

Marking & Packing of Stainless Steel 904L Materials

• All our products will have complete marking details which are co-related to the test certificates we supply.
• In case of orders for cut piece of Pipes, Sheets or Round Bars, the marking is transferred from the product from which it is cut. In such cases we provide Letter confirming the marking transfer and picture of the product from which it is cut.
• All goods are packed in wooden cases or pallets.

Suppliers of SS 904L, UNS N08904, DIN 1.4539 Materials in India

Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Surat, Pune, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, Kanpur, Nagpur, Lucknow, Thane, Bhopal, Indore, Pimpri Chinchwad, Patna, Vadodara, Ghaziabad, Ludhiana, Agra, Nashik, Faridabad, Meerut, Rajkot, Kalyan-Dombivli, Vasai-Virar, Varanasi, Srinagar, Aurangabad, Dhanbad, Amritsar, Navi Mumbai, Allahabad, Howrah, Ranchi, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Coimbatore, Vijayawada, Jodhpur, Madurai, Raipur, Chandigarh, Guntur, Guwahati, Solapur, Hubli–Dharwad, Mysore, Tiruchirappalli, Bareilly, Moradabad, Tiruppur, Gurgaon, Aligarh, Jalandhar, Bhubaneswar, Salem, Mira-Bhayandar, Warangal, Jalgaon, Kota, Bhiwandi, Saharanpur, Gorakhpur, Bikaner, Amravati, Noida, Jamshedpur, Bhilai, Cuttack, Firozabad, Kochi, Nellore, Bhavnagar, Dehradun, Durgapur, Asansol, Rourkela, Nanded, Kolhapur, Ajmer, Akola, Gulbarga, Jamnagar, Ujjain, Loni, Siliguri, Jhansi, Ulhasnagar, Jammu, Sangli-Miraj & Kupwad, Mangalore, Erode, Belgaum, Ambattur, Tirunelveli, Malegaon, Gaya, Thiruvananthapuram, Udaipur, Kakinada, Davanagere, Kozhikode, Maheshtala, Rajpur, Sonarpur, Rajahmundry, Bokaro, South Dumdum, Bellary, Patiala, Gopalpur, Agartala, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarnagar, Bhatpara, Panihati, Latur, Dhule, Tirupati, Rohtak, Sagar, Korba, Bhilwara, Berhampur, Muzaffarpur, Ahmednagar, Mathura, Kollam, Avadi, Kadapa, Kamarhati, Sambalpur, Bilaspur, Shahjahanpur, Satara, Bijapur, Kurnool, Rampur, Shimoga, Chandrapur, Junagadh, Thrissur, Alwar, Bardhaman, Kulti, Nizamabad, Parbhani, Tumkur, Khammam, Ozhukarai, Bihar Sharif, Panipat, Darbhanga, Bally, Aizawl, Dewas, Ichalkaranji, Karnal, Bathinda, Jalna, Eluru, Barasat, Kirari Suleman Nagar, Purnia, Satna, Mau, Sonipat, Farrukhabad, Durg, Imphal, Ratlam, Hapur, Arrah, Anantapur, Karimnagar, Etawah, Ambarnath, North Dumdum, Bharatpur, Begusarai, New Delhi, Gandhidham, Baranagar, Tiruvottiyur, Pondicherry, Sikar, Thoothukudi, Rewa, Mirzapur, Raichur, Pali, Ramagundam, Haridwar, Vijayanagaram, Tenali, Nagercoil, Sri Ganganagar, Karawal Nagar, Mango, Thanjavur, Bulandshahr, Uluberia, Katni, Sambhal, Singrauli, Nadiad, Secunderabad, Naihati, Yamunanagar, Bidhannagar, Pallavaram, Bidar, Munger, Panchkula, Burhanpur, Raurkela Industrial Township, Kharagpur, Dindigul, Gandhinagar, Hospet, Nangloi Jat, Malda, Ongole, Deoghar, Chapra, Haldia, Khandwa, Nandyal, Morena, Amroha, Anand, Bhind, Bhalswa Jahangir Pur, Madhyamgram, Bhiwani, Berhampore, Ambala, Morbi, Fatehpur, Raebareli, Mahaboobnagar, Chittoor, Bhusawal, Orai, Bahraich, Vellore, Mehsana, Raiganj, Sirsa, Danapur, Serampore, Sultan Pur Majra, Guna, Jaunpur, Panvel, Shivpuri, Surendranagar Dudhrej, Unnao, Chinsurah, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Machilipatnam, Shimla. Adoni, Udupi, Katihar, Proddatur, Saharsa, Hindupur, Sasaram, Hajipur, Bhimavaram, Kumbakonam, Dehri, Madanapalle, Siwan, Bettiah, Guntakal, Srikakulam, Motihari, Dharmavaram, Gudivada, Phagwara, Narasaraopet, Suryapet, Miryalaguda, Tadipatri, Karaikudi, Kishanganj, Jamalpur, Ballia, Kavali, Tadepalligudem, Amaravati, Buxar, Jehanabad, Aurangabad, Gangtok

Exporters of SS 904L, UNS N08904, DIN 1.4539

• America: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela
• Europe – Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Euro area, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom
• Africa – Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
• Asia – Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Georgia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
• Australia – Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu