How to differentiate stainless steel grades SS202 & SS304?/How to know whether the used stainless steel grade is 202 or 304?

 As the name indicates, stainless steel is priced for its anti-rust & anti-corrosive properties. These properties are achieved by the right composition of elements such as chromium, molybdenum, nickel, & copper.

The market price of 304-grade is higher than the 202-grade stainless steel. So, there is a chance of replacing SS304 with SS202 by the contractor to earn more profit.

Therefore, it becomes necessary to know the grade of stainless steel utilized in your railing works.

Following are the different methods we can adopt to differentiate the stainless steel grades 202 & 304 from one another.

 1. Printed mark & logo:

When you purchase branded SS materials from the market, you will find the grade of steel embossed over the material. The name of the company or logo is also printed along with the SS grade.

Before utilizing the SS materials, you better check the steel grade of the individual pieces. 

The problem arises when you go for locally manufactured products, that do not contain grade markings for your confirmation. 

Following are the 3 other methods, that you can follow to find the grades of non-branded SS materials.

2. Steel grade tester:

The Stainless steel can be identified by using a steel-grade tester reagent as shown in the image.

The bottle contains about 15ml. of liquid reagents to test the SS grades. 

These bottles are priced at INR 30/- to INR 50/- per no.

When we drop these liquids over the stainless steel materials, they change their color as shown below.

By comparing the reaction colors with the color chart mentioned over the bottles, we can easily differentiate 304 & 202-grade stainless steel from one another. 

3. Spark test:

We can distinguish 304 & 202 grades when we cut them with metal cutting wheels or when we grind them with grinder wheels.

 304 grade:👉 The sparks produced are reddish-orange in color. The sparks fly a shorter distance. This is due to higher nickel content.

202 grade:👉  The sparks produced are yellowish in color. The sparks fly slightly longer distances when compared to the 304-type steel.

4. XRF gun:

 X-ray fluorescence guns are used to know the exact percentage of elements present in the alloys. We can analyze the compositions of different metals in all types of alloys. This method is used for larger projects where we need detailed analyzed reports.

As we already knew the composition of different types of stainless steel, we can find the SS grades by using the XRF gun.

To go through the field & laboratory tests conducted in civil engineering,  click here.

Thank you for going through this article❤. Have a good day 😄.

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