Call today for a free estimate
North America: +1-918-437-5400 • South America: +56-2-2243-9345 • Australia-Asia-NZ: +64-3-545-0445

Call today for a free estimate
North America: +1-918-437-5400
South America: +56-2-2243-9345
Australia-Asia-NZ: +64-3-545-0445

The Weldability of Different Stainless Steel Alloys

by Feb 8, 2019News

In many cases, when working with stainless steels, manufacturers have a need to weld the material. Welding connects two separate pieces of stainless steel together, allowing those pieces to work together as one greater entity.

The welding of stainless steels can be a tricky thing. You may think that all stainless steels can be welded equally; however, the truth of the matter is that some stainless-steel alloys are more weldable than are others.

To help you understand this point, we’re going to discuss the weldability characteristics of the various stainless-steel classes below.

Austenitic

Austenitic stainless steels fall in the 200 and 300 series of stainless-steel alloys. These alloys are highly resistant to corrosion and extremely malleable. In addition to these characteristics, they’re also exceedingly weldable. In fact, austenitic stainless steels are the most weldable stainless steels on the market.

This brand of stainless steel can be welded without the use of any heat treatment whatsoever. Most typically, when welded, specific alloys of austenitic stainless steel are welded to identical species of austenitic stainless steel. For example, alloy 316 fillers are generally welded to alloy 316 base items.

Ferritic

Ferritic stainless steels fall in the 400 series of stainless-steel alloys. While they’re quite strong and resistant to corrosion, they lack in ductility, and are prone to cracking when exposed to hot temperatures. For this reason, they possess very little in terms of welding capabilities.

Nonetheless, they are welded on occasion, usually in thin sheets.

Martensitic

Martensitic stainless steels fall into the 400 and 500 series of stainless-steel alloys. While they’re strong and durable, they perform poorly when in corrosive environments. Because they are vulnerable to cool cracking, they don’t weld easily.

However, this does not mean that it’s impossible to weld martensitic steel. In fact, manufacturers do so on a regular basis, usually by welding together pieces of metal with identical carbon and chromium percentages.

Duplex

Possessing both austenitic and ferritic characteristics, duplex stainless steels, like S31803 (2205) possess a solid combination of toughness, durability, and ductility. However, where they truly thrive is in their resistance to corrosion.

In terms of weldability, duplex stainless steels are capable, but not exactly exceptional. They can be, and are welded on a regular basis, but they are not sought out for their welding capabilities.

When welding duplex stainless steel, one must be very careful with temperatures. Using either too little or too much heat can compromise the structural integrity of the steel, rendering it useless.

Precipitation-hardening

Precipitation-hardening stainless steels are a combination of martensitic and austenitic stainless steels. Resistant to corrosion, and capable of being hardened through heat, this type of stainless steel possesses above average weldability.

While the weldability of precipitation-hardening stainless steel isn’t quite on par with the weldability of austenitic stainless steel, it’s still very good. It can be welded without preheating treatment, but usually must be heated after the weld has been completed in order to preserve the structural integrity of the weld.

Looking for Stainless Steel Products?

Are you in need of stainless steel products, like Duplex S31803 (2205) or N08904 (904L)? If so, we here at Great Plains Stainless are the people to call. We sell stainless steel products of all kinds, including bars, pipes, plates and fittings, to name just a few.

Our products are made out of a variety of different stainless-steel alloys, allowing you to choose one which suits your needs. Regardless of where you’re located in the world, we can ship our top-end stainless steel products directly to you.

Contact us now to discuss your needs!

Content and Ownership of Posted Content

Please read before posting a comment...

Each User owns and is responsible for the content that such User posts on our Great Plains Stainless Site, including information that such User publishes and makes available for other Users to view.

Representations and Warranties.

By posting content on our Site, you represent and warrant that:

  • You are entitled to submit the content;
  • The information is accurate;
  • The information is not confidential;
  • The posting of the information is not in violation of any applicable laws, contractual restrictions or other third party rights.
  • It is solely your responsibility to ensure the accuracy of your profile and submitted content and to update that information as appropriate.

License and Use of Content.

In order for you to share your information with others, Great Plains needs your permission to reproduce your information on or through this Site. Therefore, under these Terms and Conditions, by submitting, posting or displaying any content to or on this Site, you agree to grant Great Plains a non-exclusive, worldwide, assignable, sub-licensable, and royalty-free right that permits us to copy, distribute, publish, remove, retain, and use your content or information without any further consent, notice or compensation for the sole purpose of enabling Great Plains to provide you with its Services.

Additionally, with the objective of reaching more people and facilitating connections, you hereby grant Great Plains the right to share published information from our Site with other sites with which we have partnerships. Information published on our Site may become public information at the time of its distribution on other sites, via email alerts, RSS feeds, search engines, and other social media tools.

Furthermore, by submitting or posting content on the Site, you agree to provide other users with a license to permit Users of the Site to download and share content from this Site, provided that they properly attribute the work to the author, do not alter it in any way, and do not copy or use the work for commercial purposes.

User-to-User Communication and Sharing. The Site includes various forums and blogs where you can post your observations and comments on designated topics. Great Plains cannot guarantee that other Users will not use the ideas and information that you share. Therefore, if you have an idea or information that you would like to keep confidential and/or do not want others to use, do not post it on the Site.

Great Plains is not responsible for a User's misuse or misappropriation of any content or information that you post in any forums, blogs, and other sections of the Site.