Stainless application
Stainless Steel for Kitchen & Foodservice
Commercial kitchens buy stainless for one thing: a surface that stays clean and does not rust under daily scrubbing. 304 is the standard for tables, sinks and equipment; 316L steps in where salt or acid is the working medium; 430 covers the non-wetted, decorative and appliance parts where cost matters more than corrosion.
Specification
What Kitchen & Foodservice Specifies
| Grades normally used | 304 · 316L · 430 |
|---|---|
| Product forms | Sheet · Plate · Tube · Bar · Fittings |
| Standards & approvals | ASTM A240 (sheet) · ASTM A480 (finish) · ASTM A554 (welded tube) · NSF/ANSI 2 (food equipment) |
Grade by grade
What Each Grade Does in Kitchen & Foodservice
A stainless application page that lists grades without saying what each one is for is a catalogue, not a specification. These are the roles they actually play here.
| Grade | The job it does here | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 316L | The grade for brine, sauce, acidic and high-salt food contact — marinating, pickling, seafood and dishwash duty. The molybdenum resists the pitting that would mark 304 in the same sink or bench. | Specs → |
| 304 | The standard for worktables, sinks, shelving, hoods and general equipment. Non-magnetic, weldable and corrosion-resistant enough for everyday food contact; the economical default for the whole kitchen. | Specs → |
| 430 | The ferritic economy grade for non-wetted and decorative parts — appliance panels, trims and dry storage. Magnetic, weldable only with care, and wrong for wet or salted contact, but cheaper where corrosion is not the risk. | Specs → |
Before you send the enquiry
Specification Mistakes That Cost Money Here
None of this is exotic. All of it arrives on real enquiries, and each one adds a round trip before a price can be issued.
1. Specifying 304 for brine, acid or heavy-salt contact. Pitting and rust-staining show up within months; 316L is the honest grade for marinating, pickling and seafood duty.
2. Writing "food grade stainless" without a finish or a grade. The alloy and the Ra finish are two separate decisions, and the finish is the one that decides whether the surface is actually cleanable.
3. Using 430 where the part gets wet or salted. 430 has no molybdenum and little nickel — it rusts where 304 and 316L would not, so keep it to dry and decorative parts.
4. Leaving weld finish and passivation off the order. An as-welded bead with heat tint is a crevice and a contamination site; specify ground, pickled and passivated welds on anything that touches food.
Categories that serve it
What We Supply Into Kitchen & Foodservice
Stainless Steel Coil
Cold-rolled and hot-rolled coil in 200 / 300 / 400 series.
Stainless Steel Sheet & Plate
Cold-rolled sheet and hot-rolled plate for structural and decorative use.
Stainless Steel Tube & Pipe
Seamless and welded round, square and rectangular tube.
Stainless Steel Bar & Rod
Round, flat, square and hexagonal bar, cold drawn or hot rolled.
Verification
What We Put in Writing for This Application
- Mill test certificate to the class your file requires — 2.2 or 3.1 — carrying the actual composition and mechanical values for the heat, so the grade is checkable against the order.
- Surface finish and gauge recorded before packing; photos of the sealed container.
- Where the market requires it, the food-contact, 3-A or coating test report with the issuing body named.
Before you ask
Kitchen & Foodservice — Questions That Come Up
304 or 316L for a commercial kitchen?
304 for general tables, sinks and equipment; 316L wherever salt, acid or brine is the working medium — marinating, pickling, seafood and dishwash duty. The molybdenum in 316L stops the pitting that marks 304 in those jobs.
What does 430 stainless get used for in a kitchen?
Non-wetted and decorative parts — appliance panels, trims, dry storage shelving. It is magnetic, cheaper and fine where it stays dry, but it rusts where 304 and 316L would not, so keep it out of wet or salted contact.
What finish should food-contact stainless have?
A measurable surface, not "polished". Specify the Ra value or the mill designation (2B, BA, No.4) and require ground, pickled and passivated welds. For food equipment, the NSF/ANSI 2 listing is the acceptance standard.