Carbon steel flanges VS stainless steel flanges

Carbon steel is an iron-carbon alloy that has a higher carbon content and a lower melting point than stainless steel. Carbon steel is similar in appearance and properties to stainless steel, but has a higher carbon content.

Engineering and construction materials such as carbon steel are commonly used in large-scale industrial processes, including telecommunications, transportation, chemical processing, and petroleum extraction and refining.

There are numerous types of steel that can be referred to as 304 stainless steel flanges, but all types of steel are essentially made from iron and carbon using a two-step process. When chromium and nickel are added to stainless steel, corrosion resistance is achieved.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CARBON STEEL FLANGES AND STAINLESS STEEL FLANGES
Forgings made from A-105 grades are the first and most common materials used to make pipe flanges. For applications requiring lower temperatures, the A-350 LF2 grades are used, while the A-694 grades, F42-F70, are designed for high yields. Due to the increased strength of carbon steel flanges, high yield material is widely used in pipeline applications.

In addition to containing more chromium and molybdenum than carbon steel flanges, alloy steel flanges are designed to withstand high temperature and high pressure environments. Because of the increased chromium content, they have stronger corrosion protection than conventional carbon steel flanges.

Stainless steel containing nickel, chromium and molybdenum is the second most commonly used forging material in flange manufacturing. The most common ASTM A182-F304 / F304L and A182-F316 / F316L forgings are found in the A182-F300/F400 series. Trace elements can be added during the melting process to meet the service requirements of these forging classes. In addition, the 300 series is non-magnetic while the 400 series has magnetic properties and is less corrosion resistant.