Is 304 Stainless Steel Magnetizable?
[caption id="attachment_5822" align="alignright" width="440"] Gateway Arch (304 Stainless Steel) - GNU Free Documentation License Version 1.2 by Rdikeman[/caption] Can 304 stainless steel be magnetized? The answer rates more than a simple yes or no. Iron is alloyed with different amounts of chromium to produce 3 classes of stainless steel. These are martensitic, ferritic, and austenitic steels. These three are classed separately because each has a different microstructure. Stainless Steel Type 304 stainless is austenitic. It is non-magnetic. Special treatments change that. The treatments may be to produce fasteners or other items that require it. Magnetic & Non-Magnetic Both ferritic and martensitic stainless steels are easy to magnetize. Austenitic steels such as cold worked 304 undergo partial conversion of their austenite microstructure to martensite. Because stainless type 304 is cheap yet…