Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ

finishing.com -- The Home Page of the Finishing Industry

The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
-----

Physical Identification of SS 304 vs. EN series materials

I have many times faced difficulty in identifying the material in the inspection whether the material is EN 8 or ss 304. Is there any magnetic or any other simple non destructive test for the identification.

Deepthi Anantham
employee - India
June 11, 2011

Hi, Deepthi.

EN simply means "European Numbering" (Literally, it's an acronym for "Europaischen Normen" or European Standard). EN-8 is a medium carbon steel and would be ferromagnetic, whereas 3xx series stainless steels are not strongly attracted by a magnet (they may be weakly ferromagnetic from cold working).

Of course, there is obviously no guarantee that a given piece of magnetic steel is EN-8, or that a given piece of non-magnetic steel is SS 304 unless you know that these are the only two possible choices :-)

Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
June 16, 2011

(No "dead threads" here! If this page isn't currently on the Hotline your Q, A, or Comment will restore it)

Q, A, or Comment on THIS thread -or- Start a NEW Thread

Disclaimer: It's not possible to fully diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The internet is largely anonymous & unvetted; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations might be harmful.

If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories: