SUS 201 and 304 are both austenitic stainless steels, but their alloying strategies differ significantly. Grade 201 substitutes manganese for a portion of the nickel to reduce cost, which directly influences its mechanical behavior .
In terms of strength, 201 generally exhibits higher yield strength than 304. The minimum 0.2% proof stress for 201 is approximately 350 MPa, compared to 230 MPa for 304 . This higher strength stems from 201's elevated work-hardening rate, which allows it to achieve greater strength levels during cold working.
However, this characteristic creates a trade-off in formability. The higher work-hardening rate means 201 requires greater forming forces and exhibits more springback than 304 . While 201 can still be used for demanding operations like bending and drawing, its sensitivity to delayed cracking after severe forming (e.g., deep drawing) is a notable limitation . In contrast, 304 offers more predictable and generally superior formability due to its more stable austenitic structure and lower work-hardening tendency. Therefore, selecting 201 over 304 for forming-intensive applications requires careful evaluation of tooling and process parameters.
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