Verified by Rachel Mayfield, Supply Chain Analyst - August 2026
Stainless steel 304 (1.4301, A2 in fastener grades): typical engineering properties at room temperature. These are representative handbook and datasheet values - composition, temper and product form move real figures, so for design work use the supplier's certified datasheet. For quick sizing, comparison and sanity checks, the table below is what you need.
Stainless steel 304 properties
| Property | Typical value | Unit |
|---|
| Density | 7,930-8,000 | kg/m3 |
| Melting range | 1,400-1,450 C | |
| Thermal conductivity | 16.2 | W/m K |
| Thermal expansion | 17.2 | x10-6 /K |
| Specific heat | 500 | J/kg K |
| Elastic modulus (E) | 193-200 | GPa |
| Tensile strength | 505-700 MPa (annealed: min yield ~215 MPa) | |
Where stainless steel 304 is used
Typical applications: food equipment, sinks, trim, general corrosion-resistant fabrication, and A2 fasteners.
What to know before specifying it
304 is the general-purpose austenitic stainless. Not for chlorides: salt environments pit it - that is what 316 is for. It work-hardens fast, which flummoxes drilling at timid speeds, and its thermal conductivity is a third of carbon steel's, so heat concentrates at the cut.