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TECHNICAL HELP Selection of 316, 304 and 303 types of stainless steels for seawater
About Stainless Steel applications
FAQ
Technical Library Introduction
Special Topics
Technical Enquiries The 316 types are used widely in marine applications, but their corrosion resistance in contact with seawater is limited and
they cannot be considered 'corrosion proof' under all situations. They are susceptible to localized attack mechanisms,
Publication & Products principally crevice and pitting corrosion. This limits the scope for the use of these steels in seawater contact.

Featured Articles & The 304, and more especially the free machining 303 types, should not be considered suitable for seawater service.
Sulphide inclusions outcropping on the surface of the 303 type are preferential pitting corrosion sites.
Publications
Factors governing the corrosion resistance of 316 types in seawater
BSSA Stainless Steel
Surface Finishes Pack The factors governing the corrosion resistance and hence suitability of the 316 types has been well documented by many
100 Years of Stainless Steel workers in these fields of research.
Book These factors work together and include
Stay Bright - A History of
Water quality
Stainless Steels in Britain by
David Dulieu Flow rates

BSSA Understanding Temperature

Stainless Steel - Centenary
Edition
BSSA Guide to Stainless
Steel Specifications - 2nd
Edition
Availability of Stainless Steel
Grades
Getting the Best out of
Stainless Steel
Special Grades of Stainless
Steel - Where to Find Them
Duplex Stainless Steels - A
Simplified Guide
Fabricating Duplex Stainless
Steel
Importance of Surface Finish
in the Design of Stainless
Steel
More Than Just Scratching
the Surface - A Practical
Approach to Surface Finish
The Then and Now of
Electropolishing
Structural Sections in
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel fasteners
Oxygen levels
Cathodic protection
Seawater quality
The chloride levels can vary depending on the location and influence of tides.
The levels encountered in even 'brackish' waters are above those where crevice corrosion can be expected to be a corrosion
hazard.
Intermittent exposure, for example in tidal zones, has been noted as less of a corrosion risk. This may be due to the fact
that the steel surfaces are effectively 'washed' by the changes in water levels.
Water evaporation effects could however increase the corrosion risks in splash zones, if the chlorides concentrate in a
damp or wet environment.
It is important not to let seawater stand in contact with the steel unnecessarily. Horizontal 316 tube sections handling
seawater have been noted to fail by pitting after only short periods.
Free draining surfaces and the avoidance of horizontal tube runs are important to the successful use of 316 in contact with
seawater. If tubing systems are hydro-tested using seawater, this must be drained and flushed immediately after the test
period. Failure to do this has resulted in corrosion to 316 systems.
Water flow rates
'High' flow rates are preferable (ie over 1 metre / second). Slow moving water can encourage biofouling, which can then
result in shielding or crevice corrosion. Stagnant seawater conditions must be avoided.
Increases in flow rates reduce the risk of corrosion and so applications such as pumps, can be successful applications for
316 types in seawater handling.
Water temperature
The crevice corrosion risk increases with temperature. Contact with heated seawater is not advisable. Ambient
temperatures in northern European waters, as a guide, are around the maximum that a 316 should be expected to cope
with, even if other conditions are favorable.
Stress corrosion cracking is not usually a concern in the temperatures that the 316 would be used at. (Higher temperatures
would probably result in crevice and pitting corrosion anyway)

European Standards - Water oxygen levels (deaeration)

Referenced Standards for
Stainless Steel Products
European EN Standard Grade
Summary
Stainless steels rely on a source of oxygen to maintain their passive condition. Aerated seawater however can be more
corrosive than de-aerated seawater.
It has been found that very low levels of oxygen, such as those found at sea depths of around 200 metres, make seawater
less aggressive. This is associated with the slowing down of pitting corrosion rates.
 Stainless Steel Grades
Datasheets
Stainless Steel Datasheets
for Tubular Products
Adhesive Bonding of
Stainless Steel
Selection of stainless steels
for the food processing
industries
Stainless Steel Pipe
Fabrication
Cathodic protection
Cathodic protection can be applied ie electrically or derived from contact with less 'noble' metals, including carbon steel
and aluminium. Direct contact with these metals can help improve the resistance of the 316 types of stainless steel, at the
expense of the other metal.
Although the stainless steel can benefit, there may be a concern that the overall durability of a fabrication involving such
combinations could be compromised.
'Engineered' crevices (surface finish and post fabrication cleaning)
Crevice and the closely related pitting corrosion mechanisms are the forms of local attack that are normally responsible for
the failure of the 316 types in seawater service.
Any form of crevices must be avoided.
These can occur through

Stainless Steel in Indoor Design geometry (sharp corners or grooves)

Swimming Pool Buildings
Euro Inox promotes Structural
Applications of Ferritic
Stainless Steels (SAFSS)
Flanged joints with gaskets
Mechanical fastening systems
Intercystalline (intergranular) corrosion has been detected on laboratory sensitized (heat-treated) 316 when subsequently
exposure in seawater. The use of the low carbon 316L types such as grades 1.4404 or 1.4432 should avoid this additional
corrosion risk in welded structures.

The surface finish weld quality and finishing of the steel can be important factors in the successful use of 316 types in
seawater service applications.
These may be more important issues than factors such as the actual chloride concentration. Smooth, clean finishes and
well-finished welded joints contribute to the corrosion resistance of the steel.

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