304 stainless steel is one of the most widely used mainstream steel grades at present, because of its obvious corrosion resistance, and 201 stainless steel because of its relatively poor corrosion resistance, resulting in different widely used areas and different prices. The price of 201 is lower than that of 304. In reality, some unscrupulous manufacturers often pretend to be 304 to promote and sell externally to obtain high profits.

In order to prevent you from being deceived by unscrupulous manufacturers, the editor has summarized three simple and understandable methods to identify 304 and 201 stainless steel based on the experience of professionals:

1. Look with naked eyes and touch with hands.

304 and 201 stainless steel, the surface is usually matte. So we identify it by looking at it with the naked eye and touching it by hand. To the naked eye, 304 stainless steel has a good gloss and shine, and the hand touch is very smooth; 201 stainless steel has a dark color and no luster, and it feels rough and not smooth to the touch. In addition, wet your hands with water and touch the two types of stainless steel separately. After touching, the water-stained fingerprints on 304 stainless steel are easier to erase, and 201 is not easy to erase.

2. Polish with a polishing machine and watch the sparks.

Use a polishing machine with a grinding wheel to lightly polish the two types of stainless steel. When polishing, the sparks of 201 stainless steel are longer, thicker, and more. On the contrary, the sparks of 304 stainless steel are shorter, thinner and less. When polishing, the force must be light, and the two types of polishing force are the same for easy distinction.

3. Pickling cream, look at the color.

Apply stainless steel pickling paste on two types of stainless steel plates. After 2 minutes, watch the color change of the stainless steel where it is applied. The black color is 201 material, and the white or discoloration is 304 material.