How To Tell Stainless Steel Apart With XRF Analysis
Walk through any scrap yard and look at the stainless steel pile, and you'll see 304, 316, 430, 17-4 PH, 2205 duplex.
But it's all silver-colored, it all passes the magnet test (or doesn't), and none of it announces what grade it is by appearance.
And the market knows the difference, even when you don't.
304 and 316 are both austenitic stainless steels. Both are non-magnetic. Both look identical in a scrap pile. 316 contains molybdenum, a deliberate addition that gives it superior corrosion resistance in marine and chemical environments. That molybdenum content also makes 316 worth more per pound than 304, consistently, in every market.
If you're sorting austenitic stainless by appearance alone, you're selling 316 at 304 prices. Every time.
430 is a ferritic stainless. Its magnetic, has a lower nickel content, and a lower value than the austenitic grades. Without testing, it ends up blended into austenitic stainless sales, contaminating the lot and driving the price down for the entire batch.
Duplex stainless and precipitation-hardening grades like 17-4 PH sit at a completely different price point from standard austenitic material. Processed as commodity stainless, they're a significant missed opportunity.
And the best way to not miss that profit is with XRF analysis.
Handheld XRF analyzers identify every stainless grade in seconds. Nickel content, molybdenum, chromium, manganese — the full elemental picture that defines grade and value, displayed on screen with the alloy match confirmed.
Sort by the grade, sell by the grade, and stop letting the market take advantage of your inability to tell the difference.
Stainless steel is one of the highest-value categories in a scrap yard. It's also one of the most common categories to not be sorted.
XRF is what changes that equation.
Stop blending high-value stainless into commodity piles.
Shop scrap metal XRF analyzers at Alloy Geek
More Scrap Metal Recycling Resources
There are a lot of ways to save money and time with XRF analysis, especially in the scrap metal and recycling industry. Learn more about the uses and benefits of XRF analysis for your business from an XRF professional.