Manufacturer or standards-body identification; product values do not apply to every form or condition.
Specific property examples
What distinguishes this material
304-family austenitic flat product; the standard grade has a different carbon limit from its L counterpart. A shared datasheet is not evidence that a particular heat is dual certified.
Designation in this reference
Type 304
Forms covered by the sources
Cleveland-Cliffs flat-rolled Type 304, 0.01–0.25 in (0.25–6.35 mm) thick and up to 60 in (1524 mm) wide.
States to distinguish or confirm
Supplier Table 1 gives typical room-temperature values without naming a condition; its low-temperature table is for annealed material. Confirm the annealed or cold-worked condition from the order.
Temperature and exposure
The example is the supplier’s typical room-temperature flat-product data, not a guaranteed minimum for all Type 304 products. The same datasheet gives about 1650 °F (899 °C) for continuous exposure without appreciable scaling (about 1500 °F / 816 °C for intermittent cycling); that is an oxidation limit, not a strength rating.
Property evidence for a stated condition
Read the complete example before using a number. Typical values are not guaranteed limits. Missing test conditions remain visible.
Specific source example
Cleveland-Cliffs Type 304: typical room-temperature properties
Product / specimen
Flat-rolled product in the supplier’s 0.01–0.25 in programme; Table 1 does not select one thickness.
Condition
Not stated in Table 1 (supplier typical values; the low-temperature table is for annealed material)
Test temperature / environment
Room temperature
Values apply to the example above
Property
Value
Meaning and method
Tensile strength
655 MPa
typical Supplier Table 1, 95 ksi; tensile test method not specified in the table.
What product standard, edition and complete grade are on the material certificate?
What product form, section size and delivery/heat-treatment condition will be machined?
For machining, take the exact grade, supplied condition and measured hardness where applicable into the tool maker’s application data. A generic material-family speed is not a substitute for an operation and tool-specific recommendation.
Source identity, a named product example and a supplied-batch certificate are different evidence. Cross-standard similarity does not approve substitution.
Corrections from the previous article
Separate 304 from its L/non-L counterpart; remove unconditional heat-hardness and cutting-speed claims.
Withdraw the legacy generic hardness (170–200 HB) and tensile-strength (515 MPa (75 ksi)) pair: the old page does not establish a matching product, heat treatment, section and test source.
Remove the unsupported cutting-speed table and machinability percentage; select tooling only after the actual material condition is known.
Keep the full stainless designation, carbon suffix and stabilization requirements visible. Each linked record has its own source and supplied-condition scope.