45+ Years of Stainless Casting Experience
303 Stainless Steel Investment Casting
IPC offers a seamless experience for your business in producing stainless steel castings. Our team of experts provides support from engineering and onboarding to certification, product testing, and delivery. Contact us today to see how IPC can help your business level up its production cycle.
Casting 101
About 303 Stainless Steel
303 stainless steel (aka S30300) is a non-magnetic, austenitic stainless steel containing 18% chromium and 8% nickel, making it highly corrosion-resistant and wear-resistant. 303 stainless steel contains sulfur, making it easily machinable for parts that require machining or have complex geometry, like nuts and bolts or gears. However, adding sulfur reduces its toughness compared to similar materials like 304 stainless.
Like other types of stainless steel, it is a material you can count on to stand up to harsh environments and continue performing. 303 is an excellent material for producing shafts, valve bodies, electrical components, gears, aircraft fittings, and screws.
It exhibits good toughness and excellent workability; it is also easy to weld, making it a popular choice in the manufacturing and construction industries.
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Tensile Strength MPa: 700
Yield Strength MPa: 425
Elongation: 35-60%
Hardness ~90Rb
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S30300
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303 Stainless has the following composition:
Carbon: .10%Silicon: 1.00%
Manganese: 2.00%
Phosphorus: 0.045%
Sulfur: 0.015-0.35%
Chromium: 17-19%
Nickel: 8-10%Copper: 1.0%
Nitrogen: 0.1%
Iron: Remaining balance
In the Field
What Industries Use
303 Stainless Steel Castings
303 stainless steel is known as the free machining grade of stainless steel. It is particularly valuable in industries requiring machined parts that maintain strength, wear, and corrosion resistance. Because of its machinability, it is a staple in aerospace, automotive, petrochemical, electronics, food processing, and many other industries. Below, we’ll take a quick look at just a few of its usage scenarios.
Aerospace
Machinability is king in aerospace components, and 303 stainless is often found in aircraft fittings, valves, shafts, and fasteners.
Medical
Stainless steel’s easy-to-clean nature makes it a staple in the medical industry. 303 stainless is commonly used in surgical instruments, needles, and medical devices.
Food Processing
Wear resistance and cleanliness come standard with stainless steel. 303’s machinability allows it to rapidly produce pumps, valves, conveyor components, trays, refrigeration components, and much more for the food processing industry.
Automotive
303 stainless steel is commonly used in fuel injectors, sensor housings, shafts, axels, gears, and various fasteners in the automotive industry.
Electronics
303 stainless steel is commonly used in industrial and consumer electronics because of its machinability, non-magnetic, and corrosion-resistant properties. you’ll see 303 in connectors, switches, spacers, brackets, venting elements, and other small parts.
Fasteners
Strength, corrosion resistance, and machinability make 303 Stainless an excellent choice for nuts, bolts, screws, and other fastening components.
Material Comparison
303 v 304 Stainless Steel
Both 303 and 304 stainless are part of the 300 series austenitic stainless family of alloys, meaning they share a lot of common traits and a similar makeup. What is the difference between the two? We’ll get into the basics below.
303 Stainless
Machining Minded
303 stainless steel has sulfur in its composition, allowing it to be easily machined. Typically, it is with this machining in mind that it is chosen over its 304 counterpart.
May have shorter lead times due to using machining.
303 allows very complex geometry attainable only through machining
304 Stainless
Strength and Resistance Focused
304 stainless steel isn’t as machinable as its counterpart 303, but offers higher strength, corrosion, heat, and wear resistance. If you don’t need the complexities that machining allows, cast 304 stainless steel may be a great option.
Learn more about 304 by visiting its dedicated page below!
Cost of Casting
How Expensive is 303 Stainless Steel?
In broad terms, casting with stainless steel is more expensive than using low-alloyed steel. However, when considering your parts usage scenario, you may find long-term cost savings because of the durability and wear/corrosion resistance of a stainless steel part. Like many things, nuance is king! Here are just a few things that can contribute to the cost of 303 stainless steel.
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Investment casting is typically chosen when producing a medium to large-sized volume of parts. If you are only producing a few parts, opting for machining or sand casting may provide cost savings. If you are producing a larger number of parts or require a smooth surface finish, investment casting may actually provide cost savings in the long run.
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If you need parts that are rush-produced, the machinability of 303 stainless steel may be the best option for your business. Machining can cost a premium, but for complex parts, rapidly produced machining could be the best bet for your business.
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What environment/usage scenario will your part find itself in? If you need corrosion, heat, or wear resistance, opting for stainless steel may have higher up-front costs, but the ease of maintaining your parts and fewer replacement parts required may save tons of money in the long run.
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In short, the more complex a part, the higher the cost. However, the machinability that 303 stainless steel affords can save a lot of money, cost, and headaches compared to other similar materials.
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Does your part require heat treating, painting, or other finishing work? This can also increase the end cost of producing your component.
Your Precision Casting Partner
Why Choose IPC?
With over 45 years of casting experience, top-of-the-line equipment, and tailored manufacturing solutions, you can trust us to get you across the finish line regardless of whether you have a time-tested component or are still in the development stage.
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50 Years of Casting Experience
We have a rock-solid reputation for producing quality parts and providing next-level customer service. Throughout our history, we've offered stainless steel castings for thousands of clients across dozens of industries, including petrochemical, oil and gas, medical, marine, and many more.
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Scalable Casting Solutions
Have variable production needs or a unique manufacturing challenge? Look no further! At IPC Foundry Group, we invest alongside our clients to provide a partner and service you can count on for years to come.
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24/7 Production Cycle
Utilizing our two domestic foundries and top-of-the-line automated investment casting equipment, your production cycle happens 24/7, 365. Count on shorter lead times, competitive pricing, and expertly cast parts.
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Offshoring Made Easy
Interested in offshoring your production? IPC has international partners standing by, enabling you to offshore your components while maintaining communication with our domestic team. No off-hour meetings, no language barrier, just hassle-free precision cast parts.
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All of Your Metalworking Needs in One Place
We are a one-stop shop for all your investment casting needs, from prototyping and production to machining, testing, certification, and shipping. Save time, money, and headaches by doing it all with IPC.
Casting 101
Why Investment Casting?
Precision casting allows mass production of metal parts with smooth surface finishes and less finishing work than some competitive metalworking methods. If you’re looking to produce a large volume of metal parts, investment casting is likely the most cost-effective option for your business.
Next Day Onboarding
Perfect Castings
in 3 Easy Steps
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Send us Your Part
Whether you have a time-tested component or are still in the idea stage, our team of engineers will meet you where you’re at and get you across the finish line.
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Onboarding
After getting your part production ready, we onboard your part for a full production cycle, often with the first articles completed in as little as two weeks.
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Perfect Parts, Right On Time
We understand the importance of having components ready when you need them. Our 24/7 production cycle and network of foundries ensures that you get your parts perfectly cast and delivered on time.
See the Whole Process
Follow the Casting Process from Start to Finish
Learn about investment casting by taking a virtual tour of our foundry and following a the steps a part takes from start to finish.
Disclaimer
Trust our Experts, Not just this Page
This page is designed to be a quick look at 303 stainless steel, its properties, and some of its applications. However, for your specific part and casting needs, explore each of the nuances and usage scenarios before committing to an alloy.
IPC Foundry Group has an expert team of engineers standing by to help you make the right material choice for your upcoming project, contact us today!