302 Stainless Steel Overview 

302 Stainless Steel is a slightly higher carbon version of type 304 Stainless Steel.  Type 302 (T302) is more corrosion resistant than Type 301 (T301) stainless steel due to a higher nickel content. Type 302, the general-purpose stainless alloy, is 18% chromium and 8% nickel.  Type 302 cannot be hardened by heat treatment and is slightly magnetic after cold working.  It welds easily.  

T302 Stainless Steel Standard Tempers: 

•  ¼ Hard 
• ½ Hard 
• ¾ Hard 
• Full Hard 
• Soft Annealed  

Chemical Analysis 

Carbon –  .15 Max.  
Manganese –  2.00 Max.  
Silicon –  .750 Max.  
Phosphorus –  .040 Max.  
Sulfur –  .030 Max.  
Chromium –  17.00/19.00 
Nickel –  8.00/10.00 

T302 Tempers in Detail:

1/4 Hard 

¼ Hard Type 302 Stainless Steel Strip (approximately Rockwell C25/C30) differs from Soft Temper T302 Stainless Strip Steel only in hardness. This added hardness or stiffness makes it possible to use in place of somewhat thicker material in numerous applications. It can be stamped, blanked, formed and lightly drawn. It does not work harden as quickly as T301.  

1/2 Hard 

½ Hard Type 302 Stainless Steel Strip has been accurately cold rolled to its half hard condition (Rockwell – approx. C30-35), ready for stamping, blanking or forming. Its higher nickel content causes it to work harden less rapidly than T301 and its higher percentage of chromium makes for greater corrosion and heat resistance. 

Note – The AISI Stainless Manual does not show tensile, yield or elongation for this temper.

3/4 Hard 

¾ Hard Type 302 Stainless Steel Strip at approximate Rockwell of C-35/40 is stocked alongside of its 3/4 Hard counterpart in T301. T302 Stainless Steel is characterized as possessing somewhat less hardness, toughness, elongation and spring back than same temper T301. However, T302 is easier to form and has greater heat and corrosion resistance. Both T301 and T302 have their place in the Austenitic family of hard rolled tempers.  The temper selection choice will depend on the degree of forming required to do the job at hand or to the specifications.  

Full Hard  

Full Hard Type 302 Stainless Steel Strip has Rockwell of approximately C-40/45. This is the most often used temper in the Type 302 grade, with wide applications for spring clips, washers, retainers, etc.  

Note – The AISI Stainless Manual does not show tensile, yield or elongation for Type 302.  

 Soft Annealed

Annealed Type 302 Stainless Steel Strip (Rockwell B87 Max) is the basic and most widely used of all the Chrome-Nickel steels. It is recognized as the best all-purpose drawing and forming quality type in this stainless group with mechanical and forming qualities intermediate to Types 301 and 304. Type 302 offers the benefits and avoids the shortcomings of both of these types.  

Applications

Type 302 applications are wide and various including formed products, drawn parts, flexible metal hose, household appliances, certain spinning operations, tubing and countless other stainless fabricated parts. 

Gibbs Interwire stocks T-302 / 304 Stainless in gauges from .002 to .062 precision slit to widths from .024″ wide. 

View a small portion of our capabilities and inventory here, or request a quote today!