---
title: "Stainless steel 304 — density, melting point and properties"
description: "Stainless steel 304 has a density of 8,000 kg/m³. Melting point, strength, conductivity, what it is used for, and whether it floats, rusts or is magnetic."
url: https://atoneplace.net/material/stainless-304/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Stainless steel 304

**Density of stainless steel 304: 8,000 kg/m³**

8.00 g/cm³ · 499.4 lb/ft³

The workhorse stainless: 18% chromium, 8% nickel, non-magnetic as supplied, and about 90% of the stainless you meet indoors. Its thermal conductivity is 16 W/(m·K) against mild steel's 50, which is why a stainless pan has hot spots and why stainless is slow and grabby to machine — the heat stays in the cutting edge. It expands about 45% more than carbon steel per degree, so mixed-metal assemblies and stainless-lined chimneys need that designed in.

## Properties

- **Density:** 8,000 kg/m³ — 8.00 g/cm³
- **Melting range:** 1400–1455 °C
- **Tensile strength:** 515–750 MPa
- **Young's modulus:** 193 GPa
- **Thermal conductivity:** 16.2 W/(m·K)
- **Thermal expansion:** 17.3 µm/(m·K)
- **Floats in water:** No
- **Magnetic:** No

## What it is used for

- Sinks, kitchen worktops and catering equipment
- Food and brewing vessels
- Balustrades and architectural trim
- Domestic cutlery and cookware

## How it compares

*Water is 1,000 kg/m³. Anything with a shorter bar than water floats in it.*

- air: 1.2 kg/m³
- expanded polystyrene foam: 20 kg/m³
- rigid polyurethane foam: 40 kg/m³
- Water — the float line: 1,000 kg/m³
- stainless steel 304: 8,000 kg/m³
- tungsten: 19,250 kg/m³
- gold: 19,300 kg/m³
- platinum: 21,450 kg/m³

*Water is 1,000 kg/m³. Anything below that floats.*

| Material | Density | Relative to water |
| --- | --- | --- |
| rigid polyurethane foam | 40 kg/m³ | 0.04× |
| expanded polystyrene foam | 20 kg/m³ | 0.02× |
| air | 1.2 kg/m³ | 0.00× |
| stainless steel 304 ← | 8,000 kg/m³ | 8.00× |
| platinum | 21,450 kg/m³ | 21.45× |
| gold | 19,300 kg/m³ | 19.30× |
| tungsten | 19,250 kg/m³ | 19.25× |

## Does it rust?

Not under normal conditions. The chromium content — at least 10.5% — forms a thin, self-repairing chromium oxide layer that seals the surface. It can still corrode where that layer is starved of oxygen or attacked: crevices, chloride exposure and contamination by ordinary steel particles all cause it. 316 resists chlorides considerably better than 304.

## Is it magnetic?

Austenitic stainless — the 300 series — is not magnetic in its annealed state, because its crystal structure is face-centred cubic rather than body-centred. Cold working can make it slightly magnetic at bends and cut edges. This is why a fridge magnet cannot tell you whether something is stainless: the 400-series grades are strongly magnetic and equally stainless.

## Common questions

### What is the density of stainless steel 304?

8,000 kg/m³, or 8.00 g/cm³.

### Does stainless steel 304 float?

No. At 8,000 kg/m³ it is denser than water.

### Is stainless steel 304 magnetic?

Austenitic stainless — the 300 series — is not magnetic in its annealed state, because its crystal structure is face-centred cubic rather than body-centred. Cold working can make it slightly magnetic at bends and cut edges. This is why a fridge magnet cannot tell you whether something is stainless: the 400-series grades are strongly magnetic and equally stainless.

## Related pages

- [Does stainless steel 304 float?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-float/stainless-304/)
- [Mild steel](https://atoneplace.net/material/mild-steel/)
- [Brass](https://atoneplace.net/material/brass/)
- [Gray cast iron](https://atoneplace.net/material/cast-iron/)
- [High-carbon steel](https://atoneplace.net/material/carbon-steel/)
- [Stainless steel 316](https://atoneplace.net/material/stainless-316/)
- [Aluminum 6061](https://atoneplace.net/material/aluminum-6061/)
- [Bronze](https://atoneplace.net/material/bronze/)
- [Aluminum 7075](https://atoneplace.net/material/aluminum-7075/)

## Sources

- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)