Stainless Steel 1.4301: Material Number, Properties

A technical drawing from your new supplier simply reads "1.4301." The sales rep on the phone calls the same material "V2A." Both labels refer to the same steel, but only a buyer who can actually read the material number knows what they're ordering and whether it fits the application.

In brief: The material number 1.4301 identifies an austenitic chromium-nickel steel containing 17.5 to 19.5% chromium and 8.0 to 10.5% nickel, known by its short name X5CrNi18-10 or the trade name V2A. It cannot be hardened, is non-magnetic in the annealed state, and welds very well. What sets it apart from related grades such as 1.4401 is the absence of molybdenum, which makes it unsuitable for seawater or chloride-rich environments. Its price also carries a monthly alloy surcharge tied to chromium and nickel.

What Is a Material Number?

A material number is the unique, EU-wide standardized code for a material under EN 10027-2, built on the pattern main group number.steel group number+sequence number (Wikipedia, Werkstoffnummer). Every number for steel starts with the digit 1, followed by a two-digit steel group number and a further two-digit sequence number, which can be extended by up to two more digits if needed.

Alongside the material number, EN 10027-1 defines a second, parallel system: the chemical short name. It spells out the composition directly in letters and figures, so you don't need to look up a reference table at all (stauberstahl.com, short names for steels).

The short name X5CrNi18-10, the designation for 1.4301, illustrates how the system works. The X at the start marks a high-alloy steel, one where at least one element exceeds a 5% share. The 5 that follows gives the carbon content, multiplied by a factor of 100, so 0.05% carbon. Cr and Ni denote the two dominant alloying elements, chromium and nickel, and the numbers 18 and 10 give their approximate percentage content, roughly 18% chromium and 10% nickel.

For procurement teams, it pays to know both systems side by side. The material number is compact and unambiguous for orders, while the short name reveals the alloy logic at a glance. Anyone comparing parts across different steel grades will run into this dual logic constantly.

Sourcing from the Far East adds another layer to this. Manufacturers there often work primarily with their own national standards, and those don't always translate cleanly into the European material number. Naming the European material number and short name explicitly on the order rules out mix-ups from diverging national classifications and keeps the buyer independent of the supplier's own translation of the spec.

What Does the Material Number 1.4301 Mean?

The material number 1.4301 identifies an austenitic chromium-nickel stainless steel with 17.5 to 19.5% chromium, 8.0 to 10.5% nickel, and a maximum of 0.07% carbon (stauberstahl.com, material data sheet 1.4301; Klöckner facts, material 1.4301). Its most common trade name is V2A.

The short name X5CrNi18-10 sums up exactly these figures, as explained above. Chromium forms a thin, self-healing passive layer on the surface, the basic mechanism behind stainless steel's corrosion resistance in general. Nickel additionally stabilizes the austenitic structure and improves toughness, even at low temperatures.

The name V2A traces back historically to "Versuchsschmelze 2, Austenit" (experimental melt 2, austenite), covered further in the history section below. In everyday use, the material number and the trade name are treated as interchangeable. On binding orders and drawings, though, the material number should always be the reference, since it's unambiguously standardized and rules out confusion with similar grades.

What Properties Does 1.4301 Have?

1.4301 is an austenitic stainless steel with a tensile strength of 500 to 700 N/mm², one that cannot be hardened through heat treatment but welds very well (Klöckner facts, material 1.4301). That combination makes it one of the most widely processed stainless grades in the world.

The table below summarizes the key mechanical and physical properties, as listed in standard material data sheets for the annealed delivery condition.

The austenitic structure explains two practically relevant properties at once. Because its crystal lattice doesn't transform into a harder phase through heating and cooling, 1.4301 stays non-magnetic as delivered and only gains strength through cold work, such as rolling or drawing.

How Does 1.4301 Compare to 1.4305, 1.4401, and 1.4404?

1.4301 differs from 1.4305 through the absence of a deliberate sulfur addition, and from 1.4401/1.4404 through the absence of molybdenum, each with direct consequences for machinability and corrosion resistance (weltstahl.com, material data sheet 1.4401; Grimm Edelstahlhandel, material data sheet 1.4305). All four grades are close chemical relatives, but they are not interchangeable alternatives.

1.4305 shares the same base alloy as 1.4301 but adds 0.15 to 0.35% sulfur. That addition significantly improves machinability on turned parts, but it lowers corrosion resistance compared with 1.4301 (Grimm Edelstahlhandel, material data sheet 1.4305). For parts where corrosion resistance matters more than fast machining, 1.4301 remains the right choice.

1.4401 and 1.4404, jointly known by the trade name V4A, add 2.0 to 2.5% molybdenum alongside a slightly lower chromium share of 16.5 to 18.5% and a higher nickel share of 10.0 to 13.0% (weltstahl.com, material data sheet 1.4401). Molybdenum specifically stabilizes the passive layer against chloride attack, protecting against pitting and crevice corrosion, which is why V4A, unlike V2A, holds up in seawater and heavily chloride-laden environments.

The table below sets all four grades side by side.

We regularly see inquiries from German Mittelstand buyers where 1.4301 and 1.4401 are treated as interchangeable on the same drawing, usually because both are labeled "stainless steel" and look identical to the eye. The moment a part meets cleaning agents, saline solution, or a marine environment, though, the missing molybdenum in 1.4301 shows up fast as pitting corrosion, a gap that a cheaper quote never flags on its own.

What Is the Alloy Surcharge on 1.4301?

The alloy surcharge is a pricing component kept separate from the base steel price, tying raw material costs for chromium, nickel, titanium, molybdenum, and niobium to their respective London Metal Exchange quotes in US dollars and recalculating them monthly (Wikipedia, Legierungszuschlag). It's determined separately for each material number and each product form.

Since October 1, 2007, the monthly calculation has factored in only the previous month's price movement, a methodological shift that made surcharges somewhat more predictable than before (Wikipedia, Legierungszuschlag). For 1.4301, that has a concrete implication: the grade contains chromium and nickel, so it's directly exposed to swings in those two commodities. Molybdenum plays no role for 1.4301, unlike for 1.4401 or 1.4404, whose surcharge also tracks the molybdenum price.

For buyers, this means two quotes with an identical base price can still land at different totals depending on the order date, simply because the alloy surcharge shifts from one month to the next. We cover how to make these variable cost components fully transparent in our article on open-book pricing, a method built precisely for this kind of variable cost element.

In our sourcing projects involving 1.4301 parts, we disclose the alloy surcharge separately from the manufacturing price as a standard practice. That way, our customers can see at a glance which share of a price change actually stems from raw material markets and which share is still open to negotiation.

What Is 1.4301 Typically Used For?

1.4301 is regarded as the first commercially produced stainless steel (montanstahl.com, history of stainless steel), and it still accounts for roughly a third of stainless steel production today (Wikipedia, Rostfreier Stahl). That market position stems from its broad usability at moderate cost.

The grade was invented by Prof. Benno Strauß and Dr. Eduard Maurer at Friedrich Krupp AG, and patented on October 18, 1912 (montanstahl.com, history of stainless steel). The name V2A originally stood for "Versuchsschmelze 2, Austenit" (experimental melt 2, austenite), one of several early test batches whose label stuck in industry usage to this day.

Typical application fields for 1.4301 include, per thyssenkrupp-schulte.de and Klöckner's material facts on 1.4301:

• Food industry: work surfaces, containers, and conveying equipment with direct food contact

• Beverage industry: tanks, piping, and bottling equipment

• Kitchen equipment: sinks, worktops, and housings for domestic and commercial kitchens

• Architecture and facades: railings, cladding, and outdoor facade elements

• Chemical processing: components without heavy chloride exposure

• Household appliances: housings and internal parts for electrical devices

Across all these fields, 1.4301 wins out through its combination of solid corrosion resistance, easy cleanability, and very good weldability, without incurring the added cost of a molybdenum-alloyed chromium-nickel steel where it isn't needed.

That widespread use also shapes sourcing itself. Because nearly every stainless steel processor worldwide works with 1.4301, lead times and minimum order quantities are often easier to negotiate than for rarer, molybdenum-alloyed grades. For parts without a specific need for chloride resistance, that practical availability deserves just as much weight in the material decision as the technical specifications alone.

Frequently Asked Questions About 1.4301

Is 1.4301 magnetic?

In the annealed delivery condition, 1.4301 is practically non-magnetic, but it can become mildly magnetic after cold forming operations like bending or deep drawing, or locally around weld seams. The effect usually stays confined to the deformed or heated zones.

Can you harden 1.4301?

No, 1.4301 can't be hardened through conventional heat treatment, since its austenitic structure doesn't transform into a harder phase during that process. A strength increase is only possible via cold working, such as rolling or drawing.

Is 1.4301 the same as V4A?

No, V4A refers to material numbers 1.4401 and 1.4404, which additionally contain 2.0 to 2.5% molybdenum. 1.4301 is V2A and contains no molybdenum, which is why the two grades suit different operating environments.

Is 1.4301 seawater-resistant?

No, 1.4301 isn't suitable for seawater or heavily chloride-laden environments, because it lacks the stabilizing effect of molybdenum. For those applications, 1.4401 or 1.4404 are the right choice.

Can you weld 1.4301?

Yes, 1.4301 welds very well, both with and without filler metal. Its austenitic structure stays largely stable during welding, which is why the grade also suits complex welded assemblies.

Conclusion: Reading 1.4301 Correctly and Ordering the Right Material Number

The material number 1.4301 stands for a proven, broadly usable chromium-nickel stainless steel with clearly defined limits: no protection against chlorides, no hardening through heat treatment. Buyers who know those limits and weigh them against the part's full lifecycle cost, as described in our article on total cost of ownership, make an economically sound choice that goes beyond the lowest purchase price.

In the end, what matters on the order is the unambiguous combination of material number, short name, and, where relevant, the current alloy surcharge. Only that combination allows a genuine comparison between two quotes, regardless of whether the manufacturing partner is based in Europe or the Far East. Asking only for "V2A" or "stainless steel" risks receiving a different grade than the one actually required, without anyone noticing.

Line Up has supported German Mittelstand companies in sourcing metal components from the Far East for more than 30 years, from choosing the right material grade to keeping alloy surcharges transparent in the final calculation. If you're looking for a manufacturing partner who handles 1.4301 with confidence and reliably delivers on that material number in actual production quality, we're glad to discuss your specific requirement.

👉 Book a free consultation now and let's work out together which material number and which manufacturing partner fit your part.