Duplex 2205 vs 316L Stainless Steel – What’s the Difference?

Duplex 2205 stainless steel and 316L stainless steel are both important members of the stainless steel family, and each has wide applications in many fields. However, despite their belonging to the stainless steel family, there are some important differences between them. So, duplex 2205 vs 316L stainless steel – What’s the difference? In this article, we will explore the differences between duplex 2205 stainless steel and 316L stainless steel in depth, helping you better understand their properties so that you can make more informed choices in various application scenarios.

Duplex 2205 vs 316L Stainless Steel – What’s the Difference?

Duplex 2205 vs 316L Stainless Steel – Properties and Application Fields:

2205 stainless steel is a duplex stainless steel consisting of 21% chromium, 2.5% molybdenum, and 4.5% nickel-nitrogen alloy. It has high strength, good impact toughness, and good overall and local stress corrosion resistance. Its solid solution structure consists of approximately half ferrite and half austenite phases, with a minimum phase content of 30%. 2205 stainless steel is mainly used in pressure vessels, high-pressure storage tanks, high-pressure pipelines, heat exchangers, oil and gas pipelines, sewage treatment systems, pulp and paper industry classifiers, bleaching equipment, storage and processing systems, and other fields.

316L stainless steel is a type of austenitic stainless steel containing 2-3% molybdenum, which provides excellent corrosion resistance. It is a derivative of 18-8 austenitic stainless steel with a carbon content below 0.03%, and has good resistance to sensitized intergranular corrosion. 316L stainless steel is mainly used in printing and dyeing equipment, seawater corrosion-resistant facilities, food processing equipment, and other fields.

Duplex 2205 vs 316L Stainless Steel – Advantages and Disadvantages:

Compared with 316L stainless steel, 2205 duplex stainless steel has the following advantages: higher yield strength, which can reduce the wall thickness of structural components or pipelines, and reduce costs. It has strong resistance to stress corrosion cracking, especially in marine environments containing chloride ions, which is superior to austenitic stainless steel.

In many media, its corrosion resistance is better than that of common 316L stainless steel, and it can even replace austenitic stainless steel or corrosion-resistant alloys. It has better resistance to corrosion and fatigue wear than 316L stainless steel. Its linear expansion coefficient is low, close to that of carbon steel, and suitable for connection with carbon steel. Under static or dynamic load conditions, it has higher energy absorption capacity, which has obvious advantages for structural components or pipelines in dealing with sudden occurrences such as impact or explosion.

Compared with 2205 duplex stainless steel, 316L stainless steel has the following advantages: it is more widely used and versatile. For example, under conditions where the application medium temperature must be controlled below 250 degrees for a long time, only 316L stainless steel can be used. It has high ductility and good cold and hot processing performance. It has good welding performance and does not require heat treatment or special control.

However, compared with 316L stainless steel, 2205 duplex stainless steel has the following disadvantages: it has medium temperature brittleness, and the heat treatment and welding process system need to be strictly controlled to avoid the emergence of harmful phases and damage performance. Its welding performance is poor, and its resistance to intergranular corrosion is weak.

Compared with 2205 duplex stainless steel, 316L stainless steel has the following disadvantages: its yield strength is low, the wall thickness of structural components or pipelines is thicker, and the cost is higher. Its resistance to stress corrosion cracking is weak, especially in marine environments containing chloride ions, where stress corrosion cracking is prone to occur.

In many media, its corrosion resistance is inferior to that of 2205 duplex stainless steel, and it requires the use of higher-grade stainless steel or corrosion-resistant alloys. Its resistance to corrosion and fatigue wear is poorer than that of 2205 duplex stainless steel. Its linear expansion coefficient is high, which is different from that of carbon steel, and it is prone to stress during connection. Under static or dynamic load conditions, its energy absorption capacity is low, which has disadvantages for structural components or pipelines in dealing with sudden occurrences such as impact or explosion.

Conclusion

2205 stainless steel and 316L stainless steel are two different stainless steel materials with their own advantages and disadvantages, suitable for different environments and fields. When choosing which stainless steel to use, it is necessary to consider the following factors, including the temperature, pressure, and medium conditions of the application.

Thank you for reading our article and we hope it can help you to have a better understanding of the differences between duplex 2205 vs 316L stainless steel. If you want to learn more about stainless steel, we would like to advise you to visit Sino Stainless Steel for more information.

As a leading supplier of stainless steel products across the world, Sino Stainless Steel offers customers high-quality stainless steel products such as stainless steel strips, stainless steel coils, stainless steel plates, stainless steel sheets, stainless steel bars, and stainless steel tubes at a very competitive price.