304 vs 316 vs 430 Stainless Steel: What the Differences Actually Are
Ask three suppliers what separates 304 from 316 and you will often get the same answer: "316 is better". That is not an explanation, and it leads buyers to two opposite mistakes — paying for 316 where 304 would have outlasted the product, or specifying 304 in a chloride environment where it fails in months.
The real difference comes down to three things: which crystal structure the steel has, how much nickel and molybdenum it contains, and what that does to corrosion resistance. Everything else follows.