HPS Tubing

MKS, HPS Products

5330 Sterling Drive
Boulder, CO 80301
Tel: (800) 345-1967
Tel: (303) 449-9861
Fax: (303) 442-6880
www.mksinst.com

HPS Series 23 with CF fittings

304 vs. 316

Stainless Steel
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n recent years we have .
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received several inquir - .
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ies about components .
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made of 304 vs. 316
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stainless steel. There are
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many issues involved in the ..
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question of the advantages
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and disadvantages of 304 and ..
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316 components.
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316 stainless has 2% to
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2.5% molybdenum compared ..
to 304, which has about 0.5%. .
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316 has slightly more nickel .
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and slightly less chromium
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than 304. The result of these ..
slight differences in chemical ..
composition is that 316 stain- ..
less steel is substantially more ..
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resistant to corrosion.
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316 stainless
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generally costs 25 - 35% ..
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more than 304
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In terms of machinability, ..
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weldability, particle genera.
tion and vacuum properties, .
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there are no real differences .
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between 316 and 304. In all

other technical respects that
are of interest to our customers, 316 & 304 are identical.
316 stainless generally
costs 25%-35% more than
304. 316 is not as readily
available in as wide a variety
of sizes, forms, and surface
finishes as 304. Since neither
we, nor our suppliers gener
ally stock 316 stainless, due to
the low demand for this material, the delivery times for
products made with 316 are
much longer than those for
their counterparts. Also because of the small demand for
316 components, a special
setup is required to machine
the 316 flanges used with
these components, although
the actual machining time is
the same as for 304. Since the
order quantities for the 316
components are usually
small, this setup time significantly increases the overall
cost per part.
For some applications customers request low carbon
content steel, which is reContinued on Page 2

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Ferrite
Numbers

errite number is a
standardized value,
designating the ferrite content of
stainless steel weld metal.
Ferrite number is a measure
of one particular type of iron
crystalline structure in
stainless steel, and for our
purposes reflects the weldability of the steel.

. . . ferrite can control

hot cracking which
leads to welds with
better vacuum
integrity.
From a vacuum perspective, ferrite number effects
stainless steel mostly in the
welding process. Hot cracking, also called microfissuring, occurs before the weld
cools to room temperature.
During welding the rapid
heating and cooling traps
ferrite in the structure at the
weld. Weld metal with a ferrite number less than 3 is
considerably more susceptible to hot cracking than
weld metal with ferrite
number greater than 5. At
ferrite numbers from 3 to 8,
ferrite can control hot cracking which leads to welds
with better vacuum integrity. Also from a vacuum
standpoint increased ferrite
may improve resistance to
stress corrosion.
At MKS, ferrite numbers
are calculated for all stainless steel material used in
our components. The material certifications, which
MKS receives with all plate
and tube, give a chemical
analysis of the stainless
steel, from which we calculate the ferrite number.
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Continued on Page 2

304: continued from Page 1

ferred to as 304L or 316L.
304L and 316L have carbon
contents of 0.03% in compari
son to the 0.08% in regular
304 and 316. When welding
stainless, there is a narrow
zone called the HAZ-Heat af
fected zone, where there is-in
tergranular precipitation of
chromium carbides. When in
tergranular chromium car
bides are precipitate at the
weld joint, resistance to inter
granular corrosion and stress
corrosion decreases. This -in
tergranular precipitation of
chromium carbide is reduced
HPS Tubing is available in a variety of types and sizes.

by using 304L or 316L low

carbon content stainless steel.
MKS has a long history of
successfully using and selling
304 stainless steel compo
nents.We believe that our 304
stainless steel components
provide the best combination
of performance, reliability,
cost, and availability.
HPS standard products are
made with 304 stainless steel,
however we have and can sup
ply 316, 304L, or 316L stain
less steel components when
the customers application
warrants the extra cost and
lengthened delivery time.

Ferrite: continued from Page 1

Usually plate has a lower
ferrite number, typically 3 to
5, since it is easier to roll.
Seamed tubing usually has a
higher ferrite number, typically 5 to 8, since it is welded
at the seam. For vacuum com
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ponents, flanges are usually

welded to tube, the lower ferrite of the parts made from
plate mixes with the higher
ferrite number from the tube
to give a vacuum weld of high
integrity. If the components

made from plate have a ferrite

number of less than 3, and we
attempt to weld to stainless
steel tubing with a ferrite
number less than 5, some hot
cracking may occur leading to
an unsatisfactory vacuum

connection. MKS has found

that by monitoring ferrite
numbers and controlling
welding parameters, we
achieve excellent control over
the quality of our welds.

Seamed vs. seamless tubing

e h a v e r e-ceived several
inquiries about
seamless
stainless steel tubing. There
are many issues involved in
the question of the advantages
and disadvantages of seamed
and seamless tubing. While
this is not intended to be a de
finitive treatise on the topic,
it covers some of the issues
involved.
Seamed tubing is made
from stainless steel sheets that
are formed into a tube shape
and then welded along the
area of overlap or abutment.
This welded area is the
"seam" in seamed tubing.
Seamless tubing is made by
extruding stainless steel into a
tube shape so that there is no
welded seam. In order to have

the needed properties for the

extrusion process, stainless
steel must be formulated with
a lower ferrite number than
stainless steel which is used to

Seamless tubing generally

costs two to four times more
than seamed tubing in sizes up
to two inches and is more than
four times expensive in sizes
of three inches or more. Since
neither we nor our suppliers
. . . if the purpose of
generally stock seamless tubswitching from
ing, due to the low demand for
seamed to seamless
this material, the delivery
times for products made with
tubing is to reduce
seamless tubing are signifithe possibility of
cantly longer than those for
leaks, you may
their seamed counterparts
actually achieve the
In light of this, you must
consider
that if the purpose of
opposite result . . .
switching from seamed to
seamless tubing is to reduce
make seamed tubing. This the possibility of leaks, you
lower ferrite number in- may actually achieve the opcreases the possibility of hot posite result, while raising
cracking and leaking in weld costs and increasing delivery
j o i n t s , w h i c h a r e s u b- times.
sequently made for connec
tion of the tubing.

MKS has a long history of

successfully using seamed
tubing and selling it alone and
incorporated into our fabricated products. Our tubing
meets the standards of ASTM
269, which specifies eddy
current testing of all tubing to
ensure seam integrity. We believe that our seamed stainless
steel tubing, and the products
that we fabricate from it, provide the best combination of
weld joint integrity, cost and
availability.
HPS standard products are
made with seamed tubing,
however we have and can supply seamless tubing when the
customers application warrants the extra cost and lengthened delivery time.