Material difference: The nickel content of 202 stainless steel is generally below 4%, and the manganese content is about 8%, which is a low-nickel and high-manganese stainless steel. The nickel content of 201 stainless steel is even lower, and it may replace part or all of the nickel with manganese and nitrogen elements to form ferrite, which may lead to its low corrosion resistance.
Corrosion resistance: 202 stainless steel can resist corrosion from a variety of media and is suitable for various types of building decoration, such as highway guardrails. In contrast, although 201 stainless steel also has certain corrosion resistance, it is mainly used to produce various high-density, pinhole-free products such as watch cases and watch straps due to its acid and alkali resistance.
Application areas: 202 stainless steel is widely used in building decoration, municipal engineering, highway guardrails, hotel facilities, shopping malls, glass handrails, public facilities and other places, mainly due to its good corrosion resistance and high temperature resistance. 201 stainless steel is suitable for making decorative pipes, shallow-drawn products, etc. due to its high density and acid and alkali resistance.
Chemical composition and mechanical properties: From the perspective of chemical composition, 202 stainless steel contains about 1% more manganese and 3% more nickel than 201, which makes it slightly better in mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. However, the essential difference between the two stainless steels in corrosion resistance is not much.
In summary, the choice of using 201 or 202 stainless steel depends on the specific application requirements and environmental conditions. For applications that require good corrosion resistance, 202 stainless steel is a more suitable choice, while 201 stainless steel is suitable for making precision products such as watch cases and watch straps due to its high density and acid and alkali resistance.