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Recently, 304L stainless steel plates have attracted much attention in the stainless steel material market. Its wide application in many fields and new market trends have triggered heated discussions inside and outside the industry.

As an ultra-low carbon austenitic stainless steel, 304L stainless steel stands out among many materials with its unique chemical composition and excellent performance. Its carbon content is extremely low, generally not exceeding 0.03%, which further improves its intergranular corrosion resistance on the basis of the excellent characteristics of 304 stainless steel. In terms of alloying elements, about 18% of chromium (Cr) and 8% of nickel (Ni) form a stable austenitic structure. The chromium element forms a dense oxide film on the surface of the steel plate, which effectively blocks the erosion of oxygen, water vapor and various corrosive media, giving the 304L stainless steel plate excellent corrosion resistance. Whether in a general atmospheric environment or a mild acid-base environment, it can remain stable for a long time; the nickel element enhances the toughness and machinability of the material, allowing the 304L stainless steel plate to perform well in cold and hot processing, and can be easily made into products of various complex shapes.

Judging from market data, the price trend of 304L stainless steel plate has fluctuated significantly recently. According to industry monitoring data, as of June 11, the cold-rolled price of 304 in Wuxi Hongwang was 12,800 yuan/ton, up 100 yuan/ton from the previous day; the cold-rolled price of 304 in Foshan Hongwang was 12,900 yuan/ton, flat from the previous day; the basis was 370 yuan/ton, down 40 yuan/ton from the previous day. Price fluctuations are affected by many factors. On the raw material side, nickel ore, as a key raw material for 304L stainless steel, has a direct impact on prices due to its supply. The impact of weather in the Philippines has weakened, and loading efficiency has rebounded. 1.3% nickel ore is mostly traded at FOB36; the domestic trade benchmark price of Indonesian nickel ore in June fell by about US$0.02, with a premium of +26-28. The overall price remained flat from the previous month, but the supply of nickel ore is still tight. The price of nickel iron remains stable. A steel plant in South China purchased thousands of tons of high-nickel iron at a price of 940 yuan/nickel, with a delivery date of July. The iron plant purchased at a low price, and the downstream had a strong willingness to reduce production. The price of ferrochrome fluctuated little, the factory had a low willingness to adjust the price, and traders sold more goods at low prices. On the supply side, 43 domestic stainless steel plants are expected to produce 3.3623 million tons of crude steel in June, a month-on-month decrease of 2.91% and a year-on-year increase of 2.24%; among them, 300 series (including 304L, etc.) was 1.7912 million tons, a month-on-month increase of 0.36% and a year-on-year increase of 8.35%. The output in May was 3.4629 million tons, a month-on-month decrease of 1.13% and a year-on-year increase of 4.94%. On the demand side, although the downstream has entered the off-season and procurement is flat, due to its wide range of applications, rigid demand still exists. In terms of social inventory, as of June 6, the social inventory of 300 series in Wuxi and Foshan was 520,200 tons, a weekly increase of 9,300 tons; on June 10, the futures inventory was 120,039 tons, a weekly decrease of 9,651 tons.

In the application field, 304L stainless steel plate continues to show strong adaptability and importance. In the construction industry, it is often used for building decoration, such as curtain walls, railings, handrails, etc. Its beautiful, durable, easy to clean and maintain characteristics are in line with the pursuit of high-quality appearance and long service life of modern buildings; in the field of food processing, from food production equipment to storage containers, transportation pipelines, etc., 304L stainless steel plates meet food hygiene and safety standards, will not cause pollution to food, and have strong corrosion resistance, which can ensure stable operation in complex food processing environments such as humidity and acid-base alternation; in the medical industry, some medical devices and hospital facilities also use 304L stainless steel plates, such as auxiliary parts of surgical instruments, medical carts, etc. Its good biocompatibility and easy disinfection characteristics ensure the safety and hygiene of the medical process.

It is worth mentioning that some recent innovative applications and technological breakthroughs have injected new vitality into the 304L stainless steel plate industry. Chen Aiying's team at Shanghai University of Technology improved the corrosion resistance of austenitic stainless steel (including 304L) printed by selective laser melting (SLM) through surface mechanical rolling treatment (SMRT), making it more suitable for the harsh environment of fuel cells. In the electrochemical test simulating the working environment of fuel cells, the corrosion potential of the samples treated by SMRT was significantly improved, and the Cr₂O₃ content in the passivation film increased, which effectively slowed down the corrosion. In terms of process optimization, more and more companies have improved the smelting and rolling processes to improve the yield rate of 304L stainless steel plates, reduce production costs, and enhance market competitiveness. For example, Wugang has thoroughly implemented relevant work plans, formulated and optimized the smelting process for the special requirements of 304L stainless steel with low carbon content and high tensile strength, and successfully developed and produced high-end new varieties of 304L stainless steel.

However, the development of the industry also faces challenges. In the international market, trade frictions occur from time to time. For example, Brazil once made an affirmative final ruling on countervailing duties on Indonesian 304 stainless steel cold-rolled plates (including variants such as 304L), and decided to impose an 18.79% countervailing duty on the Indonesian products involved based on the CIF price (cost, insurance and freight) for 5 years. This brings cost pressure and market uncertainty to related import and export companies. At the same time, as various industries continue to increase their requirements for material performance, 304L stainless steel plates need to further improve their performance when facing some extreme environments and high-performance demand scenarios, such as stability and reliability under special working conditions such as high temperature, high pressure, and strong corrosion.

Looking to the future, with the continuous advancement of science and technology, 304L stainless steel plates are expected to expand their applications in emerging fields. For example, in the new energy industry, if 304L stainless steel plates can be used on a large scale in hydrogen fuel cell bipolar plates (after special treatment to improve performance), it will bring new opportunities for its development; in high-end manufacturing industries, such as aerospace parts manufacturing, if relevant technical difficulties are overcome and lightweight applications of 304L stainless steel plates are achieved, product performance and competitiveness will be improved. At the same time, companies in the industry need to strengthen technological innovation, improve product quality and performance, actively respond to external challenges such as trade frictions, and jointly promote the steady progress of the 304L stainless steel plate industry.