EN 1.4378 (X6CrMnNiN18-13-3) Stainless Steel
EN 1.4378 stainless steel is an austenitic stainless steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 1.4378 is the EN numeric designation for this material. X6CrMnNiN18-13-3 is the EN chemical designation.
It has a moderately low base cost among wrought austenitic stainless steels. In addition, it can have a moderately high tensile strength and has a moderately low embodied energy.
The properties of EN 1.4378 stainless steel include four common variations. This page shows summary ranges across all of them. For more specific values, follow the links immediately below. The graph bars on the material properties cards further below compare EN 1.4378 stainless steel to: wrought austenitic stainless steels (top), all iron alloys (middle), and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.
Mechanical Properties
Brinell Hardness
190 to 340
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
200 GPa 29 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
14 to 34 %
Fatigue Strength
340 to 550 MPa 50 to 80 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.28
Shear Modulus
77 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
510 to 680 MPa 73 to 99 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
760 to 1130 MPa 110 to 160 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
430 to 970 MPa 63 to 140 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
290 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Corrosion
410 °C 780 °F
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
910 °C 1660 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1390 °C 2530 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1350 °C 2450 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
480 J/kg-K 0.12 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Expansion
17 µm/m-K
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
12 % relative
Density
7.6 g/cm3 480 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
2.7 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
39 MJ/kg 17 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
150 L/kg 18 gal/lb
Common Calculations
PREN (Pitting Resistance)
23
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
150 to 220 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
470 to 2370 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
14 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
25 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
28 to 41 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
24 to 31 points
Thermal Shock Resistance
16 to 23 points
Alloy Composition
Among wrought stainless steels, the composition of EN 1.4378 stainless steel is notable for containing a comparatively high amount of manganese (Mn). Manganese is used to improve ductility at elevated temperatures. It also permits a higher nitrogen content than would otherwise be possible.
| Fe | 61.2 to 69 | |
| Cr | 17 to 19 | |
| Mn | 11.5 to 14.5 | |
| Ni | 2.3 to 3.7 | |
| Si | 0 to 1.0 | |
| N | 0.2 to 0.4 | |
| C | 0 to 0.080 | |
| P | 0 to 0.060 | |
| S | 0 to 0.030 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
Welding Metallurgy, 2nd ed., Sindo Kou, 2003
EN 10088-3: Stainless steels - Part 3: Technical delivery conditions for semi-finished products, bars, rods, wire, sections and bright products of corrosion resisting steels for general purposes
EN 10088-1: Stainless steels - Part 1: List of stainless steels
Corrosion of Austenitic Stainless Steels: Mechanism, Mitigation and Monitoring, H. S. Khatak and B. Raj (editors), 2002
Austenitic Stainless Steels: Microstructure and Mechanical Properties, P. Marshall, 1984
Properties and Selection: Irons, Steels and High Performance Alloys, ASM Handbook vol. 1, ASM International, 1993
Advances in Stainless Steels, Baldev Raj et al. (editors), 2010