EN 1.4981 (X8CrNiMoNb16-16) Stainless Steel
EN 1.4981 stainless steel is an austenitic stainless steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. Cited properties are appropriate for the solution annealed (AT) condition. 1.4981 is the EN numeric designation for this material. X8CrNiMoNb16-16 is the EN chemical designation.
It has a moderately high base cost among wrought austenitic stainless steels. In addition, it has a moderately high embodied energy and a moderately low ductility.
The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare EN 1.4981 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
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
200 GPa 29 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
39 %
Fatigue Strength
210 MPa 30 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.28
Shear Modulus
77 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
420 MPa 60 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
610 MPa 88 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
240 MPa 35 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
290 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Corrosion
520 °C 960 °F
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
940 °C 1720 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1440 °C 2630 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1400 °C 2550 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
470 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
16 W/m-K 9.3 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
16 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
2.2 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
2.5 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
25 % relative
Density
7.9 g/cm3 500 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
4.8 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
67 MJ/kg 29 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
150 L/kg 18 gal/lb
Common Calculations
PREN (Pitting Resistance)
22
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
190 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
150 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
14 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
24 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
21 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
20 points
Thermal Diffusivity
4.3 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
14 points
Alloy Composition
Among wrought stainless steels, the composition of EN 1.4981 stainless steel is notable for including niobium (Nb) and containing a comparatively high amount of nickel (Ni). Niobium is primarily used to improve yield strength, particularly at elevated temperatures. Nickel is primarily used to achieve a specific microstructure. In addition, it has a beneficial effect on mechanical properties and certain types of corrosion.
| Fe | 59.6 to 66.7 | |
| Ni | 15.5 to 17.5 | |
| Cr | 15.5 to 17.5 | |
| Mo | 1.6 to 2.0 | |
| Nb | 0.4 to 1.2 | |
| Mn | 0 to 1.5 | |
| Si | 0.3 to 0.6 | |
| C | 0.040 to 0.1 | |
| P | 0 to 0.035 | |
| S | 0 to 0.015 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
EN 10302: Creep resisting steels, nickel and cobalt alloys
Welding Metallurgy and Weldability of Stainless Steels, John C. Lippold and Damian J. Kotecki, 2005
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
CRC Materials Science and Engineering Handbook, 4th ed., James F. Shackelford et al. (editors), 2015