SAE 304 stainless steel, also known as A2 stainless steel (not the same as A2 tool steel) or 18/8 stainless steel, European norm 1.4301, is the most common stainless steel. The steel contains both chromium (usually 18%) and nickel (usually 8%) metals as the main non-iron constituents. It is an austenite steel. It is not very electrically or thermally conductive, and is non-magnetic. It has a higher corrosion resistance than regular steel and is widely used because of the ease in which it is formed into various shapes. It contains 17.5-20% Chromium, 8-11% Nickel, and less than 0.08% Carbon, 2% Manganese, 1% Silicon, 0.045% Phosphorus, and 0.03% Sulfur .

304 Stainless Steel has excellent resistance to a wide range of atmospheric environments and many corrosive media. It is subject to pitting and crevice corrosion in warm chloride environments, and to stress corrosion cracking above about 60°C. It is considered resistant to potable water with up to about 200mg/L chlorides at ambient temperatures, reducing to about 150mg/L at 60°C.