317L Stainless Steel Plate

Overview of 317L Stainless Steel Plate

AISI 317L is a low-carbon, high-molybdenum austenitic stainless steel designed to provide superior resistance to chemical attack, particularly pitting and crevice corrosion in chloride-containing environments. Compared to the widely used 316L grade, 317L features a significantly higher content of molybdenum (3.0-4.0%), chromium (18.0-20.0%), and nickel (11.0-15.0%), resulting in enhanced resistance to sulfuric acid, sulfurous acid, phosphoric acid, and other acidic media. The low carbon content (≤0.030%) minimizes carbide precipitation during welding, making it suitable for heavy-gauge welded components without the need for post-weld annealing.

Widely specified for flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems, chemical and petrochemical processing equipment, pulp and paper mills, and food processing plants, 317L stainless steel plate offers a long service life in harsh environments where standard austenitic grades would fail prematurely. Compared to 316L, 317L provides a 50-70% improvement in pitting resistance and significantly lower corrosion rates in reducing acids, making it the material of choice for critical services such as sour gas scrubbers, condensers in fossil-fueled power plants, and tall oil distillation columns.

Key Features and Surface Finishes

317L stainless steel plate is manufactured through hot rolling for thicker gauges (typically over 6mm) or cold rolling for thinner sheets, followed by solution annealing at 1040-1120°C with rapid water quenching to achieve optimal corrosion resistance. The low carbon content prevents chromium carbide precipitation in the heat-affected zones of welds, ensuring maximum intergranular corrosion resistance. The high molybdenum and chromium content significantly increases the critical pitting temperature (CPT) and critical crevice temperature (CCT), making 317L suitable for use in environments with high chloride levels such as seawater and acidic brines.

The plate undergoes rigorous quality control including chemical composition verification via optical emission spectroscopy, mechanical property testing (tensile, yield, elongation, hardness), corrosion testing per ASTM G48 or customer specifications, and 100% dimensional inspection. Standard surface finishes offered include No.1 (hot rolled, annealed, descaled) for industrial vessels and structural applications, 2B (cold rolled, annealed, pickled) for a smooth matte finish, No.4 (brushed satin) for architectural or sanitary applications, and BA (bright annealed) for specialized uses. Thickness ranges from 3mm to 100mm, with widths up to 2500mm and lengths up to 12 meters, supported by in-house plasma, laser, and water-jet cutting services.

Main Applications of 317L Stainless Steel Plate

317L is the primary material for flue gas desulfurization (FGD) units in coal-fired power plants, where it resists the highly corrosive mixture of sulfurous and sulfuric acids generated during the wet scrubbing process. Chemical and petrochemical industries use 317L for reactors, heat exchangers, and storage tanks handling sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, and organic acids. The pulp and paper industry relies on 317L for digesters, bleaching equipment, and tall oil distillation units due to its resistance to acidic cooking liquors and corrosive byproducts.

Food and beverage processing plants utilize 317L for acidic food handling and sterilization equipment. Textile and dyeing industries specify 317L for equipment exposed to aggressive dyestuffs and acidic solutions. Other critical applications include offshore platform splash zone components, marine heat exchangers, pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment, and nuclear waste containment vessels where pitting and stress-corrosion cracking resistance is paramount.

Why Choose Us for 317L Stainless Steel Plate

Shandong Tanglu Metal Material Co., Ltd. supplies premium 317L stainless steel plate from ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and PED certified mills with extensive experience in corrosion-resistant alloy applications. Every 317L plate is supplied with an EN 10204 3.1 Mill Test Certificate as standard, detailing the complete chemical analysis, mechanical properties, and heat treatment condition. For safety-critical applications, we offer EN 10204 3.2 certificates with third-party witness testing by SGS, BV, or TÜV.

We offer a full thickness range from 3mm to 100mm in multiple surface finishes, with in-house fabrication capabilities including precision cutting, beveling, and edge preparation. With a robust supply capacity of 2,000 tons per month for specialty stainless steel plates, we support both urgent maintenance orders and large-scale capital projects for the power generation, chemical, and pulp & paper industries across over 50 countries. Each bundle is tagged with grade, heat number, and dimensions for full traceability, and we can arrange additional documentation including Positive Material Identification (PMI) reports upon request.