304 Stainless Steel Shafts

Corrosion-resistant stainless for FDA/USDA environments — the food and sanitary standard.

At a glance

Stocked condition	Cold finished
Machinability	Fair — gummy, work-hardens while cutting
Weldability	Excellent
Corrosion resistance	Very good — food, sanitary, and general wet service
Hardening	Not heat-treatable (austenitic)
Density (nominal)	0.290 lb/in³
Food contact	Yes — the food-equipment standard
Magnetic	Essentially non-magnetic (slightly magnetic from cold work)

304 is the world's default stainless and the baseline for food, beverage, dairy, and pharma equipment: clean corrosion resistance, no free-machining additives to raise questions at audit time, and full weldability for sanitary assemblies.

It is tougher to machine than 303 — austenitic stainless work-hardens as it is cut — which makes 304 parts cost more machine time. Specify it when the environment or the compliance checklist requires it; otherwise 303 delivers the same service in general wet duty for less.

Configure a 304 part →

Any geometry in the configurator — diameters, threads, keyseats, grooves, holes, tapers — can be machined in 304. Pick the material in the sidebar and the price updates live.

When to choose 304

Food, beverage, dairy, or pharma contact surfaces.
The shaft is welded into a sanitary assembly.
General corrosion duty where 303's sulfur is unwelcome.

Consider instead

303 — cheaper machining when food contact and welding are not required.
316 — for chlorides, salt, and aggressive chemicals.
17-4 PH — when sanitary-adjacent duty also needs real strength.

Typical applications

Food and beverage machinery shafts
Mixer and agitator shafts (sanitary)
Conveyor shafts in washdown plants
Pharmaceutical equipment components

Ready-made starting points in this material's wheelhouse: Mixer & agitator shafts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes — 304 is the standard material for food-contact equipment in FDA/USDA environments. For high-chloride or brine contact, step up to 316.

Not by heat treatment — austenitic stainless does not respond. If the design needs a hardenable stainless, look at 416 or 17-4 PH.

Machine time. 304 work-hardens as it is cut and turns slower, so the same geometry takes longer on the lathe. You are paying for the food-contact and weldability credentials.

Stocked as 304 CF — cold finished. Material and condition are paired — each grade ships in one condition optimized for our process; see all grades on the materials page.