{"id":17256,"date":"2026-05-06T14:54:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T13:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/?post_type=avada_faq&#038;p=17256"},"modified":"2026-05-06T14:54:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T13:54:00","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-grade-304-and-grade-316-stainless-steel-for-handrail","status":"publish","type":"avada_faq","link":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/blog\/faq-items\/what-is-the-difference-between-grade-304-and-grade-316-stainless-steel-for-handrail\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the difference between grade 304 and grade 316 stainless steel for handrail?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Both grades are <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Austenitic_stainless_steel\">austenitic stainless steels<\/a> with excellent general corrosion resistance, but grade 316 contains 2\u20133% molybdenum which substantially improves resistance to chloride ions \u2014 the principal cause of pitting corrosion in stainless steel. In practical terms, grade 304 is adequate for most dry internal applications and sheltered external environments away from the coast. Grade 316 is the correct specification for any external application, coastal location, swimming pool surround (however Duplex is an even more resilient grade of stainless for this environment), marine environment or environment with regular cleaning using chlorinated chemicals.<\/p>\n<p>F.H.Brundle&#8217;s Pro-Railing components are manufactured in grades 304 and 316 with some available in Duplex 2205.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Both grades are austenitic stainless steels with excellent general corrosion [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"faq_category":[172],"class_list":["post-17256","avada_faq","type-avada_faq","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","faq_category-pro-railing"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.5 (Yoast SEO v27.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What is the difference between grade 304 and grade 316 stainless steel for handrail? - F.H.Brundle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/blog\/faq-items\/what-is-the-difference-between-grade-304-and-grade-316-stainless-steel-for-handrail\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is the difference between grade 304 and grade 316 stainless steel for handrail?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Both grades are austenitic stainless steels with excellent general corrosion [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/blog\/faq-items\/what-is-the-difference-between-grade-304-and-grade-316-stainless-steel-for-handrail\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"F.H.Brundle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/fhbrundle\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@fh_brundle\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\\\/lp\\\/blog\\\/faq-items\\\/what-is-the-difference-between-grade-304-and-grade-316-stainless-steel-for-handrail\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\\\/lp\\\/blog\\\/faq-items\\\/what-is-the-difference-between-grade-304-and-grade-316-stainless-steel-for-handrail\\\/\",\"name\":\"What is the difference between grade 304 and grade 316 stainless steel for handrail? - F.H.Brundle\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\\\/lp\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-06T13:54:00+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\\\/lp\\\/blog\\\/faq-items\\\/what-is-the-difference-between-grade-304-and-grade-316-stainless-steel-for-handrail\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\\\/lp\\\/blog\\\/faq-items\\\/what-is-the-difference-between-grade-304-and-grade-316-stainless-steel-for-handrail\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\\\/lp\\\/blog\\\/faq-items\\\/what-is-the-difference-between-grade-304-and-grade-316-stainless-steel-for-handrail\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\\\/lp\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"FAQs\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\\\/lp\\\/blog\\\/faq-items\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"What is the difference between grade 304 and grade 316 stainless steel for handrail?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\\\/lp\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\\\/lp\\\/\",\"name\":\"F.H Brundle\",\"description\":\"Your One-Stop Shop for construction and fabrication products and materials\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\\\/lp\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\\\/lp\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\\\/lp\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"F.H.Brundle\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\\\/lp\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\\\/lp\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fhbwordpress.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\\\/lp\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/08101322\\\/F-H-Brundle-Square-Logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fhbwordpress.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\\\/lp\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/08101322\\\/F-H-Brundle-Square-Logo.png\",\"width\":900,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"F.H.Brundle\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\\\/lp\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/fhbrundle\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/fh_brundle\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/fh-brundle\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/fhbrundle\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/fhbrundle11\",\"https:\\\/\\\/uk.pinterest.com\\\/fhbrundle\\\/\"],\"description\":\"F.H.Brundle is one of the UK's leading suppliers of metal products for commercial, industrial, residential, and civil applications, serving both trade and domestic customers. Established in 1889 by Frederick Henry Brundle, the company was founded on careful product selection, keen prices, and excellent service \u2014 values that remain central to the business today. Now in its fifth generation of family ownership under Michael Brundle, F.H.Brundle is the UK's largest stockist of wrought iron components, welded wire mesh, and expanded and perforated metal, all available from stock for immediate delivery. The product range extends well beyond this, covering steel sections, stainless steel handrail and balustrade components, tube clamps and galvanised tube, industrial steel flooring, GRP and tactile flooring, gate hardware, CAME gate automation, sliding door gear, fencing and perimeter security, fixings and fastenings, and welding consumables. The company stocks over 11,000 products at any one time, maintaining 98%+ availability across its network of branches and national distribution centre, and distributes over 25,000 tonnes of product to more than 100,000 customers each year, with worldwide shipping available. F.H.Brundle operates branches in Rainham, Ilkeston, Southampton, Newton-le-Willows, Birmingham, Glasgow, and Newport, supported by a Midlands distribution hub and a fleet of over 70 vehicles, including 44-tonne articulated lorries that operate overnight to feed the branches, alongside smaller transit vans for deliveries to customers with restricted access. In-house design teams develop innovative own-brand products under names including Pro-Railing\u00ae, Fortitude\u2122, Rinato\u2122, Marano\u00ae, Liveconfigurator\u2122, and Warmagrip\u2122, addressing real fabrication and installation challenges for the trade. Free delivery is offered on orders over \u00a3150 ex VAT to mainland UK, and the company holds an \\\"Excellent\\\" rating on Trustpilot.\",\"email\":\"sales@brundle.com\",\"telephone\":\"01708253545\",\"legalName\":\"F.H. Brundle\",\"foundingDate\":\"1889-02-01\",\"vatID\":\"GB 232242310\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"201\",\"maxValue\":\"500\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is the difference between grade 304 and grade 316 stainless steel for handrail? - F.H.Brundle","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/blog\/faq-items\/what-is-the-difference-between-grade-304-and-grade-316-stainless-steel-for-handrail\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is the difference between grade 304 and grade 316 stainless steel for handrail?","og_description":"Both grades are austenitic stainless steels with excellent general corrosion [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/blog\/faq-items\/what-is-the-difference-between-grade-304-and-grade-316-stainless-steel-for-handrail\/","og_site_name":"F.H.Brundle","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/fhbrundle\/","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@fh_brundle","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/blog\/faq-items\/what-is-the-difference-between-grade-304-and-grade-316-stainless-steel-for-handrail\/","url":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/blog\/faq-items\/what-is-the-difference-between-grade-304-and-grade-316-stainless-steel-for-handrail\/","name":"What is the difference between grade 304 and grade 316 stainless steel for handrail? - F.H.Brundle","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-05-06T13:54:00+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/blog\/faq-items\/what-is-the-difference-between-grade-304-and-grade-316-stainless-steel-for-handrail\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/blog\/faq-items\/what-is-the-difference-between-grade-304-and-grade-316-stainless-steel-for-handrail\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/blog\/faq-items\/what-is-the-difference-between-grade-304-and-grade-316-stainless-steel-for-handrail\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"FAQs","item":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/blog\/faq-items\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"What is the difference between grade 304 and grade 316 stainless steel for handrail?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/","name":"F.H Brundle","description":"Your One-Stop Shop for construction and fabrication products and materials","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/#organization","name":"F.H.Brundle","url":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/fhbwordpress.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/lp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/08101322\/F-H-Brundle-Square-Logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/fhbwordpress.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/lp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/08101322\/F-H-Brundle-Square-Logo.png","width":900,"height":900,"caption":"F.H.Brundle"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/fhbrundle\/","https:\/\/x.com\/fh_brundle","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/fh-brundle\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/fhbrundle\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/fhbrundle11","https:\/\/uk.pinterest.com\/fhbrundle\/"],"description":"F.H.Brundle is one of the UK's leading suppliers of metal products for commercial, industrial, residential, and civil applications, serving both trade and domestic customers. Established in 1889 by Frederick Henry Brundle, the company was founded on careful product selection, keen prices, and excellent service \u2014 values that remain central to the business today. Now in its fifth generation of family ownership under Michael Brundle, F.H.Brundle is the UK's largest stockist of wrought iron components, welded wire mesh, and expanded and perforated metal, all available from stock for immediate delivery. The product range extends well beyond this, covering steel sections, stainless steel handrail and balustrade components, tube clamps and galvanised tube, industrial steel flooring, GRP and tactile flooring, gate hardware, CAME gate automation, sliding door gear, fencing and perimeter security, fixings and fastenings, and welding consumables. The company stocks over 11,000 products at any one time, maintaining 98%+ availability across its network of branches and national distribution centre, and distributes over 25,000 tonnes of product to more than 100,000 customers each year, with worldwide shipping available. F.H.Brundle operates branches in Rainham, Ilkeston, Southampton, Newton-le-Willows, Birmingham, Glasgow, and Newport, supported by a Midlands distribution hub and a fleet of over 70 vehicles, including 44-tonne articulated lorries that operate overnight to feed the branches, alongside smaller transit vans for deliveries to customers with restricted access. In-house design teams develop innovative own-brand products under names including Pro-Railing\u00ae, Fortitude\u2122, Rinato\u2122, Marano\u00ae, Liveconfigurator\u2122, and Warmagrip\u2122, addressing real fabrication and installation challenges for the trade. Free delivery is offered on orders over \u00a3150 ex VAT to mainland UK, and the company holds an \"Excellent\" rating on Trustpilot.","email":"sales@brundle.com","telephone":"01708253545","legalName":"F.H. Brundle","foundingDate":"1889-02-01","vatID":"GB 232242310","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"201","maxValue":"500"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/avada_faq\/17256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/avada_faq"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/avada_faq"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17256"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/avada_faq\/17256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17257,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/avada_faq\/17256\/revisions\/17257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"faq_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhbrundle.co.uk\/lp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/faq_category?post=17256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}