ForMatter/Materials/metal/Stainless Steel 316L
mat_stainless_316l

Stainless Steel 316L

austenitic stainless steel, low-carbon, molybdenum-bearing · 316L, marine-grade stainless, AISI 316L, UNS S31603
highlast updated 2026-04-27
metallic 0.00
hue shift +0°

The stainless-steel grade that handles salt water — 304's molybdenum-spiked, low-carbon sibling. Marine fittings, surgical implants, food-and-pharma plumbing, the $40 keyring. Slightly less common in kitchen sinks because it costs more than 304; nearly universal in any context where chloride corrosion will eventually find any other steel.

Austenitic Cr-Ni-Mo stainless (16–18% Cr, 10–14% Ni, 2–3% Mo, ≤0.03% C per ASTM A240). The L (low-carbon) grade resists sensitization (Cr-carbide grain-boundary precipitation during welding). Molybdenum dramatically improves pitting resistance in chloride environments — PRE ≈ 24, vs. 18 for 304. Non-magnetic in annealed condition. Tensile 485 MPa, yield 170 MPa annealed.

mechanical

  • tensile_strength_mpa_annealed485
  • yield_strength_mpa_annealed170
  • elongation_pct_annealed40
  • hardness_brinell_annealed217
source: ASTM A240; MakeItFrom

thermal

  • liquidus_c1390
  • solidus_c1370
  • thermal_conductivity_w_mk16
source: ASM Handbook

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon kg co2e per kg6.2
  • sourceEditorial estimate from ICE / Granta CES EduPack class databases — industry mean, with cradle-to-gate boundary unless otherwise noted. Embodied carbon for any specific product depends on supplier mix, recycled content, and energy grid; verify against a primary source before using these numbers in a sustainability claim.
  • embodied carbon recycled kg co2e per kg1.6
  • recyclabilityvery high — closed-loop with quality preservation, the most-recycled engineering metal worldwide
  • biodegradableFalse
  • certificationsASTM F138 (medical implant grade), ASTM A240 (sheet/plate)
visual
characteristic stainless silver-white, subtly cooler-toned than 304
tactile
cool, dense under the hand, polishes to mirror or hairline brushed standard
weight perception
heavy

PBR starter values

Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere metallic finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material.

# finish:      metallic
albedo        #c4c8cc
metallic      1.00
roughness     0.25
ior           1.45
transmission  0.00
clearcoat     0.00
sheen         0.00
anisotropic   0.00
copy as JSON 
{
  "albedo": "#c4c8cc",
  "metallic": 1.0,
  "roughness": 0.25,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "transmission": 0.0,
  "clearcoat": 0.0,
  "sheen": 0.0,
  "anisotropic": 0.0
}
Blender 4.x Python 
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# Stainless Steel 316L · finish: metallic
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_stainless_316l")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.552, 0.5776, 0.6038, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value           = 1.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value          = 0.250
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value                = 1.450
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value        = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value       = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value        = 0.000
KeyShot Python (lux) 
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# Stainless Steel 316L · finish: metallic
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_stainless_316l", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (196, 200, 204))   # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic",     1.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness",    0.250)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.450)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 0.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.000)
Substance pbrMetalRough 
{
  "_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
  "_about": "Stainless Steel 316L \u00b7 finish: metallic",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.552,
    "g": 0.5776,
    "b": 0.6038
  },
  "metallic": 1.0,
  "roughness": 0.25,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "opacity": 1.0,
  "anisotropyLevel": 0.0,
  "_notes": "Channels listed are the standard Substance pbrMetalRough output. Drop into a Uniform Color node per channel, or as the constant input on a layered stack."
}
glTF 2.0 Metallic-Roughness 
{
  "asset": {
    "version": "2.0",
    "generator": "ForMatter"
  },
  "materials": [
    {
      "name": "mat_stainless_316l",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.552,
          0.5776,
          0.6038,
          1.0
        ],
        "metallicFactor": 1.0,
        "roughnessFactor": 0.25
      },
      "extensions": {
        "KHR_materials_ior": {
          "ior": 1.45
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
USD Preview Surface 
# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# Stainless Steel 316L · finish: metallic
def Material "mat_stainless_316l" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_stainless_316l/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.552, 0.5776, 0.6038)
        float   inputs:metallic     = 1.000
        float   inputs:roughness    = 0.250
        float   inputs:ior          = 1.450
        float   inputs:opacity      = 1.000
        float   inputs:clearcoat    = 0.000
        token   outputs:surface
    }
}
↓ download glTF material
ProcessCNC Milling · TIG Welding · Laser Cutting · Water-Jet Cutting · Sheet-Metal Bending · Sandblasting (Abrasive Blasting)
Substitutes
Stainless Steel 304
Titanium Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V)

Citations