If your drawing just says “stainless steel”, the grade choice is still open — and it changes corrosion life, spring behaviour and cost more than it changes the etching. Xinketching is a precision photochemical etching manufacturer in Dongguan, China, producing flat etched metal parts since 2005. Our standard etched stainless grades are 304 and 316L, etched from 0.05 to 2.5 mm thick, burr-free and stress-free, with a standard etch tolerance of ±10% of material thickness. This guide covers how 304, 316L and 301 differ for etched parts, and where each one earns its place. If your design specifies 301 or another alloy, tell us at enquiry stage and we will confirm whether we can source and etch it — we do not substitute materials silently.
Answer capsule: which grade should an etched part use?
- 304 — the default. Good corrosion resistance in normal indoor and industrial environments, the widest availability in thin gauges, and the lowest cost of the three. Most etched shims, filters, encoder discs, speaker mesh and general precision parts are 304.
- 316L — choose it when the part sees chlorides, marine air, chemicals or a corrosive process environment. Its molybdenum content resists pitting that 304 does not, and the low-carbon “L” grade suits parts that are welded or exposed after welding. It costs more than 304 and etches to the same tolerances.
- 301 — choose it when the part must work as a spring: clips, flexures, contacts and snap elements. 301 work-hardens strongly, so in spring temper it delivers far higher yield strength than annealed 304 — but that is a temper decision, not just an alloy decision, and its corrosion resistance is slightly below 304.
The etching itself does not pick a winner: all three are etched photographically, with no hard tooling, so the grade can change between prototype and production without new tooling cost.
Specifications (same for all three grades)
- Thickness range: 0.05–2.5 mm — gauges 0.05, 0.08, 0.1, 0.12, 0.15, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 mm are stocked; above 0.5 mm up to 2.5 mm is sourced per order
- Dimensional tolerance: ±10% of material thickness (e.g. ±0.02 mm on 0.2 mm stock, ±0.03 mm on 0.3 mm stock); raw-stock thickness tolerance ±0.02 mm
- Minimum through-feature: holes and slots at least roughly the material thickness (design rule ≈ 0.8–1.2× thickness)
- Half-etching: partial-depth features (channels, fold lines, surface marks) at ≈50–75% of thickness, depth control ±0.05 mm
- Format: flat sheets only, no coil/reel-to-reel; maximum single sheet 600 × 14,500 mm for material 0.5 mm and above; encoder discs up to Ø600 mm
- Finishing: passivation in-house; plating and bending/forming via qualified partners
- Lead times and order terms: samples 3–5 days, production 7–10 days; no minimum order quantity, minimum order charge US$100; FOB
- Quality documents: material test certificate with per-run material batch traceability; PPAP Level 3 supported; IMDS data available; NDAs on request
How does 304 behave in etched parts?
304 is the workhorse austenitic grade: it etches cleanly in thin gauges, stays flat because etching adds no mechanical stress and no heat, and its corrosion resistance covers the majority of OEM environments — enclosures, instruments, automotive interiors, food-adjacent equipment. For etched filter discs, shims, spacer washers, encoder discs and mesh, 304 in annealed condition is the grade we quote unless the drawing or the environment says otherwise. Its limits are specific: sustained chloride exposure (seawater, de-icing salt, some process chemicals) can pit it, and annealed 304 is too soft where the part itself must spring.
When does 316L earn its higher price?
316L adds molybdenum, which is what resists pitting and crevice corrosion in chloride environments, and its low carbon content avoids sensitisation when a part is welded. In our range that makes it the usual choice for fuel-cell and electrolyser flow plates, marine and coastal hardware, chemical-process filters, and parts that are cleaned aggressively in service. Etching behaviour, achievable features and tolerances are the same as 304 — the premium buys corrosion life, not precision. If the part never leaves a benign indoor environment, that premium buys nothing.
What changes if the drawing specifies 301?
301 is an austenitic grade formulated to work-harden: rolled to spring temper, it reaches yield strengths annealed 304 cannot, which is why it appears on spring clips, flexures, retaining elements and snap features. Three things change for an etched part. First, temper must be specified, not just the alloy — “301” without a temper is an incomplete callout. Second, spring-temper stock is harder and flatter-stock availability in very thin gauges is narrower, so sourcing is confirmed per order rather than assumed from stock. Third, its corrosion resistance sits slightly below 304, so a spring part in a corrosive environment needs that trade-off reviewed, or a different spring solution. Etching is well suited to spring parts precisely because it introduces no burr and no heat-affected zone at the flexing edge — but we confirm grade and temper availability at quotation before promising dates.
Does the grade change etching tolerances or feature sizes?
No. The rules that govern an etched part are set by thickness, not grade: tolerance is ±10% of material thickness, through-holes and slots start at roughly the material thickness (≈0.8–1.2×), and half-etch depth is controlled to ±0.05 mm — identically in 304, 316L and 301. What the grade changes is the service behaviour of the finished part (corrosion, spring force, weld response) and the material cost, never the geometry the process can hold.
When is stainless the wrong choice entirely?
Etching is a flat, thin-sheet process: parts above 2.5 mm, three-dimensional machined bodies, and woven-wire filter media belong to other processes. Within metals, we do not etch aluminium. And if the environment is hot, strongly reducing, or beyond 316L’s pitting resistance, the answer may be titanium — which we also etch — rather than a fourth stainless grade.
FAQ
Can I switch an etched part from 304 to 316L without redesigning it?
Yes, in almost every case. The etched geometry, tolerances and feature rules are thickness-driven and identical for both grades, and there is no hard tooling to remake — the same digital tooling runs either grade. What changes is material price and, in thin gauges, sometimes lead time if the gauge is not on the shelf.
Is 316L harder to etch than 304?
No. Both etch to the same tolerance standard (±10% of material thickness) and the same minimum-feature rule. The difference between them is corrosion behaviour in service, not manufacturability.
Why does my spring part need a temper specified, not just “301”?
Because 301’s spring performance comes from cold work. Annealed 301 behaves much like 304; spring-temper 301 is a different mechanical material. An etched spring clip quoted without a temper can arrive correct in every dimension and wrong in function.
Do you etch stainless grades other than 304 and 316L?
304 and 316L are our standard etched stainless grades. If your design specifies 301 or a different alloy, tell us at enquiry stage and we will confirm whether we can source and etch it — we will not substitute materials silently.
What do you need for a quotation?
A drawing or DXF, the grade and temper (for spring parts), thickness, and quantity. State any critical dimension on the drawing and we will confirm it at quotation.
CTA: Send your drawing to sales@xinketching.com — Xinketching, Dongguan · since 2005 · xinketching.com
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