Fastener Guide / Technical Reference

18-8 Stainless Explained

18-8 means roughly 18% chromium and 8% nickel. It is a family name covering alloys such as 302, 303, 304 and 305. It is not a chemistry certificate, not an F593 grade and not a strength class.

Last reviewed 2026-09-10 · Governing standard: ASTM F593-24; ISO 3506-1/-2:2020 (when certified) · reference FG-CA413C · Report an error on this sheet

What 18-8 does and does not tell you

QuestionAnswer
Alloy family?Yes: austenitic stainless, 300 series
Exact alloy?No: could be 302, 303, 304 or 305
Strength?No: set by F593 condition or ISO 3506 class
Marine grade?No: 316 is the usual marine choice

Governing standards: ASTM F593-24; ISO 3506-1/-2:2020 (when certified). Editions shown are the latest confirmed as of September 2026. The drawing and the governing standard always take precedence over this sheet.

These tables carry the same figures as the printed sheet below.

The printed sheet

18-8 Stainless Explained

See an error on this sheet?

Tell us what is wrong.

Text version of this sheet

Industry term · austenitic stainless family · not a specification

What it is

FIELD IDENTIFICATION

18-8 means roughly 18% chromium and 8% nickel. It is a family name covering alloys such as 302,

303, 304 and 305. It is not a chemistry certificate, not an F593 grade and not a strength class.

MFG

Typical marks

18-8

18-8, 304, A2-70, or maker ID only

Often marked 18-8 - an alloy family, not a

strength grade

What 18-8 does and does not tell you

Question

Answer

Alloy family?

Yes: austenitic stainless, 300 series

Exact alloy?

No: could be 302, 303, 304 or 305

Strength?

No: set by F593 condition or ISO 3506 class

Marine grade?

No: 316 is the usual marine choice

Governing standards: ASTM F593-24; ISO 3506-1/-2:2020 (when certified). Editions shown are the latest confirmed as of September 2026. The drawing and the governing standard

always take precedence over this sheet.

torquing any fastener. Verify the current governing standard, project documents, OEM requirements, size, thread, coating and lot certification. To the fullest extent permitted by law, The Fastener App disclaims liability

arising from reliance on this reference.

Fastener Guide reference FG-CA413C · thefastenerapp.com/fastener-guide/technical-reference/18-8-stainless-explained · © The Fastener App. Reference only — verify the current governing standard, drawing and manufacturer data before specifying or installing.

Related sheets

← ASTM F594 Stainless Nuts410 Stainless Fasteners →

Scan the label, the item lands in the shopping cart

Your rep or the customer scans a barcode label or they can select items from your store. No part number to remember, no phone call to your counter, no one re-keying anything.

  • Built into the app, not a separate device or an add-on
  • Works on any phone camera, or a handheld scanner if they have one
  • Scans your competitors’ barcode labels too*
  • Customers and employees can place orders 24 hours a day, even after hours, and the orders will be waiting for you when you get there in the morning. You can choose to be notified every time an order is placed, whether you’re at the office or not. It gives you greater visibility into your company’s ordering activity.

* Simply cross the number in the system to ours, and we can walk you through the process.

See what every customer buys from you

Every account gets a category chart: share of dollars, share of times ordered and share of pieces. Your reps see what each customer buys from you, and the categories they are buying somewhere else stand out.

Share of dollars

Fasteners37%$69,879
Electrical10%$19,152
Fleet and Automotive7%$12,293
Hardware and Building Supplies5%$10,243
Tools and Equipment5%$9,811
Cutting Tools and Metalworking5%$9,740
Plumbing5%$8,865
All other25%$46,410

Share of times ordered

Fasteners44%355
Electrical12%94
Fleet and Automotive7%53
Tools and Equipment6%48
Cutting Tools and Metalworking4%36
Pneumatics4%34
Hardware and Building Supplies4%33
All other20%162

Share of pieces

Fasteners75%486,316
Fleet and Automotive6%38,905
Electrical5%31,100
Hardware and Building Supplies3%19,775
Sealing3%17,704
Abrasives3%17,251
General MRO2%16,133
All other4%23,770

Sample report from our demo store.

Sales rep territory management

The time planner splits each rep’s month by how much every customer spends. A customer that is 20% of the rep’s business gets about 35 hours a month, about 8 hours a week, and the rep’s week is laid out for them.

Share of the rep’s business

Summit Precast LLC20.2%
Brunswick Galvanizing Inc.14.6%
Talleyrand Signs LLC8.0%
Mayport Tool & Die Inc.7.8%
Eagle Mechanical LLC7.2%
Premier Electric Group5.9%
Tallahassee Packaging LLC3.7%
Coastal Maintenance Group3.3%
All others (64 customers)29.4%

Time each customer deserves

CustomerHours a monthHours a week
Summit Precast LLC35.08.1
Brunswick Galvanizing Inc.25.35.8
Talleyrand Signs LLC13.93.2
Mayport Tool & Die Inc.13.53.1
Eagle Mechanical LLC12.52.9
Premier Electric Group10.22.4
Tallahassee Packaging LLC6.41.5
Coastal Maintenance Group5.71.3
All others (64 customers)51.011.8

Sample plan from our demo store: 173 hours a month, all selling time.

Nearly 3,000 real product photographs, covering more than 27,000 SKUs.

We had a professional photographer come in and spend weeks in our warehouse, photographing and producing real, high-resolution photos of many of our products. This work is ongoing, and many more products will be added. Right now the photographs cover more than 27,000 SKUs. We also have AI image generation capabilities.

Not ready yet? Send yourself the details.

Leave your email and we will send you what your own store would look like, what it costs, and what we would need from your system. No call unless you ask for one.

Or call 904-422-1273. We never sell or share your details.