What is the difference between 304 and 316 stainless steel for lab use?

304 is the general-purpose austenitic grade and handles most laboratory service. 316 adds roughly 2–3% molybdenum, which substantially improves resistance to chlorides, saline solutions, and several acids. Choose 316 where chloride pitting or acid exposure is a realistic risk; 304 is usually adequate otherwise.

What is a tri-clamp fitting and why is it used in lab systems?

A tri-clamp (sanitary) fitting joins two ferrules with a gasket between them, held by a single clamp. It requires no threads or welding, seals reliably under vacuum and pressure, and disassembles quickly for cleaning and inspection — which is why it is standard wherever a system must be taken apart and verified clean.

How do I know which tri-clamp size I need?

Tri-clamp sizing refers to the outer diameter of the ferrule flange, and every component in a run must share that size. Filter this department by the Tri-Clamp Size attribute to see only the components matching an existing build.

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Stainless Steel

Sanitary stainless hardware for lab and pilot-scale fluid systems — tri-clamp components, fittings, valves, and vessels in 304 and 316 stainless.

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Stainless steel is where lab work meets process engineering: once a system outgrows glassware, it typically moves to sanitary tri-clamp plumbing, which assembles and disassembles without threads or welding and cleans down to a validatable standard.

The tri-clamp branch is organised by component — spools, end caps, reducers, lids, bases, sintered discs, and filtration plates. Ferrule size (1.5" through 12") is a product attribute, so you can filter a whole build to one line size in a single step rather than navigating a separate category per diameter.

Material grade matters and is recorded per product: 304 stainless is the general-purpose default, while 316 adds molybdenum for meaningfully better resistance to chlorides and many acids. Both are filterable attributes, as is valve size for the fittings branch.

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Stainless Steel FAQ

What is the difference between 304 and 316 stainless steel for lab use?: 304 is the general-purpose austenitic grade and handles most laboratory service. 316 adds roughly 2–3% molybdenum, which substantially improves resistance to chlorides, saline solutions, and several acids. Choose 316 where chloride pitting or acid exposure is a realistic risk; 304 is usually adequate otherwise.
What is a tri-clamp fitting and why is it used in lab systems?: A tri-clamp (sanitary) fitting joins two ferrules with a gasket between them, held by a single clamp. It requires no threads or welding, seals reliably under vacuum and pressure, and disassembles quickly for cleaning and inspection — which is why it is standard wherever a system must be taken apart and verified clean.
How do I know which tri-clamp size I need?: Tri-clamp sizing refers to the outer diameter of the ferrule flange, and every component in a run must share that size. Filter this department by the Tri-Clamp Size attribute to see only the components matching an existing build.