Technical Purchasing Guide · Commercial Kitchens
· Stainless Steel Flat Products

304 and 430 stainless steel sheet can become preparation
worktops, sink assemblies, appliance covers, frame cladding
and exhaust-hood panels.

The useful purchasing question is how to obtain the approved
parts with an appropriate grade, a workable cutting plan
and a clear cost basis.

For equipment fabricators serving Cheboksary in Russia’s
Chuvash Republic, a material schedule may combine frequently
washed components with relatively dry exterior panels.
This guide explains how to convert those requirements into
flat blanks, compare sheet utilization and request quotations
for raw materials supplied from China.

Which kitchen products can be made from 304 and 430 sheet?

Grade approval comes before yield optimization. The following
applications are selection starting points, not instructions
to substitute one grade for another.

Outokumpu’s Core datasheet
identifies 304 as an austenitic grade used in kitchen equipment.
Its

Moda datasheet
describes 430 for mildly corrosive service and notes its
lower resistance to localized corrosion in chloride-containing
media than 304.

Neither grade is corrosion-proof. Standard unstabilized 430
also needs a specific welding review: Outokumpu requires
post-weld treatment for adequate weld-region performance
of its Moda 430/4016 product. Approval of an outer cover
does not establish suitability for a cooking chamber,
direct-flame component or heavily welded assembly.

Define the blank before choosing the sheet size

A blank is the flat piece that enters forming or assembly.
Its size can differ substantially from the finished part.
A folded worktop needs material for the edge returns and
upstand; a drawn sink needs a blank established for its
tooling and forming sequence.

Before asking for a nesting layout, provide:

• The approved flat pattern:
  include bend allowances, trim allowances and revision
  status. Do not use the finished outside dimensions
  as the cutting dimensions.
• Orientation restrictions:
  identify the decorative grain direction and any separate
  rolling-direction requirement for forming. State whether
  a blank may rotate through 90 degrees.
• The usable material condition:
  define thickness and tolerance, edge exclusions, visible
  face, permitted defects and protective film.
• The batch composition:
  group parts by grade, thickness and finish. Different
  part shapes may share a sheet when those requirements
  and the approved cutting layout permit.

For a drawn bowl, ask the fabricator to approve the starting
blank and any required forming trial. For a large bent cover,
agree the finished dimensional and appearance checks.
A good flat-sheet layout alone does not establish that the
resulting component is acceptable.

Worked example: four worktop blanks from two sheet formats

Assume an approved rectangular worktop-panel blank measures
600 × 1,200 mm.
Compare two candidate sheet formats using the following
illustrative assumptions:

• Material: 304 stainless steel, nominal thickness
  1.20 mm.
• The 1,200 mm blank direction stays parallel to the sheet
  length; 90-degree rotation is prohibited.
• The layout reserves a 10 mm border and a 3 mm gap
  between adjacent blanks.
• The comparison includes only these identical blanks,
  with no allowance for rejected pieces.

Two blanks across and two along occupy
1,203 × 2,403 mm, or 1,223 × 2,423 mm
including the outside borders. This four-blank layout
fits both sheet formats.

Area utilization = total blank area ÷
gross sheet area × 100.

Estimated mass = area in m² ×
thickness in metres × density in kg/m³.

The mass estimate uses a reference density of
7,900 kg/m³ for 304, consistent with the Core datasheet.
The theoretical mass of each blank is approximately 6.83 kg.
The higher allocated input mass includes the surrounding
material charged to this layout.

Example limits:
1.20 mm is an arithmetic assumption, not a recommended
worktop thickness. Values are calculated estimates,
not guaranteed shipment weights or production yields.
Actual cutting allowances, sheet availability, thickness
tolerances and accepted-part quantities must be confirmed.

The unused area is not automatically worthless scrap.
Smaller approved components may fit the remnants.
A different part mix or permission to rotate blanks can
change the result. Request the proposed layout before
comparing the economic value of two sheet formats.

Compare cost per accepted component

A lower price per tonne can be offset by extra material
consumption, cutting charges, surface rework or rejected
parts. Ask for quotations on a consistent scope and
compare the cost of the components that pass the
agreed inspection.

Cost per accepted component =
(material + processing + packing + freight +
applicable charges + rework −
realized offcut or scrap recovery)
÷ accepted quantity.

For budgeting, state any assumed rejection rate separately.
Count remnant recovery only when its reuse or resale is
realistic, and avoid crediting the same remnant to two jobs.
Compare each approved grade and finish on its own basis;
a cheaper 430 quotation does not authorize replacing
a specified 304 part.

Choose sheet, cut blanks or coil for the production batch

Full sheets:

stainless steel sheet
gives a fabricator control over nesting different parts
and retaining useful remnants. Include the local cutting,
handling and storage costs in the comparison.

Cut blanks:
request pieces to the approved flat pattern when the
supplier’s processing route fits the job. JUDE publishes

custom shearing
and

laser cutting
services. Submit drawings for feasibility and tolerance
review; do not treat cutting, deburring, bending and final
polishing as automatically included in one price.

Coil:

stainless steel coil
can suit repeat production where uncoiling, leveling and
blanking are available. Confirm usable width, coil weight,
inside diameter and processing capacity. A favourable coil
price should be evaluated alongside the total order volume
and downstream conversion cost.

Confirm the grade, standard and surface acceptance

Type 304 is identified by UNS S30400;
Type 430 by UNS S43000.
Their common EN references are 1.4301 and 1.4016 respectively.
These identifiers do not establish automatic certification
across different standards.

For an ASTM-based flat-product order, state

ASTM A240/A240M,
the grade and agreed edition, together with the applicable
A480/A480M general requirements. Record the required
delivery condition and inspection documentation.
Grade names alone do not define finished-equipment suitability.

Specify 2B, BA or No. 4 as applicable, then add the surface
requirements that matter to the component. The

worldstainless guide to surface roughness
explains why a finish designation does not guarantee one
universal roughness value. Use a separate measured
acceptance requirement where needed, and approve visible
samples when adjacent panels must match.

Send a quotation package tied to the parts list

The following inquiry structure helps suppliers price
the same scope. Complete one material line for each grade,
thickness and finish combination.