Their overwhelming popularity is due to several factors:
Commonly available in all sizes and product forms;
Highly formable, making very tight crisp bends possible;
Easy to weld and repair;
Widest range of aeshetic finishes; and
Superior impact, blast and seismic performance
Building and Construction Applications:
The most commonly used alloys have been Types 304 and 316 and their low carbon versions Types 304L and 316L. The low carbon versions are only needed when sections 0.125 inches (3.2 mm) thick and greater will be welded. The molybdenum addition to Types 316/316L makes them more resistant to chloride salts (coastal and deicing) and to pollution related corrosion.
Early architectural projects, built some 50 or more years ago, were constructed in Type 302, which is equivalent to modern Type 304. While Types 304/304L and their predecessor Type 302 were widely used historically for building and construction applications, Type 316/316L and sometimes more corrosion-resistant stainless steel alloys are increasingly being specified for exterior and sheltered applications.
This has occurred because of increasing global use of deicing salts, population concentration in coastal areas, and high pollution levels and rain acidity in developing countries. Sheltered areas are even more corrosive because they accumulate the same environmental contaminants but do not benefit from natural rain-washing. austenitic stainless steel coils 1.4401 with even greater corrosion resistance are used for industrial and seawater applications.