304 stainless steel (18/8, 18/10)

What it is

304 stainless steel is the standard 18/8 stainless, with 17.5 to 19.5 percent chromium and 8 to 10.5 percent nickel under the ASTM specification. It's the steel of most saucepans, sinks, bottles and bowls: bare, tough and easy to care for, with food that sticks until you learn the heat.

Why it matters in your kitchen

When a label says 18/8 or 18/10, it's almost always describing 304. The BSSA calls 18/10 essentially the same grade, with the "10" a marketing number.

In a kitchen, 304 shrugs off water, coffee and most food. It can still pit if salt or bleach sits on it, and that's a habit to change, which is easier than changing steel.

It's barely magnetic. So a 304 bottle or pan often has a separate magnetic plate or layer on the base, and that's normal.

Good at

• Saucepans and deep shapes. Steel data sheets note 304 can be deep drawn without extra heat treatment, which is why it dominates sinks and saucepans.
• Everyday corrosion. Steel suppliers rate it very good across a wide range of conditions, which covers most of what a kitchen throws at it.
• Acidic food and the dishwasher. There's no seasoning to strip and no coating to protect.
• Bottles, presses and bowls. It's the normal choice for parts that hold liquid every day.

Watch for

• Warm, salty water. Data sheets warn that 304 can pit in warm chloride conditions. Add salt after the water boils, rinse out brine and sauces, and never soak it in bleach.
• Food sticks until you learn the heat. Preheat, check with a few drops of water, turn the heat down and add a thin film of fat. Our sticking guide walks through it.
• Marks show. Rainbow heat tint and white mineral spots come with use. Baking soda paste and white vinegar take them off.
• It contains nickel. If you're avoiding nickel, ask for a ferritic grade like 430, which has almost none.
• A magnet can't confirm it. It tells you the family of steel, not the grade. Ask the maker for the grade in writing.

Who it suits

Good for you if you want a pan, bottle or bowl that handles daily use, acidic food and the dishwasher. Skip it if you need very low nickel, or if a container will hold salty water for days, where 316 resists pitting better.

In short. 304 is the everyday 18/8 stainless: rust-resistant, dishwasher friendly and bare, with nickel in it and a learning curve on the stove.

Our stainless grades guide compares 304, 316 and 430. Cookware labeled 18/10 has its own page: 18/10 stainless steel. For what research has and hasn't shown about stainless, see our guide.

Where it is used

• Saucepans and the cooking surface of clad cookware
• Insulated bottles and cups
• French press bodies and filters
• Lunch boxes and storage containers

How to care for it

• Most pieces can go in the dishwasher. Dry them soon after to avoid water spots.
• Don't leave salty liquid standing in it. Salt cooking water after it boils.
• Use soft sponges or nylon pads. No steel wool and no bleach.