Many of the wrought stainless steel alloys listed in this data base
have a cast alloy equivalent.  The stainless steel castings are most 
often classified as either corrosion-resistant or heat-resistant in 
terms of application.  The heat-resistant grades of castings usually 
have a higher carbon content.  Cast alloys with a designation of "C" 
as the first letter are generally intended for liquid corrosion service.  
Those with an "H" designation are primarily intended for heat-resistant 
use.

The corrosion resistance of the cast stainless alloys is essentially 
equivalent to the wrought version of the same alloy composition.  
However the cast alloys differ from the wrought counterpart in mechan-
ical properties (strength and ductility) and in magnetic properties.

Castings have a different microstructure than the wrought equivalent 
alloys in that, for example, the cast austenitic stainless steels have 
a small amount of ferrite present which is not the case in the wrought 
version.  Of course castings also have the typical dendritic grain 
structure and, depending upon size and section thickness, there may be 
segregation or intergranular phases in the microstructure.  This 
accounts for the lower mechanical properties of castings than for the 
wrought counterparts.

In general it is desirable to use a matching alloy composition when
a cast shape is incorporated as a component into a design that utilizes 
wrought stainless steel.  That is if Stainless 304 is used for piping,
as an example, than cast alloy CF-8 should be used as the matching cast 
equivalent alloy - remember that the cast component is now the limiting 
item from the strength or mechanical property standpoint.

The cast stainless steels may be machined or welded in similar manner 
to the wrought stainless alloys.