PN-EN 10088-1:2024-06 – corrosion-resistant, heat-resistant and creep-resistant steels

PN-EN 10088-1:2024-06 “Corrosion resistant steels – Part 1: List of corrosion resistant steels” is the basic standard classifying and listing European grades of stainless steels and steels intended for service at elevated temperatures.
The standard was published by the Polish Committee for Standardization on June 6, 2024 and introduces a European standard IN 10088-1: 2023 to the extent of compliance IDT, i.e. as a document identical to the European standard.
PN-EN 10088-1:2024-06 replaced the previous edition PN-EN 10088-1:2014-12. List of species included in the PN-EN 10088-1:2024-6 standard

Scope of the standard PN-EN 10088-1:2024-06

The standard primarily lists the grades and their chemical composition . Steels are divided into three main groups based on their primary purpose and properties:

corrosion-resistant steels,
heat-resistant steels,
creep-resistant and creep-resistant steels.

The standard is therefore not just a list of popular stainless steels such as 304 or 316. It covers a much broader group of materials: from classic austenitic and ferritic steels, through duplex and martensitic steels, to heat-resistant grades and steels intended for long-term operation under load at high temperatures.

Definition of stainless steel according to EN 10088-1

According to the standard, stainless steels include steels containing at least:

10,5% chromium Cr,
no more than 1,20% carbon C.

The presence of an appropriate amount chrome enables the formation of a thin passive layer on the material surface, which is responsible for the corrosion resistance characteristic of these steels.
Depending on the chemical composition, structure and intended use, steels covered by PN-EN 10088-1 may also contain, among others: nickel, molybdenum, manganese, silicon, nitrogen, copper, titanium, niobium and other alloying elements.

Division of steel according to PN-EN 10088-1:2024-06

The chemical composition of the species is listed in the standard according to the structure and basic properties of the material.

Austenitic corrosion-resistant steels

This group includes the popular Cr-Ni and Cr-Ni-Mo grades. They are characterized by very good corrosion resistance, high ductility, and good weldability.
Typical representatives include:

Duplex austenitic-ferritic steels

The standard also covers Duplex and Super Duplex steels, whose microstructure consists of ferrite and austenite.
These grades are characterized by high yield strength and very good resistance to pitting, crevice and stress corrosion.
This group includes, among others:

Ferritic corrosion-resistant steels

Ferritic steels contain primarily chromium, usually with a low or very low nickel content.
Typical species include:

1.4016 / X6Cr17,
1.4509 / X2CrTiNb18,
1.4521 / X2CrMoTi18-2.

Martensitic corrosion-resistant steels

Martensitic steels enable obtaining high hardness and strength thanks to the appropriate heat treatment.
This group includes, among others:

Precipitation hardening steels PH

The standard also distinguishes precipitation-hardening grades, in which high strength is achieved through appropriate heat treatment and precipitation processes.
Known grades of this group include steels of the 17-4 PH and 15-5 PH types.

Heat-resistant steels according to EN 10088-1

PN-EN 10088-1 also covers heat-resistant grades, i.e. steels intended primarily for use in oxidizing environments at high temperatures.
In their case, elements that increase resistance to scale formation are of particular importance, primarily:

chrome,
silicon,
aluminum,
nickel.

Typical heat-resistant steels include both ferritic and austenitic grades.

Creep-resistant and heat-resistant steels

The standard also lists steels intended for long-term operation under load at high temperatures.
Their most important property is not only resistance to oxidation, but above all maintaining appropriate strength and resistance to crawl.
The standard distinguishes, among others:

austenitic heat-resistant steels crawl,
martensitic creep-resistant steels.

The latter group includes, among others, high-alloy Cr-Mo-V steels used in the energy sector and turbines.

What data does PN-EN 10088-1 contain?

The basic element of the standard are chemical composition tables.

For individual species, the following contents are provided:

C – carbon,
Si – silicon,
Mn – manganese,
P – phosphorus,
S – sulfur,
Cr – chromium,
Mo – molybdenum,
Ni – nickel,
N – nitrogen,
Cu – copper,
and other alloying additions characteristic of a given grade.

In the current edition, the chemical composition is arranged in separate tables for:

austenitic corrosion-resistant steels,
austenitic-ferritic corrosion-resistant steels,
ferritic corrosion-resistant steels,
martensitic and precipitation hardened corrosion-resistant steels,
austenitic and austenitic-ferritic heat-resistant steels,
ferritic heat-resistant steels,
austenitic creep-resistant steels,
martensitic creep-resistant steels.

This is the structure of the current EN 10088-1:2023, implemented as PN-EN 10088-1:2024-06.

Annexes to the standard PN-EN 10088-1:2024-06

The current edition also includes some very useful appendices.

Appendix A – Numbering and Arrangement of Species

Contains information for the organization of species and their identification within the EN 10088 series.

Annex B – species and material standards

Contains a list showing which product standards include specific steel grades.
This is particularly useful for checking whether a particular grade exists as sheet metal, bar stock, forging, pipe or other product.

Annex C – Classification of steels by properties

Organizes species permanently:

corrosion resistant,
heat-resistant,
creep resistant.

Appendix D – Microstructure and Pitting Corrosion Resistance

One of the significant changes and extensions of the current edition is the provision of empirical formulas for classifying grades by microstructure and for comparing pitting corrosion resistance.
In practice, this means that it is possible to use relationships that take into account, among others, the content of chromium, molybdenum and nitrogen when assessing the relative resistance of species to pitting corrosion.

Appendix E – Physical Properties

The standard also contains reference data on the physical properties of steel.
Tables E.1–E.8 contain, among others, information on:

density,
modulus of elasticity,
thermal conductivity,
specific heat,
coefficient of thermal expansion,
electrical resistivity.

This data is for reference purposes and may be useful when designing components operating in different temperature ranges.

Appendix F – Nickel and Cobalt Alloys

The current edition also includes information on the chemical composition of nickel and cobalt alloys found in the EN 10095, EN 10269 and EN 10302 standards.

Relationship of PN-EN 10088-1 with other standards

PN-EN 10088-1 is primarily a standard classification and materialIt specifies the list of species and their chemical composition, but does not replace standards regarding specific product forms and delivery conditions.
The most important related standards include:

EN 10088-2 – technical conditions for the delivery of sheets and strips made of corrosion-resistant steel,
EN 10088-3 – semi-finished products, bars, wire rods, wire, sections and long products,
EN 10088-4 – delivery conditions for sheets and strips for structural applications,
EN 10088-5 – bars, rods, wire, sections and long products for structural applications,
EN 10095 – heat-resistant steels and nickel alloys,
EN 10269 – steels and nickel alloys for fasteners operating at elevated and reduced temperatures,
EN 10302 – creep-resistant steels and nickel alloys,
EN 10216-5 – seamless stainless steel pipes for pressure applications,
EN 10217-7 – welded stainless steel pipes for pressure applications,
EN 10222-5 – stainless steel forgings for pressure applications,
EN 10250-4 – open-die forgings made of stainless steel.

The current EN 10088-1 also indicates other product standards that include corrosion-resistant, heat-resistant or creep-resistant steels.

PN-EN 10088-1 and PN-EN 10088-2 and PN-EN 10088-3

The difference between the individual parts of the series is significant.

PN-EN 10088-1 is primarily a list of species and their chemical compositions.
PN-EN 10088-2 specifies technical requirements relating primarily to sheets and strips.
PN-EN 10088-3 refers to semi-finished products, bars, rods, wire, sections and other long products.

Therefore, the mere statement that a material complies with PN-EN 10088-1 does not yet specify all the requirements for a specific product, its delivery condition, mechanical properties, tolerances or acceptance tests.

What did PN-EN 10088-1:2024-06 change?

PN-EN 10088-1:2024-06 replaced the PN-EN 10088-1:2014-12 edition.
The new edition is based on IN 10088-1: 2023 and takes into account the current list of species, their classification and ranges of chemical compositions.
An important element of the current edition is also:

updating the list of steel grades,
sorting out the classification of steel according to structure and purpose,
updating links with European product standards,
extended information on microstructure classification,
empirical relationships for comparing pitting corrosion resistance,
updating reference data on physical properties.

The older PN-EN 10088-1:2014-12 was formally withdrawn on 6 June 2024 and replaced by the current edition.

What does PN-EN 10088-1 not specify?

This standard should not be considered as a complete technical specification for a specific product.
PN-EN 10088-1 is not a basic standard specifying:

dimensions and tolerances of products,
full delivery terms,
required mechanical properties of each product form,
types of acceptance tests for all products,
conditions for the production and acceptance of a specific sheet, rod, pipe or forging.

In such cases, the appropriate product standard should be used in conjunction with PN-EN 10088-1.

The importance of PN-EN 10088-1 in identifying steel grades

The PN-EN 10088-1 standard is one of the basic documents used to identify European grades of stainless, heat-resistant and creep-resistant steels.

Allows you to associate:

species symbol, e.g. X5CrNi18-10,
material number, e.g. 1.4301,
steel structure,
range of chemical composition,
basic group of material applications,
product standards in which a given species is used.

For this reason, PN-EN 10088-1 is the basic reference point when comparing grades according to EN and DIN/W.Nr. designations and when comparing them with equivalents used in other standardization systems.

Check other steel standards according to PN, PN-EN, DIN, GOST, OST, ASTM, AFNOR, AISI and others