Stainless Steel 202 price: what decides the cost

Stainless Steel 202 is quoted per enquiry. The price of metal moves with raw material markets, and the price of any one order moves with its size, quantity, finish and delivery terms, so a number published on a page would be wrong within days. Rajgranth Metal & Alloys quotes on request and returns most quotations the same working day.

• Raw material cost: nickel, chromium, molybdenum and manganese prices move daily, and the alloying content of the grade sets how much each one matters.
• Product form: seamless pipe costs more to make than welded pipe, and bar, sheet, plate and coil each carry their own conversion cost.
• Size and wall thickness: larger diameters and heavier walls use more metal, and unusual sizes can need a special mill run.
• Quantity: a full mill lot is priced differently from a cut-to-length parcel from stock.
• Finish and condition: bright annealed, polished, pickled and mirror finishes each add processing.
• Standard and certification: a product standard with extra testing, or EN 10204 3.2 with third-party inspection, adds cost.
• Delivery terms and destination: FOB, CFR, CIF, EXW and DAP put different costs on the seller, and freight depends on the route.
• Supply route: material held in stock is quoted differently from material sourced on request.

On our internal relative cost index, where 304 is 1.0, SS 202 sits at about 0.75. This is a guide for specification triage, not a price: it ignores size, quantity and the day. Remember that lower corrosion resistance than 304 and 316, so the cheapest grade is not always the lowest-cost choice over the life of the equipment.

SS 202 is priced below 304 because manganese and nitrogen replace part of the nickel, which makes it less exposed to the nickel market than grades with more nickel in them. It also means the price spread between quotations can be wide, because 200-series chemistry is set by each mill within the standard's limits.

When two quotations for 202 differ sharply, compare the certificates before comparing the prices. Check the nickel, manganese and chromium against the limits for UNS S20200 (nickel 4.0 to 6.0 percent, manganese 7.5 to 10.0 percent, chromium 17.0 to 19.0 percent). A figure well outside those limits is a different material sold under the same name, and the saving is not a saving.

Product form moves the price too. Coil and sheet are bought by weight at a conversion cost that depends on finish, welded tube adds the cost of forming and welding, and bright polished finishes add processing. State the form and finish, and the quotation will reflect exactly that.

Send the product form, dimensions, quantity, standard, finish and destination. For export, name the country and port. We reply with price, availability, documents and the Incoterm. The weight calculator on this site gives an accurate weight for a given size, which makes comparing quotations straightforward.